What Remodelers Can Expect to Pay in 2026 (The Real Benchmarks)

The home-services category averages $3.50 CPC and $144 CPL, but remodelers should expect higher due to service value, competition, and the visual nature of remodeling decision-making.

Across the remodeling accounts we manage and national benchmarks we track:

• $8–$18 CPC is the realistic range for kitchen/bath remodeling terms.
• $100–$250 CPC is not unusual in competitive metros for high-intent additions or whole-home queries.
• $150–$400 CPL is a healthy range depending on service, market size, and landing page quality.
• 30–50 percent lead-to-job conversion is achievable for remodelers with strong visuals, consistent branding, and disciplined follow-up.

If a remodeler is paying more than these ranges, it’s almost always tied to:

• Broad geographic targeting
• Weak ad-to-landing-page continuity
• Generic visuals
• Inconsistent branding between ad, site, and GBP
• Reactive instead of proactive bid automation

In 2026, the metric that matters more than anything else isn’t CPC or even CPL.
It’s cost per booked project.

Everything else is noise if it doesn’t lead to work.

Homeowners Click for Information and Trust — Not Flashy Ads

A surprising trend has held steady into 2026: homeowners click Google Ads for clarity, not creativity.

Research shows:

• 33 percent click ads because they answer their question.
• 26 percent click because they recognize the brand.
• Only 19 percent are influenced by visuals or design.

For remodelers, this aligns perfectly with how homeowners buy. They want:

• Clean, consistent business names
• Clear service alignment (“kitchen remodeler,” not “general contractor”)
• Real photos instead of stock
• Ratings they can trust
• Messaging that answers their concern within seconds

The remodeler who eliminates doubt fastest wins the lead — even at a higher price point.

Local Services Ads (LSAs) Continue to Shift Remodeling Leads

Although your article is focused on Google Ads (PPC), LSAs play a major role in your overall lead ecosystem.

Data shows:

• For many remodeling firms, LSAs now account for 20–40 percent of digital lead volume.
• LSAs convert at higher rates because homeowners perceive them as pre-vetted.
• Response speed determines almost everything. The first remodeler who responds typically wins the job.

Combining LSAs, Google Ads, and a high-quality Google Business Profile creates the “triple threat” visibility remodelers need in 2026.

Traffic Fraud and Wasted Spend Are Growing Risks for Remodelers

Click fraud and bot traffic are rising across the entire PPC industry. In 2023 alone, $84 billion was lost to fraudulent clicks, and projections show losses doubling by 2028.

For remodelers, this problem hits harder because CPCs are already high.

The smartest remodelers in 2026 will:

• Use click-fraud protection tools
• Monitor sudden spikes in spend with low conversions
• Track calls and forms back to specific ads
• Lean into automation (it catches patterns humans miss)
• Tighten geographic targeting
• Use negative keywords aggressively

Fraud won’t disappear. But you can dramatically reduce it.

Why High-Intent Keywords Still Control Remodeling ROI

Even with rising costs, high-intent remodeling keywords drive the most profitable jobs.

Where the real returns come from:

• “kitchen remodeler near me”
• “bathroom renovation cost [city]”
• “home addition contractor [zip]”
• “design build firm [city]”
• “basement finishing contractor [city]”

Search ads still convert at 4.2 percent on average, compared to 0.55 percent for display.

The message for remodelers is simple:

Search and LSAs are your closers.
Display, social, and video are your hand-raisers.