Cost per lead benchmarks by vertical · 2026
Per WordStream's 2024 Google Ads benchmarks + the LSA 2024 Local Services report, here's what a lead actually costs across the verticals we serve, and what to budget for booked-job CAC.
Cost per lead (CPL) is the most-asked-about and least-comparable marketing metric. It varies wildly by vertical, metro, channel, and what you call a "lead". Here's what the public data and our audit data say, with the definitions clear.
Definition first
For this post, a "lead" is: a contact-form submission OR a phone call > 60 seconds OR a booked consult/appointment. Not a click. Not a page visit. Not an email-list signup. Lead means someone who indicated real intent to potentially buy.
Search Ads CPL by vertical
Source: WordStream 2024 + LSA 2024 + TNova audits 2025
Meta Ads CPL by vertical
Source: TNova audits 2025 + WordStream 2024 Meta benchmarks
From CPL to cost per booked job (CAC)
CPL is intermediate. The metric that actually matters is cost-per-booked-job — what does it cost to acquire a paying customer? That's CPL divided by lead-to-customer conversion rate. Conversion rate varies by vertical and by lead-source intent.
| Vertical | Lead → customer | CPL × multiplier = CAC |
|---|---|---|
| Home services | 55–70% | 1.4–1.8x CPL |
| Dental | 40–55% | 1.8–2.5x CPL |
| Med-spa | 30–45% | 2.2–3.3x CPL |
| Legal (family/estate) | 35–50% | 2.0–2.9x CPL |
| Legal (PI) | 20–35% | 2.9–5.0x CPL |
| Restaurant | 60–80% | 1.3–1.7x CPL |
Source: TNova audits 2025; n=14 home-services, 9 legal, 7 dental, 5 medspa, 4 restaurant clients
Real CAC vs ticket size
The viability test for any CPL is: does CAC < first-purchase margin? For some verticals (home services, dental) the answer is yes immediately. For others (med-spa, PI legal) CAC > first-purchase margin and the channel only works if you capture lifetime value through repeat or referral.
Why is legal PI CPL so high?
Auction depth + ticket size. PI cases are worth $5,000–$500,000 to the firm in fees, so firms can profitably bid $50+ CPCs. Smaller practices get priced out. The Search channel is broken for solo PI in most metros — the math only works through LSA, referral, or organic.
How do I lower my CPL?
Three levers: (1) better ad copy and landing pages improve quality score, lowering CPC by 20–40%; (2) tighter geographic targeting reduces wasted impressions; (3) negative keywords cut spend on no-intent searches. Each takes 2–4 weeks of disciplined optimization.
Should I worry about CPL or CAC?
CAC. CPL can be artificially low if conversion is bad downstream. A $40 CPL with 10% lead-to-customer is a $400 CAC. A $120 CPL with 60% conversion is a $200 CAC. The second is cheaper.
Try the related free tool
/audit →See where you show up when customers search.
Free 24-hour Visibility Audit. Yours to keep — whether you hire us or not.