If you’re a tradie paying for ads right now, this question matters more than anything else:
Tradie Ads: How many actual jobs should my ads be getting me each week?
Not clicks.
Not impressions.
Not “reach”.
Jobs.
Most tradies don’t ask this question early enough. They wait months while their agency talks about performance, optimisation, and learning phases. Meanwhile, the phone barely rings, quotes don’t convert, and the pressure keeps building.
This article gives you straight answers, realistic benchmarks, and a simple way to tell whether your ads are working or just costing you money.
First, Let’s Be Clear: Ads Are Meant to Produce Jobs
If you’re a plumber, landscaper, sparky, roofer, or any local tradie, the job of advertising is simple:
- Get enquiries
- Turn enquiries into booked jobs
- Keep your calendar full
If your ads are not doing that, something is broken.
A marketing agency that talks only about clicks or traffic is avoiding the real conversation. Tradies don’t pay invoices with clicks. They pay them for completed work.
So… How Many Jobs Should Tradie Ads Generate Each Week?
There’s no one-size-fits-all number, but there are realistic ranges based on spend, location, and trade.
Here’s what we typically see when ads are set up properly.
Low Spend ($20–$30 per day)
- 2–5 enquiries per week
- 1–3 booked jobs per week
This level is usually for smaller operators, solo tradies, or quieter areas.
Medium Spend ($40–$60 per day)
- 5–10 enquiries per week
- 3–6 booked jobs per week
This is where most serious tradies should be sitting if they want consistent work.
Higher Spend ($70+ per day)
- 10+ enquiries per week
- 6–10+ booked jobs per week
At this level, ads should be driving steady growth — not just filling gaps.
If you’re spending in these ranges and not seeing similar outcomes, the issue is not demand. It’s execution.
Why Most Tradie Ads Get Clicks but No Jobs
This is where most agencies fail tradies.
Your ads can be “working” on paper while doing nothing for your business. Common reasons include:
- Ads targeting everyone instead of people ready to book
- Landing pages that confuse or slow people down
- No call tracking, so real jobs aren’t measured
- Leads are going cold because response time is slow
- Ads optimised for cheap clicks instead of job intent
If your agency cannot clearly explain how a click turns into a job, they are guessing.
Leads vs Jobs: The Most Important Difference
This is where tradies get misled.
A “lead” is not a job.
A lead could be:
- Someone price shopping
- Someone outside your service area
- Someone with unrealistic expectations
- Someone who never answers the phone
A good ads strategy focuses on job-quality enquiries, not volume.
If your agency celebrates lead numbers but cannot tell you:
- How many turned into quotes
- How many turned into booked work
- What is the cost per job is
Then you are flying blind.
The One Number That Actually Matters: What a Healthy Cost/Job Looks Like for Tradie Ads
Forget cost per click.
Forget cost per lead.
The number that matters is:
How much does it cost me to get one booked job?
For most tradies, a healthy range looks like this:
- Small jobs: $30–$80 per job
- Medium jobs: $80–$150 per job
- Larger jobs: $150–$300 per job
If you make $500, $1,000, or $5,000 from a job, paying a fair amount to acquire it makes sense.
If your agency can’t track or discuss cost per job, they’re not running a tradie-focused strategy.
A Simple Test You Can Run This Week
Ask your agency these three questions:
- How many booked jobs did my ads generate last week?
- What was my cost per booked job?
- What is being changed this month to improve results?
If the answers are vague, delayed, or filled with jargon, that’s a problem.
A good agency gives clear answers. Even when results aren’t perfect.
Why Marketing for Tradies Is Different
Tradies are local.
Time-poor.
Results-driven.
Your ads need to:
- Target people in your exact service area
- Speak the language of urgency and trust
- Make it easy to call or book
- Filter out tyre-kickers
- Track real outcomes
Generic marketing strategies don’t work for trades. They waste money and patience.
The Truth Most Agencies Won’t Say
If your ads aren’t getting you jobs, one of three things is happening:
- The strategy is wrong
- The tracking is wrong
- The agency doesn’t understand tradies
It’s rarely because “ads don’t work”.
Final Thought
If you’re paying for ads, you deserve to know exactly what you’re getting back.
Not someday.
Not after six months.
Every week.
If your current setup doesn’t provide clear answers or consistent results, it may be time to reassess how your marketing is being managed.
At TABA Digital, we work with tradies who want clarity, accountability, and real results, measured in booked jobs, not buzzwords.
If you want a straight answer about whether your ads are working, you can reach out and have an honest conversation about your situation.
