Data study · Keyword Planner, Australia 2026
Google Ads costs for tradies,
trade by trade.
The median Google Ads top-of-page bid range for an Australian trade job search is $4.65 to $19.61, across 104 job searches in 23 trades. Plumbing costs the most: 'plumber near me' runs $11.90 to $57.27 and 'pipe relining' reaches $70.60. Fencing, flooring and landscaping searches mostly sit under $10.
Part of our Australian marketing benchmarks. For how we run ads for trade businesses, see marketing for tradies.
Key findings
Six numbers worth quoting.
All bids are Google Ads Keyword Planner top-of-page bid ranges for Australia, in Australian dollars, pulled 1 October 2026. Searches are monthly averages for September 2025 to August 2026.
$11.90 to $57.27
'plumber near me'
Top-of-page bid range for the search 49,500 Australians make each month. No other trade's main search has a higher top end.
$70.60
Highest bid we found
The top of the range for 'pipe relining'. 8 of the 9 job searches with a high-range bid of $50 or more are plumbing jobs. The ninth is 'emergency locksmith'.
$4.65 to $19.61
Median across all trades
The median low bid and the median high bid across 104 job searches in 23 trades.
833,400
Searches a month
Average monthly Google searches across those 104 job searches, September 2025 to August 2026.
4.0x
Air conditioning, summer against autumn
117,300 air conditioning searches in January 2026 against 29,200 in May 2026. Pest control searches double between winter and summer.
18 of 104
Job searches under $10
Searches whose high-range bid is under $10, mostly fencing, flooring, landscaping, pools, handymen, plasterers and bricklayers.
By trade
How much do Google Ads cost for tradies?
For most trade job searches, the top-of-page bid range sits between about $5 and $20: the median is $4.65 to $19.61. Your trade moves that a long way. The main search for plumbers, garage door repairers, electricians, roofers and locksmiths tops out between $34.50 and $57.27, while every fencing and flooring search tops out under $10.
The table ranks 23 trades by their typical range, the average of each job search's bids weighted by how often it is searched. The main search column shows the bid range for the search most customers type to find that trade.
| Trade | Main search | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers124,790 searches a monthEvery job search | $11.90 to $57.27'plumber near me', 49,500 a month | $10.44 to $49.71Dearest: 'pipe relining', up to $70.60 |
| Electricians85,800 searches a monthEvery job search | $9.05 to $40.46'electrician near me', 40,500 a month | $9.17 to $37.41Dearest: 'electrician near me', up to $40.46 |
| Locksmiths84,200 searches a monthEvery job search | $4.16 to $34.50'locksmith near me', 49,500 a month | $4.61 to $35.41Dearest: 'emergency locksmith', up to $50.91 |
| Roofers30,780 searches a monthEvery job search | $8.86 to $37.32'roofer near me', 5,400 a month | $6.86 to $30.46Dearest: 'roof repairs', up to $42.35 |
| Air conditioning56,800 searches a monthEvery job search | $7.68 to $32.33'air conditioning repair', 18,100 a month | $6.85 to $28.30Dearest: 'air conditioning repair', up to $32.33 |
| Garage doors26,200 searches a monthEvery job search | $8.34 to $41.82'garage door repairs', 9,900 a month | $5.37 to $27.74Dearest: 'garage door repairs', up to $41.82 |
| Removalists24,700 searches a monthEvery job search | $9.39 to $26.60'removalists near me', 9,900 a month | $10.20 to $27.67Dearest: 'removalists', up to $28.39 |
| Pest control44,000 searches a monthEvery job search | $7.47 to $23.01'pest control near me', 14,800 a month | $6.96 to $23.88Dearest: 'termite inspection', up to $30.24 |
| Painters13,570 searches a monthEvery job search | $5.45 to $24.30'painters near me', 8,100 a month | $5.00 to $22.98Dearest: 'commercial painters', up to $44.74 |
| Arborists and tree removal18,600 searches a monthEvery job search | $5.47 to $20.06'arborist near me', 2,900 a month | $6.34 to $19.31Dearest: 'arborist near me', up to $20.06 |
| Builders and renovators37,880 searches a monthEvery job search | $2.29 to $9.89'home builders', 5,400 a month | $3.42 to $15.99Dearest: 'renovation builders', up to $24.83 |
| Cleaners96,800 searches a monthEvery job search | $4.23 to $15.90'cleaners near me', 5,400 a month | $3.85 to $14.56Dearest: 'office cleaning', up to $44.00 |
| Concreters21,700 searches a monthEvery job search | $3.91 to $13.30'concreters near me', 9,900 a month | $3.93 to $13.93Dearest: 'concrete driveway', up to $15.15 |
| Tilers8,000 searches a monthEvery job search | $3.52 to $12.04'tilers near me', 4,400 a month | $3.73 to $11.89Dearest: 'tilers near me', up to $12.04 |
| Glaziers7,800 searches a monthEvery job search | $4.08 to $10.75'glazier', 5,400 a month | $3.98 to $11.11Dearest: 'glass repair', up to $11.91 |
| Carpenters37,900 searches a monthEvery job search | $3.15 to $10.43'carpenter near me', 5,400 a month | $2.98 to $10.75Dearest: 'deck builders', up to $11.85 |
| Pool builders10,180 searches a monthEvery job search | $4.49 to $20.73'pool builders', 1,300 a month | $2.09 to $10.08Dearest: 'pool builders', up to $20.73 |
| Plasterers2,900 searches a monthEvery job search | $3.55 to $9.99'plasterer', 2,900 a month | $3.55 to $9.99Dearest: 'plasterer', up to $9.99 |
| Bricklayers4,400 searches a monthEvery job search | $2.57 to $9.93'bricklayer', 4,400 a month | $2.57 to $9.93Dearest: 'bricklayer', up to $9.93 |
| Handymen16,200 searches a monthEvery job search | $2.04 to $9.10'handyman near me', 8,100 a month | $2.14 to $9.62Dearest: 'handyman', up to $10.14 |
| Landscapers20,200 searches a monthEvery job search | $3.00 to $9.88'landscapers near me', 3,600 a month | $2.59 to $9.39Dearest: 'landscaping', up to $10.18 |
| Fencing42,000 searches a monthEvery job search | $2.65 to $8.71'fencing near me', 5,400 a month | $1.55 to $5.97Dearest: 'fencing contractors', up to $8.89 |
| Flooring18,000 searches a monthEvery job search | $1.45 to $5.91'flooring', 9,900 a month | $1.53 to $5.41Dearest: 'flooring', up to $5.91 |
By job
Which trade jobs cost the most to advertise for?
Urgent plumbing jobs. 'Pipe relining' ($10.31 to $70.60), 'hot water repairs' ($13.88 to $68.45), 'emergency plumber' ($12.20 to $68.11) and 'blocked drain plumber' ($13.27 to $67.75) carry the four highest bids in the data.
'Emergency' does not always cost more. 'Emergency locksmith' tops out at $50.91 against $34.50 for 'locksmith near me', but 'emergency electrician' ($6.83 to $34.75) sits below 'electrician near me' ($9.05 to $40.46). Commercial work costs more for cleaners and painters: 'office cleaning' reaches $44.00 against $11.89 for 'house cleaning', and 'commercial painters' $44.74 against $24.30 for 'house painters'.
Plumbers
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| plumber near me | 49,500 | $11.90 to $57.27 | high |
| plumber | 40,500 | $11.88 to $52.10 | medium |
| hot water system | 18,100 | $3.02 to $17.87 | high |
| emergency plumber | 4,400 | $12.20 to $68.11 | medium |
| hot water system replacement | 2,900 | $6.31 to $37.11 | high |
| blocked drains | 2,400 | $11.66 to $51.26 | high |
| blocked drain plumber | 1,900 | $13.27 to $67.75 | high |
| leak detection | 1,900 | $8.72 to $40.78 | high |
| gas plumber | 1,300 | $11.48 to $50.97 | high |
| pipe relining | 1,300 | $10.31 to $70.60 | high |
| hot water repairs | 590 | $13.88 to $68.45 | high |
Electricians
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| electrician near me | 40,500 | $9.05 to $40.46 | medium |
| electrician | 33,100 | $10.31 to $36.94 | medium |
| ev charger installation | 2,900 | $5.28 to $24.26 | high |
| emergency electrician | 2,400 | $6.83 to $34.75 | medium |
| solar battery installation | 2,400 | $8.36 to $33.02 | medium |
| ceiling fan installation | 1,900 | $4.59 to $21.10 | high |
| commercial electrician | 1,600 | $7.17 to $29.78 | medium |
| switchboard upgrade | 1,000 | $7.11 to $27.43 | medium |
Locksmiths
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| locksmith near me | 49,500 | $4.16 to $34.50 | medium |
| locksmith | 33,100 | $5.23 to $36.03 | medium |
| emergency locksmith | 1,600 | $5.51 to $50.91 | medium |
Roofers
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| gutter cleaning | 8,100 | $4.70 to $16.12 | high |
| roof repairs | 5,400 | $8.65 to $42.35 | medium |
| roofer near me | 5,400 | $8.86 to $37.32 | medium |
| roof restoration | 3,600 | $8.71 to $32.52 | medium |
| roof leak repair | 3,600 | $6.91 to $39.18 | high |
| metal roofing | 1,900 | $2.65 to $17.11 | high |
| gutter replacement | 1,900 | $5.36 to $28.85 | high |
| roof replacement | 880 | $8.03 to $35.46 | medium |
Air conditioning
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| air conditioning repair | 18,100 | $7.68 to $32.33 | low |
| air conditioning service | 14,800 | $7.63 to $30.41 | high |
| air conditioning installation | 12,100 | $6.87 to $27.27 | high |
| ducted air conditioning | 6,600 | $3.54 to $16.98 | high |
| air conditioning near me | 3,600 | $5.59 to $24.79 | medium |
| split system installation | 1,600 | $6.56 to $25.41 | high |
Garage doors
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| garage doors | 12,100 | $2.70 to $14.53 | high |
| garage door repairs | 9,900 | $8.34 to $41.82 | medium |
| garage door repair near me | 2,900 | $6.44 to $36.96 | high |
| garage door installation | 1,300 | $5.24 to $22.91 | medium |
Removalists
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| removalists | 14,800 | $10.75 to $28.39 | high |
| removalists near me | 9,900 | $9.39 to $26.60 | high |
Pest control
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| pest control | 18,100 | $6.92 to $21.70 | medium |
| pest control near me | 14,800 | $7.47 to $23.01 | medium |
| termite inspection | 5,400 | $7.18 to $30.24 | medium |
| termite treatment | 4,400 | $5.47 to $27.92 | high |
| pest inspection | 1,300 | $5.77 to $23.99 | high |
Painters
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| painters near me | 8,100 | $5.45 to $24.30 | medium |
| painters | 2,400 | $4.59 to $18.10 | low |
| house painting | 1,600 | $1.41 to $14.88 | high |
| house painters | 880 | $5.68 to $24.30 | medium |
| commercial painters | 590 | $9.19 to $44.74 | medium |
Arborists and tree removal
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| arborist | 12,100 | $6.80 to $19.07 | low |
| tree removal | 3,600 | $5.49 to $19.50 | medium |
| arborist near me | 2,900 | $5.47 to $20.06 | high |
Builders and renovators
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| bathroom renovations | 18,100 | $3.74 to $17.36 | high |
| kitchen renovations | 6,600 | $3.33 to $15.18 | high |
| home builders | 5,400 | $2.29 to $9.89 | medium |
| granny flat builders | 2,400 | $2.89 to $18.33 | medium |
| custom home builders | 1,900 | $4.01 to $17.13 | low |
| new home builders | 1,000 | $1.74 to $7.97 | high |
| knockdown rebuild | 880 | $4.01 to $19.80 | medium |
| renovation builders | 880 | $5.49 to $24.83 | medium |
| home extensions | 720 | $3.86 to $19.72 | medium |
Cleaners
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| carpet cleaning | 60,500 | $3.11 to $11.63 | high |
| end of lease cleaning | 8,100 | $6.13 to $18.15 | high |
| cleaners near me | 5,400 | $4.23 to $15.90 | medium |
| bond cleaning | 4,400 | $5.49 to $15.24 | high |
| window cleaning | 4,400 | $3.60 to $11.93 | high |
| cleaning services | 4,400 | $4.12 to $13.98 | low |
| house cleaning | 3,600 | $3.19 to $11.89 | medium |
| commercial cleaning | 3,600 | $6.21 to $39.86 | medium |
| office cleaning | 2,400 | $8.23 to $44.00 | medium |
Concreters
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| concreters near me | 9,900 | $3.91 to $13.30 | medium |
| concreter | 6,600 | $4.22 to $14.24 | low |
| concrete driveway | 3,600 | $3.39 to $15.15 | medium |
| concrete contractors | 1,600 | $4.10 to $13.74 | low |
Tilers
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| tilers near me | 4,400 | $3.52 to $12.04 | high |
| tiler | 3,600 | $3.98 to $11.71 | low |
Glaziers
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| glazier | 5,400 | $4.08 to $10.75 | low |
| glass repair | 2,400 | $3.75 to $11.91 | high |
Carpenters
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| carpenter | 27,100 | $3.05 to $10.60 | low |
| carpenter near me | 5,400 | $3.15 to $10.43 | medium |
| deck builders | 5,400 | $2.44 to $11.85 | medium |
Pool builders
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| fibreglass pools | 5,400 | $1.61 to $7.76 | high |
| concrete pools | 1,600 | $1.94 to $9.51 | medium |
| pool builders | 1,300 | $4.49 to $20.73 | medium |
| pool installation | 1,000 | $2.58 to $13.55 | high |
| inground pools | 880 | $1.16 to $5.64 | high |
Plasterers
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| plasterer | 2,900 | $3.55 to $9.99 | medium |
Bricklayers
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| bricklayer | 4,400 | $2.57 to $9.93 | low |
Handymen
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| handyman | 8,100 | $2.24 to $10.14 | low |
| handyman near me | 8,100 | $2.04 to $9.10 | medium |
Landscapers
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| landscaping | 12,100 | $2.68 to $10.18 | low |
| landscapers near me | 3,600 | $3.00 to $9.88 | medium |
| landscape design | 2,900 | $1.84 to $6.18 | medium |
| garden landscaping | 1,600 | $2.35 to $8.07 | medium |
Fencing
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| fencing | 14,800 | $1.77 to $6.10 | high |
| colorbond fencing | 12,100 | $0.87 to $4.40 | high |
| pool fencing | 8,100 | $1.20 to $5.69 | high |
| fencing near me | 5,400 | $2.65 to $8.71 | medium |
| fencing contractors | 1,600 | $2.76 to $8.89 | medium |
Flooring
| Search | Searches a month | Top-of-page bid | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| flooring | 9,900 | $1.45 to $5.91 | high |
| timber flooring | 8,100 | $1.63 to $4.79 | high |
Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner, Australia, Google Search network. Top-of-page bid ranges in Australian dollars, pulled 1 October 2026. Monthly searches are averages for September 2025 to August 2026.
Seasons
When do tradies' customers search most?
For weather-driven trades, in summer. Air conditioning searches in January 2026 ran at four times their May level, and pool and pest control searches also peaked in January. Painters peaked in spring, with October searches more than double December's.
December was the quietest month for 14 of the 23 trades, and most trades moved by less than double between their busiest and quietest months. Plan budgets around the peaks, when the same spend can reach far more of the year's demand.
| Trade | Busiest month | Quietest month | Peak to low |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air conditioning | January 2026117,300 searches | May 202629,200 searches | 4.0x |
| Pool builders | January 202617,400 searches | July 20265,460 searches | 3.2x |
| Painters | October 202517,090 searches | December 20257,600 searches | 2.2x |
| Pest control | January 202661,180 searches | June and July 202629,920 searches | 2.0x |
Reading the numbers
What does a top-of-page bid tell you?
It tells you what other advertisers have bid to appear above the search results, not what you will pay. Google defines the low range as about the 20th percentile of those bids and the high range as about the 80th.
In the auction, your cost per click depends on your bid, the quality of your ad and landing page, and what competitors bid at that moment. Treat the ranges as a guide to how contested a search is, then set budgets from your own account data. Field definitions are in Google's Keyword Planner metrics reference.
From click to booked job
Cost per booked job = cost per click ÷ (share of clicks that enquire × share of enquiries you book).
With example rates, not benchmarks: at $30 a click, if 1 in 10 clicks enquires and you book 1 in 3 enquiries, you need 30 clicks per booked job, or $900 in ad spend. Swap in your own rates. If that is more than a job earns you, the click price is not the first thing to fix.
Our guide to cost per lead shows how to measure the two rates in your own account.
Method and limits
How we built this, and what it cannot tell you.
- Source. Google Ads Keyword Planner historical metrics through the Google Ads API, pulled 1 October 2026: location Australia, language English, Google Search network. Bids are in Australian dollars.
- The searches. 104 customer job searches across 23 trades, chosen as the searches customers type to find each trade ('plumber near me', 'termite inspection', 'end of lease cleaning'). Where Keyword Planner reports close variants as one search with identical figures, we kept one.
- Search volumes. Keyword Planner's average monthly searches for September 2025 to August 2026, which it rounds into bands. Several job searches show an unusually high September 2025, which lifts their 12-month averages, so we left September out of the seasonal comparison above.
- Bids, not costs. Top-of-page bid ranges describe what advertisers bid for the top of the page, not what any advertiser paid. Actual cost per click varies by account, location, timing and ad quality.
- National figures. The data covers all of Australia. Bids for a single capital city or a regional town can differ from the national range.
- Typical range. Our own summary: each trade's low and high bids averaged, weighted by monthly searches. The median range across all trades is the median of the 104 low bids and of the 104 high bids.
Frequently asked
Questions about Google Ads costs for tradies.
- How much do Google Ads cost for tradies?
- Most trade job searches in Australia carry top-of-page bids between about $5 and $20: the median range across 104 searches in 23 trades is $4.65 to $19.61. Plumbing runs highest, with 'plumber near me' at $11.90 to $57.27, while fencing, flooring and landscaping searches mostly sit under $10. These are Keyword Planner bid estimates, not invoices, and your budget depends on how many clicks you need to win a job.
- Why are Google Ads clicks so expensive for plumbers?
- Plumbing searches are among the most contested in the data. Keyword Planner rates 9 of the 11 plumbing searches as high competition, meaning most of the available ad slots are filled. The dearest are drain, hot water, emergency and pipe relining jobs, all with high-range bids above $50.
- Is the top-of-page bid what I will pay per click?
- Not exactly. Google describes the low and high ranges as about the 20th and 80th percentile of what advertisers have historically bid to show at the top of the page. What you pay depends on your own bid, your ad's quality and what competitors bid at that moment, so real costs can land above or below the range.
- When should tradies spend more on Google Ads?
- When customers search. Air conditioning searches peaked in January 2026 at four times their May level, and pool and pest control searches also peaked in January. For steadier trades such as locksmiths, demand moved much less across the year. Check your own trade's job searches in the CSV before setting a seasonal budget.
- Where does this data come from?
- From Google Ads Keyword Planner, pulled on 1 October 2026 for Australia, English and the Google Search network. Monthly searches are the average for September 2025 to August 2026. We chose 104 customer job searches across 23 trades, such as 'plumber near me' and 'termite inspection', and removed close variants that Keyword Planner reports as one search.
Cite or use the data
Free to use with a link back.
Our tables and CSV downloads are released under Creative Commons BY 4.0. Quote them, chart them or build on them, and link to this page so readers can see the method. The figures come from Google Ads Keyword Planner, collected by Profit Geeks.
How to cite
Profit Geeks (2026). Google Ads costs for tradies: Keyword Planner top-of-page bids by trade and job search, Australia. https://www.profitgeeks.com.au/benchmarks/tradie-google-ads-costs-2026
Download
- Google Ads bid ranges by trade and job search (CSV)
104 rows: trade, search, average monthly searches, top-of-page bid low and high (AUD), competition, data period and source.
Your trade, your numbers
Know what a booked job costs before you raise the bids.
We set up Google Ads for tradies to optimise on booked and completed jobs passed back from your job management software, not on clicks. On a free 30-minute profit audit a senior operator looks at your trade's numbers with you, and you keep the written findings. More data like this is in our marketing benchmarks.