Key Findings
Home services advertising costs vary dramatically by trade, season, and channel. The data below covers Google Ads, Local Services Ads (LSAs), and Meta Ads benchmarks across six major trades: HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, cleaning, and landscaping.
Key Findings at a Glance
- The average home services Google Ads CPC is $7.85 (LOCALiQ 2025), with electrical at the high end ($12.18) and handyman at the low end ($7.10)
- Local Services Ads cost 40 to 60% less per acquisition than traditional Google Search Ads across most trades
- Phone calls represent 70 to 80% of all leads, and missed calls waste an estimated $1,500/month for the average contractor
- Roofing has the highest CPL at $228.15 due to high job values, while cleaning/maid services has the lowest at $46.99
- Meta Ads deliver leads at $41.26 CPL for home services (WordStream 2025), but with lower close rates than Google Search
Google Ads Benchmarks by Trade
Not all home services trades are created equal when it comes to ad costs. Electrical has the highest cost per click ($12.18) and roofing has the highest cost per lead ($228.15) because of high average ticket values ($8,000 to $15,000 per job). Cleaning/maid services sits at the opposite end with the highest conversion rate (17.65%) and lowest CPL ($46.99).
The table below shows Google Search Ads benchmarks broken down by trade from the LOCALiQ Home Services report covering 3,211 campaigns. These are US national averages. Your actual numbers will vary based on metro area, competition, and campaign quality.
| Trade | Avg. CPC | Avg. CPL | Avg. CTR | Conv. Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC (AC) | $9.68 | $127.74 | 6.43% | 6.56% |
| HVAC (Heating) | $9.30 | $129.02 | 5.97% | 7.48% |
| Plumbing | $10.49 | $129.02 | 4.97% | 7.63% |
| Roofing | $10.70 | $228.15 | 5.66% | 3.70% |
| Electrical | $12.18 | $93.69 | 5.15% | 9.08% |
| Cleaning / Maid | $8.50 | $46.99 | 9.01% | 17.65% |
| Landscaping | $8.76 | $117.92 | 4.69% | 6.42% |
| Handyman | $7.10 | $54.05 | 6.51% | 13.45% |
Source: LOCALiQ/WordStream Home Services Report 2025 (3,211 campaigns). Note: LOCALiQ reports AC and Heating/Furnaces as separate categories. Plumbing and Heating share the same $129.02 CPL in the source data.
Average Cost Per Lead by Trade
Why Roofing CPL Is So High
Roofing has the highest cost per lead ($228.15) of any home services trade because of two factors: high average ticket values ($8,000 to $15,000 per job) drive up CPC competition, and the lowest conversion rate (3.70%) among all trades due to longer decision cycles. If your roofing CPL exceeds $250, check your keyword match types, negative keyword lists, and landing page experience first.
Local Services Ads vs. Google Search Ads
Local Services Ads (LSAs) charge per lead rather than per click, which fundamentally changes the economics. You pay only when a customer contacts you directly through the ad. No wasted clicks on people who never convert.
The tradeoff is control. With LSAs, you cannot choose keywords, write custom ad copy, or set bid adjustments. Google decides when and where your ad appears based on proximity, reviews, and responsiveness.
| Trade | Search Ads CPL | Est. LSA CPL | Est. LSA Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $128 - $129 | $52 - $77 | ~$52 - $77 per lead |
| Plumbing | $129 | $52 - $77 | ~$52 - $77 per lead |
| Roofing | $228 | $91 - $137 | ~$91 - $137 per lead |
| Electrical | $94 | $38 - $56 | ~$38 - $56 per lead |
| Cleaning / Maid | $47 | $19 - $28 | ~$19 - $28 per lead |
| Landscaping | $118 | $47 - $71 | ~$47 - $71 per lead |
Search Ads CPL: LOCALiQ 2025. LSA CPL estimated at 40-60% below Search Ads based on industry reports. Actual LSA costs vary by market, reviews, and responsiveness. LSA CPL rose 23% YoY according to recent data.
LSA vs. Search Ads: Estimated Cost Per Lead
Should You Run Both?
Yes. The best-performing home services companies run LSAs and Google Search Ads simultaneously. LSAs capture high-intent, proximity-based leads at a lower cost. Search Ads let you control messaging, target specific keywords, and dominate branded searches. Together, they give you two placements at the top of the search results page.
Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram) Benchmarks
Meta Ads work differently than Google Ads for home services. On Google, you are capturing existing demand from people actively searching for a plumber or HVAC tech. On Meta, you are creating demand by putting your offer in front of homeowners who are not actively searching but match your ideal customer profile.
This means Meta leads are typically cheaper but lower intent. WordStream reports a $41.26 average CPL for home services lead campaigns on Meta, significantly lower than the $90.92 Google Search average. The tradeoff is close rate: Meta leads close at 10 to 20 percent, while Google Search leads close at 25 to 40 percent.
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| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Avg. CPL (Leads Campaign) | $41.26 | WordStream/LOCALiQ 2025 |
| Avg. CPC (Leads Campaign) | $2.23 | WordStream/LOCALiQ 2025 |
| Avg. CTR (Leads Campaign) | 1.94% | WordStream/LOCALiQ 2025 |
| Avg. CVR (Leads Campaign) | 5.22% | WordStream/LOCALiQ 2025 |
| Avg. CPC (Traffic Campaign) | $0.99 | WordStream/LOCALiQ 2025 |
| Avg. CTR (Traffic Campaign) | 1.28% | WordStream/LOCALiQ 2025 |
| Avg. CPC (TrendTrack) | $2.93 | TrendTrack 2025 |
| Avg. ROAS (TrendTrack) | 2.65:1 | TrendTrack 2025 |
| Lead Close Rate (Meta) | 10% - 20% | vs. 25-40% for Google Search |
Sources: WordStream/LOCALiQ Facebook Ads Benchmarks 2025, TrendTrack Meta Ads Benchmarks 2025
Best Performing Meta Ad Formats for Contractors
- Before/after image carousels generate the highest engagement for remodeling, roofing, and landscaping companies
- Video testimonials (15 to 30 seconds) are the strongest format for trust-building, especially for HVAC and plumbing
- Lead form ads (Meta Instant Forms) deliver the lowest CPL but produce lower-quality leads than landing page conversions
- Offer-based single image ads (like "$49 AC Tune-Up") work best for seasonal promotions and maintenance plans
Seasonal Trends by Trade
Timing your ad spend to match demand is one of the easiest ways to improve ROI. HVAC businesses that maintain the same budget year-round are overspending in March and underspending in July. The table below shows peak and slow seasons for each major trade.
| Trade | Peak Season | Secondary Peak | Slowest Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | June - August | Nov - January | March - April, Sept - Oct |
| Plumbing | December - February | Year-round steady | Late summer |
| Roofing | April - June | Sept - October | December - February |
| Electrical | November - January | June - August | March - May |
| Landscaping | March - June | Sept - October | December - February |
Sources: Google Trends analysis, ServiceTitan seasonal reports 2023-2024
HVAC Search Volume: Monthly Index (Jan = 100)
The 300% Summer Spike
Google Trends data shows that search volume for "AC repair" increases 300 to 400 percent from May to July. HVAC businesses that front-load their summer budget by increasing spend 40 to 60 percent in May (before competitors react) consistently win the lowest CPCs of the peak season.
Recommended Ad Spend by Company Size
Your monthly ad budget should scale with your capacity to handle leads. There is no point paying for 200 leads per month if your team can only service 50 jobs. The benchmarks below come from ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro data covering thousands of home services businesses.
| Company Size | Technicians | Monthly Ad Spend | Expected Leads/Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo / Small Shop | 1 - 3 | $1,000 - $3,000 | 15 - 50 |
| Mid-Size Company | 4 - 10 | $3,000 - $8,000 | 45 - 125 |
| Large Company | 10 - 25 | $8,000 - $20,000 | 120 - 310 |
| Enterprise / Multi-Location | 25+ | $20,000 - $50,000+ | 300+ |
Sources: ServiceTitan 2024-2025, Housecall Pro 2024. Expected leads based on ~$91 avg CPL.
Mobile, Calls, and Lead Channel Data
Home services is one of the most mobile-dominant industries in paid advertising. When someone's AC breaks at 2pm on a Tuesday, they reach for their phone, not their laptop. This has major implications for how you build campaigns and landing pages.
Mobile devices generate 65 to 75 percent of all home services ad clicks. Unlike most industries where desktop converts better, home services sees higher mobile conversion rates (10 to 15 percent vs. 8 to 12 percent on desktop) because of click-to-call functionality.
Phone calls account for 70 to 80 percent of all home services leads. Form submissions make up 15 to 25 percent, and chat or messaging handles the remaining 5 to 10 percent. Critically, phone calls convert to booked jobs at 2 to 3 times the rate of form submissions.
The Missed Call Problem
This is the single biggest source of wasted ad spend in home services, and almost no one talks about it.
Invoca reports that the average home services company misses 27 percent of inbound calls. At roughly $91 average cost per lead and $5,000 monthly ad spend, that translates to approximately $1,500 per month going straight to voicemail.
Calls answered within three rings convert at 30 to 50 percent. Calls that go to voicemail convert below 5 percent. That is not a typo. If you are spending money on ads but not staffing your phones (or using an AI agent or answering service), you are burning money.
Fix This Before Spending More on Ads
Before increasing your ad budget, check your call answer rate. If you are missing more than 15 percent of calls, solving that problem will generate more revenue than any campaign optimization. Consider an AI phone agent, a call answering service, or simply hiring a dedicated receptionist during business hours.
What to Do With These Benchmarks
Numbers are useless without action. Here is how to use these benchmarks to improve your campaigns today.
- Compare your CPL to the trade benchmarks above. If your cost per lead is more than 30 percent above the LOCALiQ benchmark for your trade (e.g., above $168 for HVAC, above $297 for roofing), audit your keyword targeting, negative keyword lists, and landing page experience first.
- Check your call answer rate. Pull your call tracking data for the last 30 days. If you are missing more than 15 percent of calls, fix this before touching your ad campaigns.
- Run LSAs alongside Search Ads. If you are only running one channel, you are leaving leads on the table. LSAs deliver 40 to 60 percent lower CPLs with higher-intent leads.
- Align your budget with seasonal demand. Use the seasonal trends table above to shift 20 to 40 percent of your off-peak budget into your peak months.
- Prioritize mobile experience. With 65 to 75 percent of clicks coming from mobile, your landing page must load in under 3 seconds and have a prominent click-to-call button above the fold.
- Test Meta Ads for seasonal promotions. Start with a $500 to $1,000 test budget on before/after carousel ads or a seasonal offer. Track CPL and close rate separately from your Google campaigns.
These benchmarks represent industry averages. Top-performing campaigns consistently beat these numbers by 20 to 40 percent through tight keyword targeting, strong landing pages, and fast lead follow-up.
Methodology & Sources
Data compiled from LOCALiQ/WordStream (20,000+ active US advertisers, 2025 edition, plus a Home Services specific report covering 3,211 campaigns), WordStream Facebook Ads Benchmarks 2025, TrendTrack Meta Ads Benchmarks, Coupler.io Microsoft Ads Benchmarks, CloselyhQ LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks, and Google Trends. All figures represent US national averages. Per-trade breakdowns are from the LOCALiQ Home Services report. CPCs and CPLs vary significantly by metro area, seasonality, and competition level.
- LOCALiQ / WordStream, "Google Ads Industry Benchmarks," 2025 (20,000+ US advertisers)
- LOCALiQ / WordStream, "Home Services Google Ads Benchmarks," 2025 (3,211 campaigns)
- WordStream / LOCALiQ, "Facebook Ads Industry Benchmarks," 2025
- TrendTrack, "Meta Ads Benchmarks by Industry," 2025
- Coupler.io, "Microsoft/Bing Ads PPC Benchmarks," 2025
- CloselyhQ, "LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks," 2025
- Invoca, "Missed Call Rate Study," 2024
- Google, "Local Services Ads Help Center," ongoing
- Google Trends, seasonal search volume analysis, 2023-2025
Frequently Asked Questions
The average cost per lead for home services on Google Ads is $90.92 across all trades according to LOCALiQ 2025 data. This breaks down by trade: HVAC $129.02, plumbing $129.02, roofing $228.15, electrical $93.69, cleaning/maid $46.99, and landscaping $117.92. These are US national averages from the LOCALiQ Home Services report covering 3,211 campaigns.
Yes. Local Services Ads (LSAs) typically cost 40 to 60 percent less per lead than traditional Google Search Ads. Note that LSA costs per lead have risen approximately 23% year over year according to recent industry data. LSAs tend to produce higher-intent leads because the customer is calling directly from the ad.
The industry average conversion rate for home services Google Search Ads is 7.33 percent, according to LOCALiQ 2025 benchmarks. By trade: cleaning/maid converts highest at 17.65%, followed by handyman at 13.45% and electrical at 9.08%. Roofing converts lowest at 3.70% because of longer decision cycles and higher price points.
Monthly ad spend depends on company size. Solo operators and small shops (1 to 3 technicians) typically spend $1,000 to $3,000 per month. Mid-size companies (4 to 10 technicians) spend $3,000 to $8,000. Larger companies with 10 to 25 technicians spend $8,000 to $20,000. The industry average across all sizes is roughly $5,000 to $8,000 per month.
Phone calls account for 70 to 80 percent of all home services leads, with form submissions making up 15 to 25 percent and chat or messaging handling the remaining 5 to 10 percent. Phone calls also convert to booked jobs at 2 to 3 times the rate of form submissions, making call tracking essential for any contractor running paid ads.
HVAC ad spend should peak during June through August (cooling season) and November through January (heating season). Search volume for terms like "AC repair" increases 300 to 400 percent from May to July. The slowest months are March through April and September through October, where you can often reduce spend by 30 to 40 percent without losing market share.
Yes, but differently than Google. Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) deliver an average cost per lead of $41.26 for home services lead campaigns (WordStream 2025), with CPC at $2.23 and CTR at 1.94%. The tradeoff is lead quality: Meta leads close at 10 to 20 percent, while Google Search leads close at 25 to 40 percent. Meta works best for seasonal promotions, brand awareness, and retargeting past visitors.
Missed phone calls. The average home services company misses 27 percent of inbound calls, according to Invoca. At roughly $91 average cost per lead and $5,000 monthly spend, that is approximately $1,500 per month wasted on leads that never get answered. Calls answered within three rings convert at 30 to 50 percent, while calls that go to voicemail convert below 5 percent.