Industry Report · 2026
The State of UK Tradesman Marketing 2026
Quick answer
UK tradesmen in 2026 are paying an average of £10–£80 per qualified lead depending on trade, with landscaping the most expensive (£25–£80) and emergency plumbing the cheapest (£10–£25). Google Ads remains the highest-intent channel; Meta Ads dominates for visual trades. Average ROAS across our client base is 8.4×.
Key findings
- Average UK trade cost per lead rose 11% YoY — driven by Google CPC inflation
- Tradesmen with 50+ Google reviews convert 2.3× better than those with under 20
- 5-minute lead response time triples quote-to-job rates vs same-day response
- Meta Ads now drive 41% of new landscaper leads — up from 18% in 2022
- 78% of UK tradesmen still have no Google Ads conversion tracking installed
2026 benchmarks by trade
| Trade | Cost/lead | ROAS | Avg job value | Top channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofer | £15–£40 | 6–10× | £3,500–£6,000 | Google Ads (emergency) |
| Plumber | £10–£25 | 7–12× | £450–£1,800 | Google Ads + GBP |
| Electrician | £15–£35 | 6–11× | £250–£2,200 | Google Ads (EICR + EV) |
| Landscaper | £25–£80 | 10–25× | £8k–£40k | Meta Ads (visual) |
| Bathroom Fitter | £30–£70 | 5–9× | £6k–£18k | Meta + Google |
| Builder (extensions) | £40–£120 | 8–20× | £40k–£150k | SEO + Meta |
Methodology
Data aggregated from 60+ UK trade clients on Byte Promote between May 2025 and April 2026. All figures are 90-day rolling averages, excluding outliers (top and bottom 5%). Cost per lead = total ad spend ÷ qualified enquiries. ROAS = closed revenue ÷ ad spend.
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