Who is this for?
Anyone who has typed "boiler leads" or "plumbing leads" into Google looking for more work. That is a fair thing to want. But before you hand over your card, read this.
Here is what plumbers tell us about bought leads:
- "Paid for the lead, rang within ten minutes, they had already booked someone."
- "Half of them do not answer. The other half want a price over the phone for a boiler I have not seen."
- "I am paying for leads and it feels like a slot machine."
- "The lead site keeps raising prices and I cannot stop because it is most of my work."
What do you get instead?
Enquiries that are yours alone:
calls and forms come straight to your phone and inbox, with no other firm told about them.
A landing page for each money job:
boiler installs, boiler repairs and bathroom refits each get a focused page built to turn clicks into calls.
Google Ads you control:
your account, your budget, ad spend paid straight to Google with no markup from us.
Call and form tracking:
a monthly figure for what each enquiry cost you, so you can compare it with the lead site.
SEO underneath:
service and area pages that build free search traffic over time, so the cost per enquiry can fall.
Reviews and repeat work:
past customers reminded to rebook and review, which bought leads never give you.
What do bought leads really cost?
Lead sellers have to buy the customer before they can sell them to you. Most of them buy that traffic on Google. Here is what the bidding looks like in the UK, from DataforSEO Google Ads data as of October 2026:
boiler installation leads
£63.30
plumbing leads
£32.53
boiler leads
£26.90
Those terms are mostly searched by trades and lead buyers. The seller then pays for clicks on homeowner searches too, runs a call centre or web form, takes a profit margin and passes the enquiry to you. You are paying for every step of that chain.
Why are shared leads worse?
Many lead platforms let more than one firm see or buy the same job. That turns every enquiry into a race. The firm that rings first, or quotes lowest, wins. The others have paid for nothing.
Even exclusive leads have a catch. The homeowner never heard of you before the call. They trust the platform, not your business, and next time they will go back to the platform.
How do you own your leads instead?
The alternative is simple to explain, though it takes work to build.
Step one: a website that converts
If a homeowner lands on your site and cannot see your Gas Safe number, reviews and a call button within seconds, every pound you spend on traffic leaks out. This comes first.
Step two: buy the traffic yourself
Instead of paying a middleman, you bid on the homeowner searches directly. "Boiler replacement Chelmsford" or "combi installation Bromley" clicks cost money, but the enquiry is exclusive to you and you keep the customer.
Step three: build free traffic underneath
SEO, a strong Google Business Profile and reviews bring enquiries that cost nothing per click. Over time they take more of the load from ads.
Step four: keep the customer
Annual service reminders and landlord check reminders turn one boiler install into years of work. A lead site will never do that for you.
Is this right for everyone?
Honestly, no. If you are brand new, have no reviews yet and need work this week, a lead site may be the fastest bridge. We would still suggest building your own website alongside it, so you are not stuck there. Our guide comparing Checkatrade, MyBuilder and Bark can help you choose one.
How do you compare the two honestly?
Take one month. Add up what you paid the lead site, then count how many of those enquiries became paid jobs. Divide one by the other and you have your true cost per job. Once your own campaigns are running, we give you the same figure from your tracking, so the comparison is fair and you decide with real numbers.
How does it work?
- Compare the numbers: tell us what you spend on lead sites now and roughly how many jobs it wins.
- Fixed quote: you get the campaign plan and a fixed fee in writing by the next working day, valid for seven days.
- Build and launch: landing pages, ad campaigns and tracking set up so enquiries come direct.
- Shift the spend: as your own enquiries grow, you decide how far to cut back on bought leads.
What does it cost?
Google Ads management
From £497 per month
Plus £495 one-off setup. Campaigns, ad copy, negative keywords, call and form tracking, landing pages built for the ad, monthly report
Get my fixed quotePrices exclude VAT. Ad spend is paid directly to Google from your own account, never marked up.
What else should I read?
- Google Ads for plumbers: how we run the paid side.
- Plumber marketing: the full system for steady enquiries.
- Is Checkatrade worth it?: directory costs looked at honestly.
- Checkatrade vs MyBuilder vs Bark: side by side.
- Plumber website design in Essex
- Plumber website design in West London
Frequently asked questions
Do you sell boiler leads?
No. We do not sell leads to anyone. We build the website, search presence and ads that bring enquiries straight to you, so every one is yours alone.
Why are bought boiler leads so expensive?
Because the seller pays Google heavily for each visitor, then adds a margin. As of October 2026, DataforSEO data shows advertisers bidding around £63.30 a click on boiler installation leads, and that is before any enquiry is made.
What is a shared lead?
It is one customer enquiry sold to, or opened up to, more than one trade. You pay, then race other firms to call first, and often the customer picks on price.
Are lead sites ever worth it?
They can be when you are starting out or have gaps to fill. The problem is relying on them, because the cost never goes down and you never own the customer relationship.
How quickly can I replace bought leads with my own?
Google Ads can bring direct enquiries within weeks, while SEO builds more slowly. Most firms use ads to bridge the gap, then reduce lead-site spend as their own enquiries grow.
Will you guarantee a number of leads a month?
No, and be wary of anyone who does. We set up tracking so you can see exactly how many calls and forms come in, and what each one cost.