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What Should a Tradie Pay Per Lead? Cost Benchmarks by Trade

February 23, 2026

Cost per lead for tradies is what you pay to generate a single enquiry — a call, form fill or quote request — from a given channel. In Australia that figure typically lands between $40 and $100 depending on trade and location, but the number that actually decides whether marketing is working is your cost per booked job, not cost per lead. Here’s how to think about both.

Typical lead costs by channel

Google Ads: roughly $40–$100 per lead for most trades, higher for emergency work in capital cities.
Lead platforms (Hipages, Oneflare): $25–$80 per lead — but shared with several tradies, so the real cost per won job is far higher.
SEO & Google Business Profile: no per-lead cost once established — you invest upfront and the leads keep coming.
Referrals: effectively free, and the highest-converting leads you’ll ever get.

Why cost per booked job matters more

A $50 lead sounds cheap until you realise it took five of them to win one job — that’s $250 per booked job. On a shared lead platform where conversion runs 1-in-5, cheap leads get expensive fast. Always work back from the job: cost per lead multiplied by leads-per-job equals your true acquisition cost.

What a lead is actually worth to you

This is the part most tradies skip. If your average job delivers $3,000 in gross profit, paying $150 — or even $300 — for a booked job is a bargain. If your average job is a $200 call-out, that same $150 destroys your margin. There is no universal “good” lead cost; there’s only what makes sense against your job values. A high-value trade can profitably outbid competitors on the same keyword because each win is worth more.

The three numbers to track

Cost per lead — by channel, so you know where your enquiries are cheapest.
Cost per booked job — cost per lead adjusted for your conversion rate.
Average job value — what a won job is worth in profit, so you know what you can afford to pay.

Get those three in front of you and every marketing decision becomes obvious. For how much to budget overall once you know your numbers, read our guide to what a service business should spend on marketing. And to bring your cost per booked job down, the fastest lever is usually generating your own leads instead of buying shared ones — start with lead generation for tradies and the wider marketing for tradies guide.

Not sure what your leads really cost?

We’ll help you work out your true cost per booked job and where to spend for the best return. Start with a free audit. Call (02) 8357 4899 or book your free audit and consultation.

Hear from The Author

Rebecca Jacobs

Rebecca Jacobs is a highly skilled content writer and SEO specialist with a passion for crafting engaging and compelling content. With her expertise in search engine optimisation, she brings valuable insights and strategies to enhance online visibility and drive organic traffic. With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of audience needs, Rebecca delivers high-quality, tailored content that captivates readers and delivers measurable results. Her ability to conduct thorough keyword research and optimise content ensures maximum visibility and ranking potential. Rebecca stays at the forefront of the ever-evolving digital landscape, constantly honing her skills and keeping up with the latest trends and best practices in SEO. She is adept at crafting persuasive copy, optimising meta tags, and implementing on-page SEO techniques to improve website performance.