Electrical leads: where to buy them, and how to need fewer

Each row is a place electrical leads come from, how it charges and our read on the fit for electricians.

All lead sources compared lists each platform's published prices next to Koira's, with the same columns.

Google lists "Electricians" among the categories eligible for Local Services Ads, so electricians can run them once they pass Google's screening. Local Services Ads charge for leads that relate to your business and services, never for clicks. There is no public price list. Google's help page says what a lead costs depends on location, job type, lead type and how you bid.

For electricians, the call that matters is a burning smell, a sparking outlet or half the house without power. Google's help page lists a missed call during your business hours as a valid, charged lead when the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. Over a 30-day window Google checks lead quality and automatically credits poor, duplicate or invalid leads.

Google ranks Local Services ads by your bid and profile quality: rating, number of reviews, response time, photos and the verification checks you completed. Google recommends 5 or more reviews, and says some business types need 5 reviews to show. For the rules in full, see Google Local Services Ads for contractors and the setup guide.

Lead volume follows the season. For electricians it peaks around spring projects, summer storms and the holiday lighting season and drops in the weeks right after the holidays, which changes what a paid lead is worth from month to month.

Expect homeowners with a project list who want a licensed electrician they can trust inside the house, along with property managers, small retail landlords and general contractors and referrals from general contractors, HVAC shops, solar installers and home inspectors.

Angi's 2025 annual report says pros pay lead fees for consumer matches whether or not they end up doing the job. Bark prices each lead in credits, set by the service, how much the job is worth and how many pros are chasing it locally.

There is no charge to join Thumbtack and no annual or membership fee, according to its pro page.

For electricians the test is simple: a lead source pays when the jobs you win from it are worth more than everything you spent on it, including the leads that went nowhere. Your customers are homeowners with a project list who want a licensed electrician they can trust inside the house, so speed and a clear price decide most shared leads. Thumbtack vs Angi puts the two biggest side by side.

The number to watch is cost per booked job, not cost per lead. Take what a source cost you last month, divide by the jobs it booked, and weigh that against what a job like a panel upgrade leaves after materials and labor.

Run your own numbers through the free cost per lead calculator; it also shows the close rate where a source breaks even. The missed call calculator shows what calls that go to voicemail cost you before any lead fee.

• Reviews. Ask everyone, right after they pay, with a link straight to the review form. Google strictly prohibits offering incentives such as free or discounted goods or services for reviews. Koira's review engine sends the ask and drafts each reply.
• A price on your site. Adding an outlet or a light fixture priced from your own list, day or night, with booking on the same page (instant quotes).
• The street around each job. A clean new panel with every breaker labeled. Neighbor postcards go to the likely homes around the job the next morning.
• Referrals. From happy customers and from general contractors, HVAC shops, solar installers and home inspectors (referrals).
• Seasonal reminders. A note to past customers before spring projects, summer storms and the holiday lighting season (campaigns).
• Commercial buyers. Three short emails to property managers, small retail landlords and general contractors near you, then stop (commercial outreach).

On a call about a burning smell, a sparking outlet or half the house without power, the customer rings down the list until someone picks up. It does not matter whether the lead came free or cost you a fee. Koira's receptionist answers on your number and texts missed callers back in about a minute with three open times for adding an outlet or a light fixture or a look at a panel upgrade. On Grow you pay $249 a month, plus the texts, call minutes and emails at cost. See the electrical answering service guide for live and AI options and their published prices.