Realistic Cost Per Lead on Google Ads
If you run a plumbing, dental, physio, roofing, electrical, beauty or coaching business and you're wondering what a realistic cost per lead looks like for local service businesses on Google Ads, the honest answer is: it depends hugely on your trade. But there are solid ranges you can plan around. This post gives you real numbers, how they translate to the UK, and how to work out your own acceptable cost per lead rather than just copying a benchmark.
What is "cost per lead" exactly?
Cost per lead (CPL) is your total ad spend divided by the number of genuine enquiries you get, meaning calls, form fills or booking requests, not clicks. If you spend £500 in a month and get 10 enquiries, your CPL is £50. It does not include the cost of actually winning the job, that's a separate figure called cost per acquisition (CPA), and it will always be higher than your CPL because not every lead converts into a paying customer.
Realistic CPL ranges by trade (2025 to 2026 data)
There's no single UK-wide average because most large datasets come from the US, but the patterns translate reasonably well once you adjust for currency and local competition. Based on recent industry benchmarks from WordStream, LocaliQ, 99 Calls, and Local Services Ads data from 2025 to 2026, here's what cost per lead typically looks like in GBP:
| Trade | CPL range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical |
£30 to £45
|
Consistent, mid-competition |
| Plumbing |
£40 to £55
|
Emergency searches push it higher |
| HVAC / Heating |
£35 to £50
|
Seasonal spikes in winter |
| Dental |
£50 to £70
|
Clicks alone £6 to £8 each |
| Home improvement |
£60 to £100
|
Wide range by job type |
| Roofing |
£85 to £180+
|
Storm season can hit £300 to £400 |
| Beauty / Coaching |
£15 to £35
|
Cheaper clicks, softer intent |
Across all industries, the blended average cost per lead on Google Search ads sits around £50 to £55 (roughly $66 in the latest WordStream data). But that number is almost meaningless on its own — a solicitor and a cleaner will never pay the same amount. Your trade's own range matters far more than the overall average.
Why roofing and legal cost so much more than electrical or cleaning
Three things drive CPL up: job value, competition, and urgency. Roofing jobs are often £5,000 to £15,000, so contractors can afford to bid aggressively and still profit, which pushes the auction price up for everyone in that space. Emergency trades (plumbing, locksmiths, boiler repair) also see spikes because searchers need help right now and will click the first good-looking result, which means advertisers bid hard to be that result. Lower-ticket or less urgent services, like a beauty treatment or a one-off coaching session, tend to have cheaper clicks, but you need more leads to hit the same revenue.
Calculate your own acceptable cost per lead, don't just copy a benchmark
Benchmarks tell you what others are paying, not what you can afford to pay. Work it out backwards using your own numbers. Here's an example for a trade with an £800 average job:
In practice, you want to pay well under that maximum to leave room for profit and other costs. A sensible target is to keep your cost per lead at roughly 15% to 25% of the profit from one average job, not one average sale. That leaves margin for bad leads, no-shows and the occasional slow month.
Google Local Services Ads change the picture slightly
If you're in an eligible trade (most home services qualify across the UK; legal and estate agency only in Greater London), Local Services Ads charge per lead rather than per click, and you only pay when someone genuinely contacts you about a service you offer. Recent 2026 data puts typical LSA costs at roughly £30 to £45 for electrical, £40 to £55 for plumbing, and £70 to £140 or more for roofing, broadly similar to standard Search ads but with less waste from browsers who never contact you.
There is no manual dispute process any more — Google automatically credits leads it judges to be spam, wrong area or wrong service. Check your lead inbox weekly rather than assuming every charged lead was a fair one.
When a high cost per lead is actually fine, and when it's a warning sign
A £70 lead for a roofer selling £8,000 jobs is nothing to worry about. The same £70 lead for a beauty therapist selling £60 treatments would wipe out your margin instantly. Context is everything. Before panicking about your CPL:
- Check it against your own break-even number, not an industry average.
- Look at your lead-to-customer conversion rate first — a high CPL with a high close rate often beats a low CPL with a poor one.
- Separate branded searches (people already looking for you by name) from generic ones — branded leads should be much cheaper.
- Give campaigns at least 4 to 6 weeks and enough leads (ideally 30+) before judging the number — early data is noisy.
The bottom line
There is no single "realistic" cost per lead that applies to every local service business. A sensible planning range for most UK trades sits somewhere between £25 and £100 per lead, with emergency and high-ticket trades like roofing and dental sitting higher, and lower-ticket services sitting lower. The number that actually matters is the one that still leaves you profitable once you factor in your conversion rate and average job value.
Want to know your own realistic cost per lead?
We'll work out your break-even CPL, look at what you're currently paying, and tell you exactly what needs to change. Thirty minutes, no obligation.
Book a Free Call →