FREE TOOL / GOOGLE ADS

What Does a Customer Really Cost From Google Ads?

Before you put thousands into Google Ads, see what contractors in your trade are actually paying per lead and per customer. Real benchmark data, not guesses.

STEP / 01

Pick Your Trade

We'll pull the published benchmark numbers for your category.

What kind of work do you do?

BENCHMARK DATA

Avg Cost Per Click

Click-to-Lead Rate

Avg Cost Per Lead

Source: LocaliQ 2025 home services search ads benchmarks. Median values from 3,200+ US campaigns. Your market will vary.

STEP / 02

Make It Your Numbers

Your Close Rate

25 %

Out of every 10 leads that call, how many turn into paying jobs?

Average Job Value

$ 1,500

What does a typical invoice look like?

THE VERDICT

Here's What You're Looking At

Estimated Cost Per New Customer

$ 0

from Google Ads, before management fees

THE MATH

Pick a trade and set your numbers to see the math.

$ 0

Cost Per Lead

Leads Per Customer

Clicks Per Lead

0 %

Ad Cost as % of Job

TO LAND 10 NEW CUSTOMERS A MONTH

$ 0

Monthly Ad Budget

Leads You'll Need

Clicks You'll Pay For

THE LEAK CHECK

Plug the Leaks Before You Buy More Leads

You just saw what one new customer costs from ads. Now think about the calls you already paid for. At those lead prices, every missed call is real money out the door. Most contractors don't have a lead problem. They have a leak problem.

RULE / 01

No Ads Without Capacity

If you can't take 15 more jobs next month, we won't sell you ads. That's a standing rule here, not a sales line. If we think you're buying too much, we'll tell you. Buying traffic while your phone leaks jobs is paying twice for the same customer.

See All Five Levels

LEVEL 02

Catch Every Job

Before you spend a dollar on new leads, catch the jobs you already earned: missed calls, thin reviews, unchased quotes. That's what Level 2 does, around the clock.

$349/MO. ONE RECOVERED JOB A MONTH USUALLY COVERS IT.

Start Catching Every Job

WHY IT COSTS SO MUCH

What Drives Your Cost Per Customer Up

Bidding Wars

Every contractor in your area is bidding on the same keywords. More bidders means higher prices, and home services is one of the most crowded categories on Google. High-intent emergency terms cost the most because everyone wants the caller who needs help today.

Most Clicks Never Become Leads

Across home services, roughly 7% of ad clicks turn into a lead. That means you pay for about 13 clicks to get one phone call or form fill. Trades with longer sales cycles, like roofing and general construction, convert even lower.

Leads That Go Nowhere

A lead is not a customer. Price shoppers, wrong-fit jobs, and callers who never pick up again all count against your spend. Your close rate decides how many expensive leads it takes to land one real job, and that's the number most owners never calculate.

QUESTIONS

Straight Answers

The benchmark figures are median values from LocaliQ's 2025 home services search ads study, built on more than 3,200 real US campaigns. They're a starting point, not a quote. Your actual costs depend on your market, your competition, your ad quality, and the season.

When someone searches "emergency plumber," they're ready to pay right now. Every contractor in the market knows it, so everyone bids hard on those terms. High intent drives high prices. The upside is those clicks convert better, which is why the cost per lead doesn't climb as fast as the cost per click.

Yes, with real management. Tighter keywords, negative keyword lists, better ad copy, and landing pages built to convert all bring costs down. But that takes time and skill, and hiring it out adds a management fee on top of your ad spend. Even a well-run campaign is a serious monthly cost.

Ads work when two things are true: you have the crew capacity to take more jobs, and you're not leaking the leads you already get. That's why our first rule is no ads without capacity. If you can't take 15 more jobs next month, we won't sell you ads, and we'll tell you so.

The three biggest leaks: calls that go unanswered, a review profile too thin to win trust, and quotes that never get followed up. Plug those and the leads you already pay for start turning into jobs. Then ads make sense, because every expensive click lands in a system that catches it.

BEFORE YOU SPEND A DOLLAR ON ADS