Job Source vs Ad Source: the difference and why it matters
Last updated: Aug 24, 2026
A Job Source answers "which brand or line did this job come in on?" — Google, Yelp, a referral partner, your website. An Ad Source answers a narrower question: "which marketing campaign or channel produced this lead?" The difference matters because Job Sources actively drive behavior — the phone number your texts send from, the Google review link customers are routed to, and per-source reporting — while Ad Sources are purely labels for reporting. In the sidebar they are two separate pages: Job Source and Ad Source.
What a Job Source does
Each Job Source is a colored label you attach to jobs, and it powers real features:
- Sender number — in Automations → Sender Numbers you assign a default outgoing phone number per source, so a Yelp job texts the customer from your Yelp line and a Google job from your Google line. Sources without one show "Fallback to primary" and send from your company primary number.
- Review link and Smart Link — each source can hold its own Google review URL. The source's smart feedback link routes happy customers to that Google page and unhappy ones to a private form (how the Smart Link works).
- Reporting — the Reports area breaks jobs, revenue, and review performance down per source, so you can see which line actually produces closed work.
The Job Sources page header says it plainly: "Track where your jobs come from."
What an Ad Source does
The Ad Sources page describes its own job: "Track which marketing campaigns and channels produced each lead." An Ad Source is an optional second label on a job — for example, the Job Source is "Google" and the Ad Source is "Spring LSA campaign". Ad Sources never change which number a text sends from and never carry review links. Use them when you want to compare campaigns inside the same lead channel. See Track Ad Sources separately from Job Sources.
The difference at a glance
| Job Source | Ad Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | Which brand/line did the job come in on? | Which campaign produced the lead? |
| Required on jobs | Recommended for every job | Optional |
| Sender number for texts | Yes — assigned per source | No |
| Google review link / smart link | Yes | No |
| Shows in reports | Yes | Yes (campaign comparison) |
Which one should you set up first?
Start with Job Sources — create one per brand or lead channel and give each a color. Then, if you run multiple campaigns inside one channel and want to compare them, add Ad Sources on top. Both pages work the same way: colored cards, an edit pencil, a Deactivate action to hide a source from dropdowns without losing history, and a Delete action that first shows you exactly what will be affected.
FAQ
Do I need both a Job Source and an Ad Source on a job?
No. Every job should have a Job Source; an Ad Source is optional extra detail about which campaign produced the lead. Many companies use only Job Sources.
Does an Ad Source change how texts or review requests work?
No. Ad Sources are reporting labels only. Sender numbers, review links, and smart links all hang off the Job Source.
Can I rename a Job Source later?
Yes — edit it from the Job Sources page. Jobs already tagged with it keep the label, and the source keeps its color, sender number, and review link.
What happens if I delete a source that jobs are using?
Dispatch Bros shows you the impact first — how many jobs will lose their source label and, for Job Sources, how many automation workflows will be updated — before you confirm.