Google Ads cost per click by trade

There is no single number, there is a range. Google Keyword Planner puts the top-of-page bid for plumber near me at A$11.30 to A$53.95 and for emergency plumber at A$13.09 to A$68.92, with the city terms at A$7.18 to A$38.47 in Sydney, A$9.04 to A$50.49 in Melbourne and A$11.66 to A$65.64 in Brisbane (retrieved 21 July 2026). What you actually pay per click sits inside that range, set by how you bid and your ad quality, which is why plumbing is the dearest trade we measured. How many people make each of those searches, and every other plumber search, is counted on how many people search for a plumber.

A range again. Google Keyword Planner puts the top-of-page bid for electrician near me at A$10.01 to A$38.73 and for emergency electrician at A$6.18 to A$40.76, with the city terms at A$6.48 to A$35.90 in Sydney, A$6.35 to A$42.42 in Melbourne and A$8.28 to A$45.15 in Brisbane (retrieved 21 July 2026). Electricians sit well under plumbers at the top of the auction, and the emergency search starts cheaper than the plain near me search, which no other trade on this page does. How many people make each of those searches, and every other electrician search, is counted on how many people search for an electrician.

A range, like every trade here. Google Keyword Planner puts the top-of-page bid for painter near me at A$5.64 to A$22.46, with the city terms at A$4.10 to A$14.48 in Sydney, A$1.97 to A$20.40 in Melbourne and A$3.62 to A$27.70 in Brisbane (retrieved 21 July 2026). Painters sit in the cheaper half of the table: the low end in Melbourne matches the handyman low, and even the Brisbane high sits well under the A$53.95 that plumber near me tops out at. How many people make each of those searches, and every other painter search, is counted on how many people search for a painter.

Because a click is auctioned, not sold at a sticker price. Google runs an auction on every search, and where your ad shows, and what you pay, depends on how much you bid and how relevant Google judges your ad and the page behind it. The low end of the range is roughly what a well-run, high-quality campaign pays for a modest position. The high end is what it costs to fight for the very top in the busiest moments. The bidding section above walks through it.

Often, yes. A higher Quality Score, which comes from a relevant ad and a fast, on-topic page behind it, means you pay less for the same position. Tighter targeting and smarter bidding keep you off the most expensive clicks. A well-run campaign usually lands in the lower half of Google's range, though chasing the very top spot in a competitive suburb pushes you toward the high end. What we will not do is promise you the low end every time. The auction does not work that way.

No, treat the ranges as a market reference, not a quote. They are Google's record of what advertisers have paid to show at the top of the page across Australia. Your own cost per click moves with your suburb, the time of day, your Quality Score, the competition in the moment and your bid strategy, which is exactly why this page shows a range instead of one tidy figure.

At the low end of the range, the top-of-page bid starts at A$1.97 for handyman near me and A$2.72 for fencing near me (retrieved 21 July 2026). Cheap clicks are not automatically good business, though: handyman near me draws 9,900 searches a month while fencing near me draws 5,400, and neither figure tells you how many of those searchers turn into paying jobs. A builder sits in the middle of the table, A$5.30 to A$19.25 for builder near me, and how many people make that search, and every other builder search, is counted on how many people search for a builder. A carpenter sits lower again, A$3.24 to A$10.80 for carpenter near me, among the cheapest clicks in the table; how many people make that search, and every other carpenter search, is counted on how many people search for a carpenter.