Every tradie wants a budget number. The honest answer is "it depends" — but we can get specific. After running ad accounts for 60+ Australian tradies, the patterns are clear. Here's what you should be spending in 2026.

The short answer

Solo operator targeting a single LGA: $800–$1,500/mo on ads. Two-to-three person crew: $1,500–$3,000/mo. Established business with 5+ staff targeting commercial work: $3,000–$8,000/mo.

That excludes the management fee. If you're running ads yourself, those numbers stand. If you're hiring an agency, expect another 15–25% on top — or a flat retainer in the $800–$2,500/mo range depending on scope.

The longer answer: what changes the number

  • Trade type. Emergency electricians and plumbers convert at 8–15% — high. Builders and landscapers convert at 1–3% — low. The high-conversion trades can run lean budgets profitably. The low-conversion trades need bigger budgets for statistically meaningful data.
  • Geography. Sydney CBD clicks run $18–$40. Regional NSW: $4–$12. Same campaign, very different monthly burn.
  • Competition. Brisbane plumbing is brutal. Newcastle electricians: moderate. Singleton landscaping: cheap. Auction-style ad pricing means competitive cities cost 3–4× more.
  • Your job size. If your average job is $400 (fault-finding electrician), you can't profitably pay $80 per lead. If your average job is $40k (custom builder), you can pay $400 per lead and still print money.

A simple budget formula

The maths for sustainable ad spend: (target monthly revenue from ads) × (1 ÷ conversion rate) × (cost per click) × (1 ÷ close rate from quote).

Example: an electrician wants $30k/mo from ads, runs an 8% click-to-call conversion, pays $12/click, closes 50% of quoted jobs. They'll need roughly $1,800–$2,200/mo in ad spend to hit that revenue target. Anything less is underspending; anything much more is diminishing returns.

Common mistakes

  • Going too small. A $300/mo budget rarely beats organic search results — you're paying for the privilege of not learning anything.
  • Skipping Local Service Ads. Google's pay-per-lead product (LSA) is uniquely good for trades. Most electricians and plumbers should run LSA alongside or instead of search ads.
  • No conversion tracking. If you're not tracking calls AND form submissions back to specific keywords, you're burning 30–50% of your budget on the wrong terms.

The takeaway

Don't guess. Run the formula above with your real numbers, then commit to 90 days at that budget. Less than 90 days isn't enough to optimise. More than that without measurable progress means something else is broken — usually landing pages or sales process, not the ads themselves.