What a lead really costs, vertical by vertical.

Cleaning is a volume-and-retention game. Lead costs are among the lowest in home services and the click-through rates are among the highest, so the winners are the companies that capture cheap demand and then keep customers on recurring schedules for years.

4 sourced benchmarks

Electrical is one of the most efficient trades to market. Local Services Ads leads are among the cheapest of any trade, the average ticket is healthy, and the work carries strong margins. The catch is a high click cost on search, so the smart money goes to pay-per-lead channels first.

6 sourced benchmarks

Fencing and decks are seasonal, project-based, and highly visual. Every finished job is a roadside billboard, so the builders who capture the spring rush, show their craftsmanship, and turn neighbours into referrals fill the calendar fastest.

4 sourced benchmarks

Garage door work splits between fast repair calls and higher-ticket installs. Clicks are among the cheapest in home services and the intent is urgent, so the companies that show up first and answer fast win a steady flow of profitable repair jobs.

4 sourced benchmarks

Remodeling and general contracting is a considered, high-ticket purchase. Clicks are cheap but leads are expensive, because homeowners research for weeks before they trust anyone with a major project. The winners build proof and portfolio, then nurture the long sales cycle.

5 sourced benchmarks

Handyman work is cheap to acquire and easy to repeat. Leads are among the lowest in home services, and one small job can turn into a homeowner's go-to for every fix on the list. The winners make it effortless to book and easy to call again.

4 sourced benchmarks

HVAC has two economies in one business: fast repair calls and high-value replacements. The lead looks expensive until you see the lifetime value. A maintenance-plan customer is worth thousands over a decade, so HVAC rewards companies that measure the relationship, not just the first job.

6 sourced benchmarks

Landscaping and lawn care live and die on recurring maintenance contracts. One-time design-build jobs are the visible revenue, but the weekly and seasonal maintenance route is the asset. Cheap Local Services Ads leads plus retention are the formula.

4 sourced benchmarks

Locksmith work is pure urgency. A lockout does not shop around; it calls whoever appears first and answers fastest. Cheap Local Services Ads leads plus instant response and the Google Guaranteed badge are the whole game.

4 sourced benchmarks

Painting has the highest click cost in home services, so wasted spend hurts fast. But leads are affordable through Local Services Ads and margins are healthy, so the trade rewards contractors who send cheap high-intent leads to a strong reputation and a fast quote.

4 sourced benchmarks

Pest control has the best recurring-revenue economics in the trades. Customers stay for years, routes get denser and cheaper to service, and lifetime value dwarfs the cost of a lead. That is why the strongest operators spend more on marketing than most trades, not less.

5 sourced benchmarks

Plumbing is urgency-driven, which makes it one of the highest-converting trades online. A burst pipe does not wait, so the plumber who is easiest to find and fastest to answer wins the job. That urgency also keeps lead costs lower than roofing or HVAC replacement work.

6 sourced benchmarks

Pools have the best lead economics in home services: the lowest cost per lead and cheap clicks. The jobs are large and the service tail is long, so builders who capture cheap high-intent demand and keep customers for maintenance win twice.

4 sourced benchmarks

Radon is one of the thinnest-data verticals in local services. No major report breaks it out, so we are upfront about that and use the closest home-services anchors as stand-ins. Where radon really wins is the real-estate transaction and awareness-season demand that no generic benchmark captures.

4 sourced benchmarks

Restoration is emergency work at high value, which is why its leads command some of the steepest costs in home services. A flooded basement calls the first company that answers, so speed, availability, and insurance-savvy handling win jobs worth thousands.

4 sourced benchmarks

Roofing has the highest lead costs in home services, and some of the highest job values to pay for them. A $313 lead against a $13,700 job is a healthy funnel. Judging roofing lead costs against the all-industry average is the most common budgeting mistake roofers make.

7 sourced benchmarks

Blinds and window coverings sit between retail and home improvement, and no major report breaks the niche out. We are upfront about that and use home-services anchors as stand-ins. The real edge is the in-home consultation, where a measured, styled quote converts far better than any click.

4 sourced benchmarks

Window and door replacement is one of the priciest home-services leads there is, second only to roofing. The jobs are large and the sales cycle is long, so the winners qualify hard, quote well, and nurture homeowners through a considered, high-ticket decision.

4 sourced benchmarks

Chiropractic is a relationship practice. A new patient often means a course of care and years of ongoing visits, so the lifetime value dwarfs the acquisition cost. Public data here is thinner and agency-sourced, so treat the numbers as directional and grade against your own new-patient economics.

5 sourced benchmarks

Counselling and therapy is a recurring, relationship-based practice with almost no public marketing data. Clients often attend weekly for months, so the value of a single new client is high, and trust is everything. Directories, local search, and genuine fit matter more than paid volume.

4 sourced benchmarks

Dentistry pays some of the highest click costs on Google, but a patient is worth thousands over the relationship, and far more if they are fee-for-service. The discipline is simple: keep acquisition cost well under lifetime value, and lean on the referral engine every healthy practice already has.

7 sourced benchmarks

Gyms live and die on retention. Acquiring a member costs several times more than keeping one, so the businesses that win are not the ones with the flashiest ads but the ones that turn a January signup into a two-year member. The whole game is churn, not sign-ups.

4 sourced benchmarks

Med spas run on repeat, high-margin treatments. A single Botox or filler client comes back several times a year, so the economics reward retention and rebooking far more than the first appointment. Cheap social leads plus a strong rebooking habit are the winning formula.

5 sourced benchmarks

Optometry blends routine recurring care with high-ticket elective procedures. An annual exam patient is worth thousands over a decade, and elective LASIK or premium eyewear adds a second, higher-margin economy. The winners retain the recurring base and convert the elective upside.

5 sourced benchmarks

Physical therapy value lives in the plan of care, not the first visit. A new patient typically means a course of treatment across weeks, so acquisition cost is small against the episode value. Public PT-specific data is thin, so grade against your own numbers and lean on referrals.

5 sourced benchmarks

Veterinary is a marketing dream on paper: the lowest lead costs and the single highest conversion rate of any industry. Pet owners search with urgent, loving intent and book fast. The catch in 2026 is a more cost-sensitive client, so retention and value communication matter more than ever.

4 sourced benchmarks

Accounting is a sticky, recurring relationship. A client who signs on for bookkeeping or tax stays for years, so acquisition cost is small against the lifetime relationship. The discipline is keeping acquisition under 10 percent of a client's first-year fees, and letting referrals lead.

4 sourced benchmarks

Finance and insurance is a high-trust, low-conversion category. It has the lowest paid conversion rate of any industry and one of the highest acquisition costs, because people do not hand over their money or their coverage on a whim. The winners build authority and nurture patiently.

4 sourced benchmarks

Legal has the highest cost per lead and the highest cost per click of any industry, full stop. But the all-industry legal average is nearly useless, because a personal injury case and an estate plan have wildly different economics. Grade against your practice area, never the aggregate.

4 sourced benchmarks

Personal injury is the highest-stakes marketing in local services. Cases are worth five and six figures, so firms bid aggressively, and a signed case can cost hundreds to acquire. The math only works if you track cost per signed case, not cost per lead, and convert fast.

4 sourced benchmarks

Real estate leads are cheap to generate and brutal to convert. Most never close within 90 days, and a big commission hangs on long-term nurture. The agents who win treat lead gen as the easy part and follow-up as the job, because the money is in the database, not the click.

4 sourced benchmarks

Dealership marketing is measured per vehicle, not per lead. Dealers spend hundreds in advertising to move each car, against a thin and shrinking net margin, so efficiency and the service-and-retention tail matter more than headline spend. The money increasingly lives in fixed ops and repeat buyers.

4 sourced benchmarks

Auto repair is one of the best-converting, cheapest-to-market local businesses there is. Second-highest conversion rate of any industry, near-bottom lead costs, and a healthy repair order. The winners capture cheap high-intent demand and keep drivers coming back for every service.

4 sourced benchmarks

Restaurants have some of the cheapest marketing costs anywhere and some of the thinnest margins. A lead costs almost nothing, but a full-service restaurant nets single digits, so the game is filling seats consistently and turning first-time diners into regulars through reviews and repeat visits.

4 sourced benchmarks

Salons and barbershops run on rebooking. A client who loves their cut comes back every few weeks for years, so the first visit barely reflects the value. Cheap, high-converting demand plus a disciplined rebooking habit is the whole formula, and beauty is one of the best-converting categories on Google.

4 sourced benchmarks

The dive industry's own analysts flag it as short on reliable marketing data, and warn against rosy third-party market reports. So we stick to what the credible sources actually publish, DEMA and the Business of Diving Institute, and build the playbook around the economics that hold up.

4 sourced benchmarks