The Account
A NJ Shore painting contractor. $3,446 in Google Ads spend.
Confirmed zero customer conversions in the tracking data. Strong keyword coverage — exterior painting, interior painting, house painting near me. No conversion tracking firing. No phone calls recorded. Nothing.
This is one of the most common account types Grow Marketing encounters in audits. The ad spend is real. The clicks are real. But the tracking shows nothing — because the tracking is broken, not because the campaign is failing.
Zero tracked conversions almost never means zero actual customers. It usually means broken tracking.
Why ‘Good’ Varies by Industry
A $100 cost per lead is terrible for a pizza restaurant. It’s exceptional for a roofing company. Context is everything — a good CPA is one that makes economic sense relative to the value of the customer you’re acquiring.
The formula: if your average job or customer value is X, and your close rate on leads is Y, then your maximum viable CPA is X × Y. Anything below that is profitable. The further below, the better.
Restaurant
Industry average: $15-35 per new customer. Good performance: $0.53-4.77.
- NJ pizzeria (6 months): $0.53 per customer action
- NJ Italian BYOB bistro: $4.77 per reservation inquiry
- NJ neighborhood diner: $0.68 per verified walk-in
The low CPAs in restaurant reflect high conversion tracking completeness — all three types counted — and buyer-intent-only keyword strategies.
Average order value of $25-40 makes even $15 per customer profitable, but $0.53-4.77 is what the best accounts achieve.
Home Services — Cleaning
Industry average: $40-80 per new client. Good performance: $4-15.
- PA house cleaning: $4.40 per new customer
Recurring cleaning clients are worth $1,200-3,600+ annually. At $4.40 acquisition cost, the return is extraordinary. Even at the $40-80 industry average, the economics work — $4.40 just means they work much better.
Home Services — HVAC and Plumbing
Industry average: $40-85 per lead. Good performance: $14-40.
- Middletown NJ HVAC and plumbing: $14.09 in home market, $24.73 blended
At average HVAC service calls of $250-500 and system replacements of $5,000-15,000, even $85 per lead is a strong return. $14.09 is what a mature, well-tracked account in its home market achieves.
Home Services — Roofing
Industry average: $120-180 per conversion. Good performance: $100-140 in a mature account.
- Melbourne FL metal roofing (5-year account): $131.68 blended
Roofing has the highest CPA in home services because it has the highest CPCs and job values. At $8,000-25,000+ average job, $131 per lead is a 60-190x return. That’s not a bad CPA — it’s the right CPA for the vertical.
Legal
Industry average: $80-130 per lead. Good performance: $19-60.
- NJ criminal and family law: $19.40 per conversion
- NYC debt defense: $59 per lead
Legal cases are worth $3,000-50,000+ in fees. Even $130 per lead is justified by case values. $19.40 reflects a mature account with complete tracking and strict competitor name exclusions.
Fitness and Wellness
Industry average: $15-45 per new member. Good performance: $0.57-10.
- NJ pilates studio: $1.48 per booking
- FL personal training: $4.40 per action
- NJ strength gym: $0.57 per customer action
Fitness accounts achieve low CPAs through complete conversion tracking across all touchpoints — direction requests, calls, forms, Maps interactions.
Memberships worth $600-2,400+ annually make even $45 acquisition cost acceptable, but $1-4 is what well-built boutique accounts achieve.
B2B and Professional Services
Industry average: $50-120 per lead. Good performance: $20-80, evaluated on LTV.
- NJ title company: $20.54 per lead vs $60-100 vertical average
- NYC restaurant marketing agency: $218 per B2B lead, $54,000+ estimated LTV
B2B CPA evaluation requires LTV context. $218 per lead looks high until you factor in $54,000 estimated client lifetime value. The ratio is what matters — not the raw number.
