A signed client from ads costs thousands of dollars in ad spend. In the Probative benchmarks, the ad cost per signed client is $5,500–6,000 for search and video ads on Google and Microsoft, and $4,000–4,500 for Local Services Ads.
Probative benchmarks, 2025–2026
What a signed client costs, by ad channel
| What is measured | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Search and video ads on Google and Microsoft: ad cost per signed client | $5,500–6,000 |
| Local Services Ads: ad cost per signed client | $4,000–4,500 |
What does this mean for your firm?
- Track cost per signed client, not cost per lead. It is the number that tells you whether a channel pays.
- Add your own costs. These ranges count ad spend only, so staff time and agency fees come on top.
- Compare channels on the same basis. Count signed clients by the source they came from, and divide each channel’s ad cost by them.
Why is Local Services Ads lower here?
Local Services Ads charge per lead rather than per click, and the leads are mostly phone calls from people ready to talk. Search ads also pay for clicks that never call. Case mix differs too, so the gap in your own numbers may be larger or smaller.
How do I read this table?
Each row is ad cost divided by the signed clients that came from those ads, with injury and employment combined, shown as a five-hundred-dollar range. Every value is aggregated across many observations, and rows that did not meet the privacy rules are suppressed for privacy.
The figures are ranges, so treat each as approximate. How the benchmarks are made and protected.
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Each table is its own file. Free, with no email or login, under CC BY 4.0: copy and adapt it with credit to Probative Growth.
Cite this dataset: Probative Growth (2026). Probative benchmarks, 2025–2026 (v4.0.1) [Data set]. CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23735849. https://probativegrowth.com/research/benchmarks/cost-per-signed-client/
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How each figure is made and protected · Probative benchmarks, 2025–2026