10%+
Landing page conversion rate
The conversion rate we expect from a purpose-built landing page on high-intent search traffic. Below that, the page gets reworked before the bids do.
Benchmark Data
Google Ads benchmarks for Australian trades
Real target cost per lead ranges from live Australian trade accounts, updated quarterly. These are the numbers we manage accounts to, published so you can check your own against them.
11
Trade industries
Quarterly
Update cycle
Jul 2026
Last updated
Methodology
Where these numbers come from
Every range on this page is drawn from live Google Ads accounts The Agency Alternative manages for trade businesses across Australia. They are the target cost per lead ranges we use to run those accounts week to week. Not survey answers, not scraped averages, and not numbers borrowed from a 2019 US study.
Treat them as management targets, not promises. Individual results vary with market, season, competition and offer, and no figure here is a guarantee of performance.
The table is reviewed and updated quarterly, with every revision logged in the changelog. Last updated July 2026. Journalists and publishers may cite these figures with attribution and a link.
The data
Target cost per lead by trade, 2026
One row per trade. All figures in Australian dollars per qualified enquiry, as at July 2026.
| Trade industry | Target cost per lead (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Pergolas / gazebos | $150-$250 |
| Retaining walls | $150-$250 |
| Outdoor fireplaces / fire pits | $150-$250 |
| Plantation shutters | $80-$150 |
| Outdoor blinds / Ziptrak | $80-$150 |
| Electrical | $50-$120 |
| Carpentry / joinery | $100-$200 |
| Fencing | $80-$150 |
| Plumbing | $40-$100 |
| Shower regrouting / leak sealing | $100-$150 |
| Cleaning | $30-$60 |
Bars show where each range sits on a $0 to $300 per lead scale. Linked trades have a dedicated breakdown of how we run that industry.
10 clicks
Zero-conversion review trigger
Any keyword that takes 10 or more clicks without a single conversion is flagged for review, regardless of how little it has spent.
$1,500-3,000
Typical starting budget / month
The monthly ad spend range most single-trade local businesses start with. Enough data to optimise on without betting the house.
Citing this data
Journalists and publishers may cite these figures with attribution and a link. Suggested credit: Source: The Agency Alternative, Google Ads Benchmarks for Australian Trades, July 2026.
How to read these numbers
Four things the table does not say
01
Cost per lead is not cost per job
A lead is a qualified enquiry, a phone call or a quote form, not a booked job. What a booked job costs depends on how quickly leads are answered and how well they are quoted, which happens after the click. These ranges benchmark the advertising, not the sales process.
02
Lead to job conversion varies by trade
Emergency trades like plumbing and electrical often close on the first phone call. Quote-based trades like pergolas, retaining walls and shutters compete against two or three other quotes, so a higher cost per lead can still produce a cheaper booked job. Compare within your trade, not across trades.
03
The landing page carries a 10% expectation
On high-intent search traffic, we expect a purpose-built landing page to convert 10% or more of clicks into enquiries. When an account sits above its range, the page is usually the first suspect, not the bids. Fixing conversion rate moves cost per lead faster than any bid change.
04
Phrase-match negatives keep CPL in range
Weekly search-term sweeps with phrase-match negative keywords strip out DIY, job-seeker and price-shopper searches before they burn budget. Accounts drift above these ranges most often because nobody is sweeping, not because the market got more expensive.
Want the narrative version, including the levers that move cost per lead the most? Read Google Ads cost per lead for tradies in Australia.
Changelog
Every revision, on the record
This page is a living dataset. Each quarterly review is logged here, whether the numbers moved or not.
- July 2026
Initial publication. Target cost per lead ranges for 11 trade industries, plus supporting benchmarks for landing page conversion, keyword review triggers and starting budgets.
Questions about the data
Benchmarks, answered straight
Where does this data come from?
From live Google Ads accounts The Agency Alternative manages for trade businesses across Australia. The ranges are the target cost per lead bands we use to run those accounts week to week. They are management targets, not survey results or scraped averages, and individual results vary by market, season, competition and offer.
How often are these benchmarks updated?
Quarterly. Every review is recorded in the changelog on this page, whether the numbers moved or not. This edition was last updated in July 2026.
Can I use these figures in my own article or report?
Yes. Journalists, publishers and researchers are welcome to cite these figures with attribution to The Agency Alternative and a link to this page.
What budget do I need to start Google Ads for a trade business?
Most single-trade local businesses we work with start on $1,500 to $3,000 per month in ad spend, plus a management fee. At the plumbing target range of $40 to $100 per lead, a $2,000 monthly budget puts roughly 20 to 50 enquiries within reach. At pergola economics of $150 to $250 per lead, the same budget targets roughly 8 to 13. Results vary by market and season. Model your own numbers with the trades ROI calculator.
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