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    Proof
    Aussie Plumbing — ad spend scaled 1.8× with enquiries up 2.1×, so each enquiry cost lessI-ELEC — a 231-page electrician website for Inner SydneyWhat a plumbing lead costs on Google AdsWhat a lead costs on Google Ads, industry by industrySLS Solicitors — cost per recorded Google Ads conversion down 58.48%Wilco Plumbing — a 516-page plumbing website for SydneyHow much should a trade business spend on marketing?State Choice Plumbing — a drains, hot water and gas websiteAussie Drains — a 600-page drain website for SydneyWhat an electrician lead costs on Google AdsAussie Electrical — a 650-page electrical website for SydneyThe most efficient ways for a trade business to get leadsEOL Melbourne — click-to-enquiry rate up from 28% to 33.4%What a cleaning lead costs on Google AdsAlliance Plumbing — ad spend scaled 1.8× with enquiries up 2.1×, so each enquiry cost lessImpress Blinds — cost per recorded Google Ads conversion down 62.63%FixCare Property — cost per enquiry down 56.36%Rubbish Removal WA — cost per enquiry down 53.18%Floral Cakery — cost per enquiry down 49.82%ILLUMINATE Laser Emporium — cost per enquiry down 48.54%Sydney Fence Painting — cost per enquiry down 33.68%Alliance Plumbing — cost per enquiry down 29.6%Gridless Build Solutions — cost per enquiry down 29.16%FacilityWorx — cost per enquiry down 23.62%Cornerstone Roofing — cost per enquiry down 20.47%Council finance — budgeting and workforce designCouncil planning — clearer approvals and reportingCultural audiences — media strategy and creative conceptsCommunity participation — surveys, maps and project pagesPublic-sector research — survey design and analysisPublic art — site studies and visual conceptsRegional identity — visitor guides and wayfinding conceptsCouncil systems — integration and migration planningA pressure washing business — service-led search campaignsA pressure washing business — a clear enquiry journeyA carpet cleaner — Google Ads built around cleaning servicesA roofing company — campaigns for repairs and restorationA CCTV installer — campaigns for security enquiriesA fence painter — search campaigns for specific surfacesA maintenance business — live in 8 weeks, 3 stacks gone5.0 across every Google review$120M+ in media under management250+ active engagements across five countries
    SoudCoh

    Research · Sep 2025 – 24 Sep 2026 Google Ads benchmarks for Australian trades.

    Quick answer

    What a Google Ads lead costs depends on the industry; there is no single average. Typical figures: plumbers A$40–A$120, electricians A$30–A$60, residential cleaning A$12–A$25, removalists A$6–A$20 and mortgage and finance brokers A$10–A$20. Figures are ad spend per lead, before GST and our fee. We recommend at least A$5,000 a month in ad spend.

    Key facts

    • A$40–A$120typical cost per lead on Google Ads, plumbingSoudCoh figures
    • A$30–A$60typical cost per lead on Google Ads, electriciansA$30–A$60, A$40–A$70 in Melbourne and SydneySoudCoh figures
    • A$12–A$25typical cost per lead on Google Ads, cleaningA$12–A$25 residential, A$80–A$120 or more commercialSoudCoh figures
    • A$6–A$20typical cost per lead on Google Ads, removalsSoudCoh figures
    • A$10–A$20typical cost per lead on Google Ads, mortgage and finance brokersSoudCoh figures
    • 64.0%of trade enquiries were phone callsThe rest were website formsSoudCoh research

    Source: SoudCoh research, reported Google Ads data from Australian trade and home-service businesses. An enquiry is a recorded phone call or submitted form, not a booked job. Cost per lead: SoudCoh planning figures by industry, before GST and management fees. Actual costs vary.

    Download the CSVRead the method

    Typical cost per lead, by industry

    SoudCoh’s typical figures for each industry. There is no single figure across all of them.

    Typical Google Ads cost per lead for Australian trade and home-service businesses, industry by industry.
    IndustryTypical cost per leadWhat it depends on
    PlumbingA$40–A$120For plumbing, use A$40–A$120 per Google Ads lead as a planning range. Blocked drains, hot water, leaks and emergency call-outs have different demand and job values. Your service area, competition and enquiry handling affect where the campaign sits within that range.
    ElectriciansA$30–A$60, A$40–A$70 in Melbourne and SydneyElectricians typically pay A$30–A$60 per lead on Google Ads when campaigns are built efficiently, for scale and volume, and closer to A$40–A$70 in Melbourne and Sydney. Smaller campaigns find that range harder to reach.
    CleaningA$12–A$25 residential, A$80–A$120 or more commercialEnd-of-lease, house and other residential cleaning typically costs A$12–A$25 per lead on Google Ads once campaigns have run three to six months, in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and other cities. Commercial cleaning (offices, gyms and regular contract cleans) runs on Search campaigns with exact-match keywords at A$80–A$120 or more per lead, which is worth paying because one contract brings monthly recurring revenue.
    Heating and coolingA$20–A$60Heating and cooling businesses typically pay A$20–A$60 per lead on Google Ads, in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
    RoofingA$20–A$60Roofers typically pay A$20–A$60 per lead on Google Ads.
    PaintingA$40–A$80 whole-house, A$5–A$30 smaller jobsWhole-house painting typically costs A$40–A$80 per lead on Google Ads in Melbourne and Sydney. Smaller painting jobs cost less, at A$5–A$30 per lead.
    Pest controlA$25–A$30Pest control businesses typically pay A$25–A$30 per lead on Google Ads once campaigns have run three to six months.
    RemovalsA$6–A$20Removalists typically pay A$6–A$20 per lead on Google Ads, depending on the business.
    Mortgage and finance brokersA$10–A$20Mortgage and finance brokers typically pay A$10–A$20 per lead on Google Ads.
    ConstructionNo set figure: judged per paying customerConstruction is the one industry where cost per lead is not the goal. The right figure depends on the project value, and what counts is how many qualified leads become paying customers. When a single project is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, it can make sense to spend up to A$10,000 to win one paying customer, and A$50,000–A$100,000 on the largest projects, judged over a longer timeframe than other trades.

    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. 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. We review enquiry costs alongside lead quality and booked work, so the campaign reflects the jobs your business wants. The full report: What a lead costs on Google Ads in Australia, industry by industry.

    Click and conversion rates, by trade

    Medians and the middle half of qualifying accounts (the 25th to 75th percentile), in Australian dollars excluding GST and agency fees. Each column is one trade.

    Google Ads benchmarks for plumbing, electricians, cleaning from SoudCoh research, Sep 2025 – 24 Sep 2026. Median, with the middle half of accounts beneath it.
    MeasurePlumbingElectriciansCleaning
    Cost per click (median)A$16.84middle half A$15.38–A$20.49A$21.80middle half A$14.40–A$22.75A$12.18middle half A$9.27–A$13.96
    Clicks that became an enquiry (median)12.3%middle half 11.8%–16.6%14.0%middle half 13.1%–18.9%20.1%middle half 14.0%–26.5%
    Ad click-through rate (median)5.7%6.0%10.4%
    Enquiries that were phone calls74.6%75.5%25.7%
    Ad clicks from mobile phones74.4%77.0%75.0%
    Qualifying accounts15714
    Enquiries recorded4,0442,2191,758

    Source: SoudCoh research, reported Google Ads data from Australian trade and home-service businesses, Sep 2025 – 24 Sep 2026, updated 25 Sep 2026. Amounts are AUD excluding GST and agency fees. An enquiry is a recorded call or form, not a booked job. Cost per lead is published industry by industry, as typical figures, not from this table.

    How these numbers are defined
    Enquiry
    A recorded phone call (from an ad or a tracked website number) or a submitted enquiry form. Page views, clicks and other soft actions are excluded.
    Which accounts are included
    Accounts with at least A$2,000 of spend and 20 enquiries in the window, whose conversions are at least 75% calls and forms, and whose phone calls are tracked as calls.
    Minimum sample
    A vertical is published only with 5 or more qualifying accounts.
    Middle half of accounts
    The 25th to 75th percentile across accounts: a quarter of accounts sat below the lower figure and a quarter above the higher one.

    How each figure is measured

    What counts as an enquiry in these benchmarks?
    A recorded phone call (from an ad or a tracked website number) or a submitted enquiry form. Page views, clicks and other soft actions are excluded.
    What does a lead cost on Google Ads for a trade business?
    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. 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. 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.
    Which Google Ads accounts are included?
    Accounts with at least A$2,000 of spend and 20 enquiries in the window, whose conversions are at least 75% calls and forms, and whose phone calls are tracked as calls. A vertical is published only with 5 or more qualifying accounts.
    What is left out
    Booked jobs and revenue (an enquiry is not a sale), agency fees and GST.

    How a new account ramps up

    Accounts launched inside the window with 4+ full months and 40+ enquiries. Month 1 is the first month with spend, usually a part-month. Medians across the sample; each month is compared with that account’s own first month.

    MonthEnquiries vs month 1Cost per enquiry vs month 1Clicks that became an enquiry
    Month 11.0×1.0×17.5%
    Month 21.9×1.4×15.3%
    Month 32.1×1.3×16.5%
    Month 42.2×1.4×14.5%
    Use and cite

    Quote it, link it, download it

    How often are the benchmarks updated?
    Monthly. The current figures cover Sep 2025 – 24 Sep 2026, updated 25 Sep 2026; the page, the structured data and the CSV are rebuilt from the same file.
    Can I quote or reuse these figures?
    Yes. Quote them with SoudCoh named as the source and a link to this page, and say which trade and which statistic you are quoting — the median and the middle half of accounts are different numbers.
    Cite this

    SoudCoh. Google Ads benchmarks for Australian trade and home-service businesses — SoudCoh research. Updated 25 Sep 2026. https://soudcoh.com/research/google-ads-benchmarks-australia

    Download the aggregate table as CSV — one row per trade and one for all trades, with the sample size, the medians, the middle half and the window.

    For what we do with these numbers in an account, see Google Ads management, or the pages for plumbing marketing, electrician marketing and cleaning business marketing.

    Compare your account with these figures