Staffing, Recruiting & HR Google Search cost per lead.

What a $67.36 cost per lead really tells you

On Google Search, the cost per lead for staffing & recruiting is $67.36. That reflects a 3.05% conversion rate on clicks costing about $5.81 each — a low conversion rate is the main cost driver.

Staffing, recruiting and HR services run two-sided funnels — clients and candidates — and demand spikes with the labour market. It’s one of the rare categories where organic leads can cost more than paid.

For comparison, the same industry runs $17.64 on Meta Ads, $476.00 on Paid (all channels), $518.00 on Organic / SEO — different channels measure leads differently, so weigh them on cost per customer, not cost per lead. That’s the number that matters: divide this cost per lead by your close rate to get cost per customer, then check it against your deal size. The calculator does the math with every formula shown.

From cost per lead to cost per customer

Cost per lead is only the first step. The number that runs your business is cost per customer — and it's just CPL divided by your close rate. Here's the math on this benchmark, using an illustrative 20% close rate and a $5,000 deal:

Those inputs are illustrative — plug in your own close rate and deal size in the interactive CPL/CPA calculator to see your real cost per customer, with every formula shown.

Staffing, Recruiting & HR on other channels

The same audience costs very different amounts depending on where you reach them. Here's how staffing & recruiting compares across channels we have verified data for:

Cheaper isn't automatically better — channels differ in lead intent and quality. Compare them on cost per customer, not cost per lead.