The short answer
LocaliQ, which sells advertising services, publishes the 2026 averages we found. For Home & Home Improvement, search ads cost $90.92 per lead ($8.33 per click, 8.05% of clicks become a lead). Facebook lead campaigns cost $42.95 per lead. The 2026 search page counts a lead as a click followed by contact by phone, chat, form fill or email. The trade report below calls cost per lead a cost per conversion and does not say what counts. The Facebook page says lead campaigns optimize for actions such as form fills, messages, calls and conversions.
At those averages, $1,500 of ad spend buys about 16.5 search leads ($1,500 / $90.92) or 34.9 Facebook leads ($1,500 / $42.95). To check, find the Home & Home Improvement row in each LocaliQ page's cost per lead table (Sources).
Cost per lead in 2026
| Ad type and category | Cost per click | Clicks that become a lead | Cost per lead | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google and Microsoft search ads, Home & Home Improvement | $8.33 | 8.05% | $90.92 | Updated June 1, 2026. Read October 6, 2026. |
| Google and Microsoft search ads, all industries | $5.42 | 8.18% | $66.69 | Updated June 1, 2026. Read October 6, 2026. |
| Facebook lead campaigns, Home & Home Improvement | $2.18 | 5.32% | $42.95 | Updated September 23, 2026. Read October 6, 2026. |
| Facebook lead campaigns, all industries | $1.80 | 8.54% | $27.39 | Updated September 23, 2026. Read October 6, 2026. |
Facebook is cheaper per lead in both rows, but LocaliQ publishes no close rate for either, so cost per booked job is unknown. The Google Ads or Meta Ads chooser picks between them in three questions.
Cost per lead by trade
LocaliQ's trade report (updated July 15, 2026, read October 6, 2026) covers 3,211 US search campaigns from April 1, 2024 to March 21, 2025, at least 103 per category, and publishes medians (the middle value). The table shows 10 of 16 categories.
| Trade | Cost per click | Clicks that become a lead | Cost per lead | Leads for $1,500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing & gutters | $10.70 | 3.70% | $228.15 | 6.6 |
| Construction & contractors (general) | $5.31 | 2.61% | $165.67 | 9.1 |
| Paint & painting | $13.74 | 10.80% | $138.38 | 10.8 |
| Plumbing | $10.49 | 7.63% | $129.02 | 11.6 |
| Heating & furnaces | $9.30 | 7.48% | $129.02 | 11.6 |
| Air conditioning installation & repair | $9.68 | 6.56% | $127.74 | 11.7 |
| Landscaping | $8.76 | 6.42% | $117.92 | 12.7 |
| Electricians & electrical contractors | $12.18 | 9.08% | $93.69 | 16.0 |
| Handyman services | $7.10 | 13.45% | $54.05 | 27.8 |
| Cleaning / maid / butler services | $8.50 | 17.65% | $46.99 | 31.9 |
| All home services | $7.85 | 7.33% | $90.92 | 16.5 |
Do the sums
- Leads = ad spend / cost per lead. For one account, cost per lead = cost per click / lead rate, but the LocaliQ figures on this page do not follow it exactly.
- Cost per booked job = cost per lead / close rate.
- Jobs needed = outlay / profit per job, which the break-even jobs calculator runs with your numbers.
To compare a flat management fee with a percent-of-spend quote, use the fee calculator. Our own plans and their conditions are on the pricing page.
What to do with the numbers
- If a quote promises a cost per lead below your trade's figure, ask what it counts as a lead; LocaliQ does not say whether it removes spam or duplicates.
- Google advises judging Smart Bidding over a period with at least 30 conversions, such as a month or longer. If your budget is $1,500 a month and a lead costs the $90.92 average, 30 leads cost about $2,728, or about 2 months. The ad budget checker takes your cost per lead.
What these numbers cannot tell you
- Lead quality and close rate. LocaliQ's three pages publish no close rate or job value, so a cheap lead can still be an expensive job.
- The sample. The 2026 search page says "thousands" of its customers' campaigns with no count, and the Facebook page states no sample or period. None is specific to Virginia or DC.
- One seller. All three pages are LocaliQ's, so they do not confirm each other. Montrelia sells ad management too and publishes no lead-cost data.
- Figures that do not divide cleanly. $8.33 / 8.05% = $103.48, not $90.92; $2.18 / 5.32% = $40.98, not $42.95. None of the 10 trade rows divides to its printed cost per lead; for Electricians, $12.18 / 9.08% = $134.14, not $93.69. LocaliQ does not say how it averaged. Its trade report prints the same $90.92 for all home services beside a different click cost ($7.85) and lead rate (7.33%).
Sources
| Source | What it says | Date read | Who publishes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| LocaliQ, Search Advertising Benchmarks for Every Industry [2026 Data] (updated June 1, 2026) | Home & Home Improvement: $8.33 per click, 8.05% lead rate, $90.92 per lead. All industries: $5.42, 8.18%, $66.69. A lead is contact by phone, chat, form fill or email. Based on thousands of its customers' Google Ads and Microsoft Ads campaigns. | October 6, 2026 | LocaliQ, which sells advertising services. |
| LocaliQ, Facebook Advertising Benchmarks for 2026 (updated September 23, 2026) | Lead campaigns, Home & Home Improvement: $2.18 per click, 5.32% lead rate, $42.95 per lead. All industries: $1.80, 8.54%, $27.39. Lead campaigns use Facebook Lead Ads. No sample size or period stated. | October 6, 2026 | LocaliQ, which sells advertising services. |
| LocaliQ, 2025 Search Ad Benchmarks for Home Services (updated July 15, 2026) | Cost per click, lead rate and cost per lead for 16 trades. Sample: 3,211 US search campaigns, April 1, 2024 to March 21, 2025, at least 103 per category. Averages are medians. | October 6, 2026 | LocaliQ, which sells advertising services. |
| Google Ads Help, About Smart Bidding | Google recommends measuring performance over longer periods with at least 30 conversions, such as a month or longer. | October 6, 2026 | Google, which sells Google Ads. |
| Google Local Services Help, How leads work | Local Services Ads charge for each valid lead. Prices vary by location, job type, lead type and bidding mode. No dollar price is given. | October 6, 2026 | Google, which sells Local Services Ads. |
Questions people ask
What is a typical Google Ads cost per lead for a plumber?
LocaliQ's median for plumbing search ads is $129.02 per lead, alongside a $10.49 click cost and a 7.63% lead rate, which divide to $137.48, not $129.02 (campaigns from April 2024 to March 2025). If 1 lead in 4 books, a booked job costs $516.08 in ad spend, so each job must leave more profit than that before repeat work.
What does an HVAC lead cost on Google Ads?
LocaliQ has no category named HVAC. Its nearest rows are Air conditioning installation & repair at $127.74 per lead and Heating & furnaces at $129.02, the same figure it prints for plumbing, both medians of search campaigns from April 2024 to March 2025. If you sell both, ask your agency which row it compares your account with.
How much does a Facebook lead cost for a local business?
LocaliQ's 2026 average for Facebook lead campaigns is $27.39 across industries and $42.95 for Home & Home Improvement. Those campaigns use Facebook Lead Ads, which collect details inside Facebook. The page publishes no trade split, close rate or sample size, and suggests blocking specific email domains or phone numbers on forms to limit lead spam, so check what your lead count includes.
What is a good conversion rate for Google Ads?
LocaliQ's 2026 lead rate is 8.05% of clicks for Home & Home Improvement search ads and 8.18% across industries. Its trade medians run from 2.61% for general construction to 17.65% for cleaning. A lead rate counts what LocaliQ calls leads per click, so a rate above the average is not good if those leads never book.
Do Local Services Ads cost less per lead than search ads?
We cannot say. Google's help page prices Local Services Ads per valid lead and prints no dollar figure; it says prices vary by location, job type, lead type and bidding mode. Invalid or low-quality leads are not charged, so an LSA lead and a search lead are not the same unit.
Last updated October 6, 2026