For most Australian trade businesses, Google Search ads are the fastest measurable place to start, because they reach people already searching for the job. What a lead costs depends on the industry: SoudCoh's typical figures are A$40–A$120 per lead for plumbing, A$30–A$60 for electricians and A$12–A$25 for residential cleaning. In SoudCoh's research sample of Australian trade and home-service advertisers, the median click-to-enquiry rate was 14.7%.
SEO and a Google Business Profile lower the cost of a lead over time. Below is a comparison of the main lead sources for trades: Google Search ads, Google Local Services Ads, SEO with a Google Business Profile, Meta ads, and lead marketplaces.
What is the most efficient way for a trade business to get leads?
Efficient means more than cheap. A lead source is efficient when it produces enquiries that turn into jobs, at a cost the job can carry, quickly enough to matter, and in a way you control. On those four tests, a well-built Google Search account on a website that converts is the strongest starting point for most trades, with SEO and a Google Business Profile building underneath it.
Key facts
- Typical cost per lead on Google Ads: plumbing A$40–A$120; electricians A$30–A$60, A$40–A$70 in Melbourne and Sydney; cleaning A$12–A$25 residential, A$80–A$120 or more commercial. Every industry is in the table further down.
- There is no single cost per lead across industries. A removalist lead and a commercial cleaning lead are different jobs with different values, so the figures are given industry by industry.
- In SoudCoh's research sample, the median click-to-enquiry rate was 14.7%.
- 64% of recorded enquiries were phone calls; 76% of clicks came from mobiles.
- In new campaigns, second-month enquiries ran at a median 1.9 times the first month.
Definitions. Figures are ad spend per lead on Google Ads, before GST and our management fee. A lead is a phone call or an enquiry form. An enquiry in the research sample is the same thing: a recorded phone call or a submitted form, not a booked job. Research rates are medians across the sample.
How do Google Ads, Local Services Ads, SEO, Meta and lead marketplaces compare?
| Lead source | Searcher intent | Time to first enquiry | How you pay | Who owns the customer | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search ads | High: the person is looking for the job now | Usually within the first month; volume builds over months two to four | Per click, against a budget you set; what a lead costs depends on the industry (see the next section) | You: calls and forms come to your number and website | The core engine for urgent and planned work |
| Google Local Services Ads | High | After Google’s verification, where the service is offered | Per valid lead; Google says prices vary by location, job type and lead type | You receive the lead, inside Google’s platform | Worth testing where available for your trade and country |
| SEO and Google Business Profile | High for local searches | Months for organic rankings; the Business Profile can respond sooner | Time, content and reviews; no per-click fee | You | Lowering the long-run cost of every enquiry |
| Meta ads (Facebook, Instagram) | Lower: people are not searching | Quick to launch, slower to produce booked urgent work | Per impression or click | You, if forms reach your own system | Planned, visual jobs, offers and remarketing |
| Lead marketplaces and directories | Mixed | Quick | Per lead or subscription | Shared: the platform holds the relationship, and some send one job to several businesses | Filling quiet weeks or testing a new area |
The deciding column for most trades is intent. Someone with a blocked drain or a dead power point is searching now, and Google Search puts your business in front of them at that moment. Channels that interrupt people who were not looking can still pay, but for planned, visual or seasonal work rather than emergencies. Our guide to starting with Google Ads or Facebook ads goes deeper on that choice.
A note on Local Services Ads: Google publishes its help for them country by country, and availability depends on your country and service category. Check that they run for your trade in Australia before planning around them.
What do Google Search ads cost trades, and can the cost come down?
SoudCoh's typical cost per lead on Google Ads, industry by industry:
| Industry | Typical cost per lead on Google Ads |
|---|---|
| Plumbing | A$40–A$120 |
| Electricians | A$30–A$60, A$40–A$70 in Melbourne and Sydney |
| Cleaning | A$12–A$25 residential, A$80–A$120 or more commercial |
| Heating and cooling | A$20–A$60 |
| Roofing | A$20–A$60 |
| Painting | A$40–A$80 whole-house, A$5–A$30 smaller jobs |
| Pest control | A$25–A$30 |
| Removals | A$6–A$20 |
| Mortgage and finance brokers | A$10–A$20 |
| Construction | No set figure: judged per paying customer |
Figures are ad spend per lead on Google Ads, before GST and our management fee. A lead is a phone call or an enquiry form. Construction is the exception: cost per lead is not the goal there, and campaigns are judged per paying customer. How the enquiries arrive differs too: in SoudCoh's research sample, 75% of plumbing and 76% of electrical enquiries were phone calls, against 26% for cleaning, where most arrive as forms.
The cost of a Search lead is not fixed. Excluding searches that never book, matching ads to each job and fixing the pages are the levers that move an account toward the cheaper end of its industry's range. We review enquiry costs alongside lead quality and booked work, so the campaign reflects the jobs your business wants. These SoudCoh case studies show the size of those gains, each compared with itself.
| Business | Measured improvement | Compared over | Clicks that became an enquiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rubbish Removal WA | +94% enquiries per month | Latest full month compared with the first full month | 14.5% |
| FacilityWorx | 2.2× enquiries per month | Latest full month compared with the first full month | 19.3% |
That is the case for Search as the core channel: it is measurable to the enquiry, so every change can be judged against what it did to cost and volume. Our page on Google Ads for trades describes that work.
The deciding column for most trades is intent: the person with a blocked drain is searching now.
How quickly does each lead source produce enquiries?
Google Search is the fastest of the owned channels. In SoudCoh's research sample of trade and home-service businesses, this is how the first four months of a new campaign compared with month one:
| Month | Enquiries (month 1 = 100) | Cost per enquiry (month 1 = 100) | Median click-to-enquiry rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 100 | 17.5% |
| 2 | 188 | 139 | 15.3% |
| 3 | 213 | 129 | 16.5% |
| 4 | 223 | 137 | 14.5% |
Month 1 is the first month with spend, usually a part-month, so part of the jump after it is simply that month 1 is short. The full story is in our guide to how long Google Ads takes to get leads.
SEO runs on a slower clock: organic rankings usually take months, while a well-kept Google Business Profile can start producing calls sooner. Our guide on how long SEO takes in Australia sets out what happens in that time. Marketplaces are quick but shared, and Meta ads are quick to launch but slower to turn into urgent bookings.
Who owns the customer, and why does it matter?
When a customer calls your number from your ad or your website, the relationship is yours: the review, the repeat job and the referral all come back to you. When a lead arrives through a marketplace, the platform shapes the relationship, and on some platforms the same job is sent to several businesses at once.
Ownership also feeds efficiency. Calls and forms measured on your own site tell Google which clicks turned into enquiries, and that data improves the bidding. A lead bought elsewhere teaches your ad account nothing. Owning the measurement is also why SoudCoh's benchmark can compare businesses at all: every figure is a recorded call or form on the business’s own number or website.
A lead bought elsewhere teaches your ad account nothing.
Which mix of lead sources should a trade business start with?
- A website that converts. Tap-to-call at the top, a page for each service and a short quote form. See what that means in our guide to a trade website that converts calls and forms, or see how we build websites for tradies.
- A complete Google Business Profile with the right categories, service areas and a steady flow of genuine reviews. Our local SEO work covers it.
- Google Search ads, split by service and suburb and measured to the enquiry. We recommend a minimum of A$5,000 a month in ad spend for most businesses; our guide on how much a trade business should spend on marketing explains why.
- Then test the rest: Local Services Ads where they run for your trade, Meta ads for planned and visual work, and SEO content for the long run.
Our lead generation for tradies puts these together in that order. For trade-specific set-ups, see our pages on plumbing marketing, electrician marketing and marketing for cleaning businesses.
Common questions about lead generation for trades
What is the most efficient way for a tradie to get leads?
For most trades, Google Search ads on a website that converts, backed by a Google Business Profile. Search reaches people already looking for the job, and what a lead costs depends on the industry: SoudCoh's typical figures are A$40–A$120 per lead for plumbing, A$30–A$60 for electricians and A$12–A$25 for residential cleaning. SEO lowers the cost over time.
Are lead marketplaces worth it for trade businesses?
They can fill quiet weeks or test a new area quickly, but you share the customer. The platform holds the relationship, and some send one job to several businesses. Treat marketplaces as a supplement to channels you own, and compare their cost per booked job with your own ads and website.
Are Google Local Services Ads available in Australia?
Availability in Australia is limited and varies by category and city. Google’s Local Services sign-up page lists the eligible countries and categories, so check it for your trade and area before budgeting for it. Where it runs, you pay per valid lead rather than per click, and Google says lead prices vary by location, job type and lead type.
Should a trade business use Facebook ads or Google Ads first?
Google Ads first for most trades, because it captures people already searching for the job, including urgent work. Facebook and Instagram ads reach people who were not searching, which suits planned, visual jobs, seasonal offers and remarketing once the core search account is running and measured.
How quickly do Google Ads produce leads for trades?
Usually within the first month, but volume keeps building. In SoudCoh's research sample of trade and home-service businesses, second-month enquiries ran at a median 1.9 times the first month, and month four at 2.2 times. Month one is usually a part-month, so judge an account over its first few months.
Questions and answers
Should a new trade business start with SEO or Google Ads?
Both, on different clocks. Google Ads can bring enquiries in the first month while SEO and the Business Profile build. Use the ad data to learn which services and suburbs to write for.
What should I bring to a lead-source review?
Bring where your jobs come from now, what each source costs, how many enquiries become jobs, and which work you want more of. That shows which channel to fix or add first.