Last updated September 2026. All figures in Canadian dollars unless noted.
The short answer: in 2026, a trades or home service business in Ontario typically pays $8 to $45 per click on Google Search and $60 to $300 per lead, depending on the trade and the city. A realistic starting point is $1,000 to $3,000 a month in ad spend, paid directly to Google, plus whatever you pay someone to manage it. Everything below explains where those numbers come from and how to tell what your own business should expect.
One thing to settle before you read on: these are Google Search numbers. Facebook and Instagram behave very differently, with leads often a third of the price and a close rate to match, so if that is what you are pricing, see our guide to Meta ads costs in Ontario instead.
How Google Ads pricing actually works
Google does not charge a set price. You choose the searches you want to appear for (“furnace repair Guelph,” “roofing company near me”), you set a daily budget, and every time someone runs one of those searches, Google holds an auction between every business bidding on it. You pay only when someone clicks your ad. The winner is not simply whoever bids the most: Google scores each ad on how relevant it is and how good the landing page is, so a well-built campaign routinely pays less per click than a sloppy one with a bigger budget.
There is no minimum spend and no contract with Google. The practical minimum is a different matter, and we get to it below.
What Ontario trades pay in 2026, by industry
The most-cited benchmark is the annual WordStream and LocaliQ report. Its 2026 edition puts the home and home improvement category at an average of $8.33 USD per click (up from $7.85 the year before), and LocaliQ’s home services study puts the average cost per lead for the sector at roughly $91 USD. Those are US averages across every business size. Converted to Canadian dollars and narrowed to what actually happens in Ontario trades accounts, the ranges look like this:
| Trade | Typical cost per click (CAD) | Typical cost per lead (CAD) | Sensible starting ad budget per month (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | $15 to $45 | $120 to $300 | $2,000 to $3,000 |
| Plumbing | $15 to $50 | $70 to $180 | $1,500 to $3,000 |
| HVAC | $15 to $45 | $80 to $220 | $1,500 to $3,000 |
| Painting | $6 to $18 | $50 to $130 | $1,000 to $2,000 |
| Windows and doors | $15 to $40 | $120 to $300 | $2,000 to $3,000 |
| Kitchen and bathroom renovation | $10 to $30 | $120 to $300 | $1,500 to $3,000 |
| Basement finishing | $8 to $25 | $100 to $250 | $1,500 to $2,500 |
| General home renovation | $8 to $25 | $90 to $220 | $1,500 to $2,500 |
Two patterns are worth noticing. Emergency trades (plumbing, HVAC) pay the most per click because a homeowner with no heat is worth a lot to every company bidding, but they convert fast, so cost per lead stays reasonable. Big-ticket, slow-decision trades (roofing, windows, kitchens) pay less per click relative to the job size, but a homeowner clicks several ads over several weeks before calling anyone, so cost per lead runs higher.
Why the same click costs $12 in Goderich and $40 in Mississauga
- Competition. The GTA, Ottawa and Hamilton have more companies bidding on every search than Bruce County does. Same keyword, very different auction.
- Urgency in the search. “Emergency plumber” costs more than “bathroom plumbing ideas” because everyone knows which one turns into a job today.
- Season. Roofing clicks spike after a storm, furnace clicks spike in the first cold week of January, AC clicks spike on the first 30-degree day. Budgets need to move with that.
- Match types and negatives. Broad targeting pays for searches like “plumbing jobs” and “how to fix a leaky tap.” Tight phrase and exact matching with a negative keyword list is where most of the waste gets cut.
- Your landing page and Google Business Profile. Google charges relevant, trusted businesses less per click. A page that matches the ad and a profile with reviews lower your costs on every search.
What a month really costs: ad spend plus management
There are two bills, and it helps to keep them separate. The first is the ad spend, which goes straight to Google. Below about $1,000 a month, Google’s system does not get enough data to learn which searches turn into calls, so results are erratic; that is why most agencies, including us, set $1,000 as the floor. The second is management. Agencies price this one of three ways: a percentage of ad spend (usually 15 to 20 percent), a flat monthly fee, or a hybrid. Percentage pricing rewards the agency for spending more of your money, which is why we charge a flat fee from $800 a month, month to month, with the ad spend billed to your own card.
So for a typical Ontario plumbing company on a first campaign: $1,500 in ad spend plus $800 to $1,600 in management, for a total of $2,300 to $3,100 a month. For a roofing company running both Google and Meta with a bigger service area, $3,000 in spend plus $2,500 in management is common.
The only math that matters: cost per job
Cost per click and cost per lead are useful for tuning a campaign. They are the wrong numbers for deciding whether to run one. The number that decides it is cost per booked job against what a job is worth to you.
Roofing example. $2,500 in ad spend at $150 per lead brings in about 16 quote requests. Google Search leads close at roughly 15 to 30 percent because the homeowner was already looking, so call it 4 jobs. At an average of $9,000 per roof, that is $36,000 in revenue from $2,500 in ads plus the management fee.
Plumbing example. $1,500 in ad spend at $80 per lead is about 19 calls. Emergency calls close well, say 40 percent, so 7 or 8 jobs. At $450 for a first visit that is only $3,400, which looks thin until you count that a plumber who shows up fast usually gets the water heater, the next backed-up drain and the referral to the neighbour. Plumbing pays off on the second and third job, not the first.
Run your own version of this with your average ticket and your real close rate before you spend a dollar. If the math does not work at the top of the cost-per-lead range for your trade, fix the close rate or the ticket first, not the ads.
Five ways Ontario trades pay less per lead
- Run ads only in the towns you actually want to drive to. A 60-kilometre radius around the shop wastes money on calls you will turn down.
- Schedule call ads for the hours someone will answer. A missed call is the most expensive click there is.
- Build a negative keyword list on day one: jobs, salary, DIY, free, course, and every competitor name you do not want to pay for.
- Send the click to a page about that one service, not your homepage. Relevance lowers the price of every click and raises the number that call.
- Fix your Google Business Profile. Reviews and a complete profile improve your ad costs and win you free map-pack calls beside the paid ones.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum budget for Google Ads in Ontario?
Google has none. In practice, $1,000 a month is the floor for a trades campaign to produce steady results, and $1,500 to $3,000 is where most Ontario contractors land once it is working.
How long until the leads start?
Search ads produce calls within days of launching, because you are appearing for people already searching. Costs usually settle in the second month, once Google has enough data to favour the searches that convert.
Who do I pay, Google or the agency?
Both, separately, if the agency is doing it properly. Google bills your card for clicks. The agency bills you for management. If you only get one invoice, ask what the markup on the ad spend is.
Is Google Ads or Meta cheaper for a contractor?
Meta leads cost less, often a third of a Google lead, but they close at about half the rate because the person was scrolling, not searching. Most contractors who can afford both run both. We break down Meta pricing in our companion article on Facebook and Meta ads costs in Ontario.
Want the numbers for your own trade and area?
Tell us your trade, your service area and your budget through the contact form and we will reply within a working day with a realistic estimate of cost per lead for your situation, and an honest answer if paid ads are not the right first step yet.
Sources: WordStream/LocaliQ Google Ads Benchmarks 2026; LocaliQ Home Services Search Benchmarks. US-dollar figures converted at roughly $1.35 to $1.40 CAD.