What Should a Lead Cost?

Ask a tradie what a job is worth and they'll tell you to the dollar. Ask what a new enquiry should cost to win, and you usually get a shrug. That's fair enough, because nobody quotes you on it up front. But once you're spending money to get found, cost per lead is the number that tells you whether it's working.

So let's put some real figures on it. Here's what a lead actually costs for a Sydney trade in 2026, why the number swings so much, and how to get more for your money.

First, what is cost per lead?

Cost per lead is simply what you spend to get one genuine enquiry. If you spend $400 on Facebook ads in a month and get 20 people filling out your form or calling, your cost per lead is $20. That's it. No jargon.

The thing to remember is that a lead is not a job. It's someone putting their hand up. Some of those hands turn into paying work, some don't. That's why cost per lead only means something when you look at it next to how many of those leads actually book. We'll come back to that, because it's the part most people get wrong.

Cost per lead benchmarks by channel in 2026

Where you get a lead from changes what it costs. Someone scrolling Facebook who sees your ad is cheaper to reach but lower intent. Someone typing "emergency electrician near me" into Google is further down the path to hiring, so they cost more. The table below is the quick version for a typical Sydney trade.

Those are typical ranges, not fixed prices. A switchboard job and an emergency call-out won't cost the same to win, and neither will a lead in a quiet suburb versus a competitive one. Treat the table as a starting point, then read on for what moves your own number.

1 What a good cost per lead looks like

For most Sydney trades running Facebook and Instagram ads, anywhere from $15 to $40 a lead is a healthy spot in 2026. Across the electrician campaigns we've run, the average has sat around $28 a lead, with the best months dipping under $20. You can see the full breakdown in our piece on Facebook ads for electricians.

But the honest answer to "what's a good cost per lead" is always the same: it depends on what a job is worth to you. A $60 lead that books a $4,000 EV charger install is a bargain. A $12 lead that never picks up the phone is money down the drain. Cost per lead only makes sense next to job value, which brings us to the most important point in this whole article.

2 Why your cost per lead moves up or down

Two tradies in the same suburb can pay wildly different amounts per lead. These are the things that push your number around, in rough order of impact.

• Your offer. "Free on-site quote" pulls far better than "call us today". A clear, specific offer is the single biggest lever on cost per lead, and it's free to change.
• The job type. Urgent and high-value work like emergency call-outs or EV installs converts well, so it can carry a higher lead cost and still pay off. Lower-value jobs need cheaper leads to make sense.
• Your ad or listing quality. A tired ad that everyone has already seen costs more as people stop responding. Fresh creative and real job photos keep the number down.
• How tight your targeting is. Showing ads to the right suburbs and the right people costs less than spraying them across all of Sydney.
• How easy it is to enquire. A slow website or a long form loses people who were ready to call. Every drop-off pushes your cost per lead up.
• Competition in your trade. More tradies bidding for the same searches lifts the price, especially on Google Search.

3 How to bring your cost per lead down

If your leads are costing more than you'd like, spending more rarely fixes it. These do.

• Sort your Google Business Profile first. It's the cheapest lead source you have. A complete, active profile with good reviews brings in enquiries at effectively no cost per lead. Our Google Business Profile tips for tradies walk through it.
• Sharpen the offer before touching the budget. A better offer on the same spend lowers cost per lead immediately. Make it specific and easy to say yes to.
• Refresh stale ads. When a cost per lead creeps up over a few weeks, the ad has usually gone stale. A new photo and angle often resets it.
• Make enquiring effortless. Click-to-call buttons, a short form, and a fast website all lift the share of people who finish. More enquiries on the same spend means a lower cost per lead.
• Chase reviews. More and better reviews lift trust, which lifts response rates across your ads and listing. It's slow, but it compounds.

Facebook ads or Google ads for cheaper leads?

It's the question every tradie asks, and the honest answer is they do different jobs. Facebook and Instagram create demand, putting your business in front of people who weren't actively looking but need the work done. The leads are cheaper but you have to spark the interest. Google Search catches demand that already exists, so the leads cost more but they're closer to booking.

For most local trades, the smart play isn't one or the other. It's a free, well-run Google Business Profile doing the heavy lifting, Facebook and Instagram ads keeping a steady flow of jobs coming in, and Google Search ads added when you've got high-value or urgent work worth paying a premium to win. We dig into the trade-off in Google Ads vs Facebook Ads, and into the raw numbers in what Facebook ads cost for tradies and what Google Ads cost in Australia.

Running a specific trade? We break down the real numbers by trade in our guides to Facebook ads for electricians, plumbers, builders, and landscapers.

Common questions about cost per lead

What is a good cost per lead for a tradie in Sydney?

For most Sydney trades running Facebook and Instagram ads, a cost per lead between $15 and $40 is a healthy range in 2026. Google Search ads tend to run higher, often $40 to $100 a lead, because you're paying for people actively searching. There's no single right number though. A $60 lead that turns into a $4,000 job is far better value than a $12 lead that never books. Always judge cost per lead against what a job is actually worth to you.

How much should I pay per lead on Facebook ads?

Most local trades in Sydney see Facebook and Instagram lead costs land somewhere between $15 and $40 each, depending on the service, the offer, and how good the ad is. Higher-value or more urgent jobs like EV charger installs or emergency call-outs can sit at the top of that range and still be well worth it. If your cost per lead is much higher than $40, the usual culprits are a weak offer, a tired ad, or targeting that's too broad.

Why is my cost per lead so high?

A high cost per lead usually comes down to one of a few things: the offer isn't compelling enough, the ad creative has gone stale and people have stopped responding, the audience is too broad or too narrow, or the landing page or form is losing people before they finish. The fix is rarely just spending more. It's usually tightening the offer, refreshing the ad, and making it easier for someone to enquire.

Is a cheaper lead always better?

No. Cheap leads can be the most expensive ones if they never turn into work. A lead is only worth what it converts to. It's better to pay $40 for a lead that books a real job than $10 for a tyre-kicker who was never going to hire you. Track cost per lead alongside how many of those leads actually become paying jobs, and you'll see the true picture.