Cost Per Lead Benchmarks Exterior Services (2026 Data)
Need more of the right jobs for your crew? Review the channels that fit your trade, service area and capacity. Management starts at $750 a month per service area, plus separate ad spend. What a home service marketing agency does.
TL;DR: Cost per lead (CPL) varies significantly by trade and channel in 2026. Google LSAs deliver $15 to $120 CPL depending on trade. Facebook ranges $30 to $100 cold, $12 to $35 retargeting. Organic (GBP + SEO) is effectively $0 after the website + content investment is amortized. Operators outside these ranges have either a website conversion problem (lead cost too high) or a tracking problem (lead cost suspiciously low).
Key takeaways
- Google LSAs are typically the lowest-cost paid channel - $15 to $120 CPL depending on trade
- Facebook ranges $30 to $70 cold, $12 to $35 retargeting (best for $250+ avg ticket)
- Organic is effectively free after website + content investment is paid back
- HomeAdvisor / Angi lead costs vary $20 to $200 but lead quality is typically poor
Cost per lead by trade and channel (2026)
| Trade | Google LSA | Google Search | Facebook cold | Facebook retargeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turf cleaning | $25 to $60 | $40 to $80 | $35 to $70 | $15 to $30 |
| Turf installation | $30 to $80 | $50 to $120 | $40 to $100 | $20 to $40 |
| Pressure washing | $20 to $50 | $35 to $70 | $30 to $65 | $15 to $30 |
| Soft washing | $25 to $55 | $40 to $80 | $35 to $70 | $15 to $30 |
| Lawn care | $15 to $45 | $25 to $55 | $30 to $60 | $12 to $25 |
| Lawn treatment | $30 to $70 | $40 to $90 | $35 to $75 | $15 to $30 |
| Window cleaning | $20 to $50 | $30 to $65 | $30 to $65 | $15 to $30 |
| Gutter cleaning | $20 to $50 | $30 to $65 | $35 to $70 | $15 to $30 |
| Roof cleaning | $40 to $90 | $60 to $140 | $50 to $120 | $25 to $50 |
| Landscape construction | $50 to $120 | $70 to $160 | $50 to $120 | $25 to $60 |
| Tree services | $35 to $90 | $50 to $130 | $45 to $110 | $20 to $45 |
| Hardscaping | $40 to $120 | $60 to $150 | $50 to $120 | $25 to $60 |
| Concrete sealing | $30 to $70 | $45 to $90 | $40 to $80 | $20 to $40 |
| Irrigation | $25 to $70 | $40 to $90 | $40 to $80 | $20 to $40 |
| Fence installation | $35 to $80 | $50 to $110 | $45 to $100 | $20 to $45 |
| Deck building | $40 to $100 | $55 to $130 | $45 to $110 | $20 to $50 |
| Snow removal | $25 to $60 | $40 to $90 | $35 to $75 | $15 to $35 |
| Outdoor lighting | $50 to $120 | $70 to $150 | $40 to $100 | $20 to $50 |
| Holiday lighting | $30 to $80 | $50 to $120 | $40 to $90 | $20 to $45 |
What drives CPL variance within a trade
- Market competitiveness, major metros (LA, Phoenix, Dallas) typically 30 to 60% higher CPL than mid-sized cities
- Seasonality, peak season demand spikes CPL 50 to 100%; off-season drops 20 to 40%
- Quality score. 50+ reviews at 4.6+ stars can drop LSA CPL 30 to 50% vs 20 reviews at 4.5
- Website conversion rate, high-converting sites get better ad auction signals over time
- Conversion tracking quality. Google's algorithm optimizes better with more conversion data
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How to know if your CPL is unhealthy
- 2x the benchmark range for your trade and channel = website conversion problem
- 3x the benchmark range = stop the campaign, fix the underlying issue
- Below the benchmark range = likely tracking missing leads
- Wildly variable month-to-month = need 30+ days of optimization data before judging
Frequently asked questions
Are these CPLs lead-to-quote or lead-to-close? Lead-to-inquiry. Lead-to-close ranges 2 to 5x higher depending on trade.
What's a "qualified" lead? Someone in your service area, in your service category, with realistic budget, not a tire-kicker. Most channels deliver 60 to 85% qualified leads.
Why is HomeAdvisor not in the table? Lead costs vary ($20 to $200) but quality is poor, typically 15 to 30% close rate vs 30 to 45% on direct channels.
Want CPL data from your specific market? /website-design includes conversion tracking + 90 days of data analysis. Or book a strategy call.
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