What's a Good Cost Per Lead for Home Improvement? (And Why the Cheapest Lead Is Rarely the Best)
There's no honest universal benchmark, but there are real numbers. Here's one account in detail, and the calculation that tells you what you can afford to pay.
The short answer. In one media walls account, where jobs are worth around £2,000, Google Ads enquiries cost £15.46 each and Meta Ads enquiries £17.01, a £16.05 blend across 1,737 enquiries. That's one niche, so it's a reference point, not a benchmark. The number to aim for is the one your job value and close rate can support.
One account, in detail
| Platform | Ad spend | Enquiries | Cost per enquiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | £16.2K | 1,050 | £15.46 |
| Meta Ads | £11.7K | 687 | £17.01 |
| Combined | £27.9K | 1,737 | £16.05 |
From a media walls installer whose jobs are worth around £2,000. Google Ads converted at 5.32%. Enquiries are tracked calls and form submissions. The cost per enquiry held as spend scaled, rather than climbing.
Why costs vary so much between businesses
- Job value. A kitchen or an extension is bid on harder than a smaller job, so enquiries cost more.
- Service area. Competition differs town by town.
- Season. Demand for conservatories, windows and outdoor work rises and falls through the year.
- The offer. "Free quote" and "book a design consultation" attract different people.
- Form friction. Short forms bring more leads and more time-wasters. Forms that ask about budget and timeline bring fewer, better ones.
The calculation that actually matters
Don't ask what a lead should cost. Ask what you can afford to pay. The most you can pay per lead is your gross profit per job multiplied by the share of leads that become jobs.
Illustrative example, with made-up numbers: a £2,000 job at a 30% gross margin earns £600. If one in five leads becomes a job, you can pay up to £120 per lead to break even on the first job. Your real target should sit well below that, to leave room for profit and repeat business. Use your own figures.
Why the cheapest leads often cost more
A £10 lead that never answers the phone costs more than a £25 lead that books a survey. Cheap leads usually come from forms that are too easy to fill in and ads that attract anyone who might want a price. Adding a budget range, a timeline and a clear signal of who the service is for brings volume down and quality up, which is almost always the better trade. I cover the levers in how to improve lead quality.
Cost per lead versus cost per job
Cost per lead is a useful steering number, but cost per job is the one that pays the bills. Even a simple spreadsheet recording which leads became jobs, and where they came from, turns a guess into a decision. Over time it also lets the account optimise towards qualified leads rather than any form submission.
Plan for seasonality
Demand for conservatories, windows and outdoor work is seasonal. Budget and messaging should move with it rather than fighting it, which is why a flat monthly budget year-round is rarely the most efficient plan.
Common questions
What's a good cost per lead for windows, conservatories or kitchens?
There's no honest universal figure, because it depends on job value, area and competition. The reliable approach is to work out what you can afford from your gross profit per job and the share of leads that become jobs, then see whether the market allows it.
Is Google Ads or Meta Ads cheaper for home improvement?
In the media walls account above they were close, £15.46 against £17.01, but they do different jobs. Google captures people already searching, and Meta builds demand with people who haven't started looking.
How much should a home improvement company spend on ads?
Most start at £1,000 to £3,000 a month in ad spend, plus management, scaling with job size and area. Below about £500 a month there usually isn't enough data to optimise properly.