What a Good Cost Per Lead Looks Like by Trade

Cost per lead is the number every owner asks about first, and it's also the one most often misunderstood. A $25 lead that never books is expensive. A $90 lead that turns into a $22,000 remodel is cheap. The number only matters next to your close rate and average job value.

That said, benchmarks help you know whether your ads are healthy. Across the campaigns we run for home service businesses, here is the range we typically see: window cleaning and pressure washing $20 to $40 per lead, auto detailing $20 to $45, landscaping and lawn care $30 to $60, painting $40 to $70, cleaning services $25 to $50, roofing $55 to $85, HVAC and plumbing $50 to $90, and remodeling or ADU work $60 to $100.

Higher ticket trades cost more per lead, and that's normal. A roofing lead should cost more than a window cleaning lead because the job is worth twenty times as much. Judge the number against revenue, not against another trade.

Three things move cost per lead the most. First, offer specificity: 'free roof inspection for homes over 20 years old' beats 'free estimate.' Second, creative quality: real job photos and short phone videos consistently beat polished stock. Third, audience size: a radius that's too tight burns through the same people and drives costs up week over week.

Watch the trend, not the day. Costs rise as a campaign saturates an audience and fall when new creative refreshes it. A weekly average tells you the truth; a single day tells you almost nothing.

The last piece is follow-up. Two businesses with identical $60 leads can have wildly different results, because one replies in three minutes and the other in three hours. Speed to lead is usually worth more than shaving $10 off the cost.