The data behind every diagnostic.
No "trust us." Here's what we benchmark against, where the math comes from, and what a real engagement actually moved.
Junk removal cost-per-lead vs. adjacent home-service verticals.
Cost-per-lead (CPL) is the price you pay to acquire one phone call or form fill from Google Ads, Meta Ads, or Local Services Ads — calculated as total ad spend ÷ total leads. Junk removal CPL varies wildly by Quality Score and account structure. The ranges below are what we typically see in Canadian markets — not best-case, not worst-case.
| Vertical | Typical CPL (poor QS) | Typical CPL (strong QS) | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junk & waste removal | $94 | $31 | −67% |
| HVAC | $118 | $42 | −64% |
| Plumbing | $102 | $38 | −63% |
| Roofing | $148 | $56 | −62% |
| Auto repair | $71 | $24 | −66% |
Sources: WordStream industry benchmarks (Apr 2025–Mar 2026, n=13,474 accounts); Fill My Bins internal audit pool. "Strong QS" = average Quality Score ≥ 7 with separated ad groups by service. "Poor QS" = average QS ≤ 5 with consolidated ad groups.
Why a 4-point Quality Score swing moves junk removal CPL by 50%+.
Quality Score (QS) is Google's 1-to-10 rating of how well your keyword, ad, and landing page match what the searcher actually wants. Google's ad auction is roughly: Bid × Quality Score = Ad Rank. Two junk removal operators bidding the exact same amount on the same keyword in the same Canadian market will pay very different prices depending on QS. It is the single highest-leverage lever in any Google Ads account, and the one most operators have never looked at — the QS column is hidden by default.
| Quality Score | Effective CPC modifier | Real-world CPC on "junk removal Toronto" | Cost per 100 clicks |
|---|---|---|---|
| QS 4 | 1.0× (baseline) | $8.40 | $840 |
| QS 6 | 0.55× | $4.62 | $462 |
| QS 8 | 0.33× | $2.77 | $277 |
| QS 10 | 0.20× | $1.68 | $168 |
Modelled from Google Ads CPC ÷ QS curve, validated against Fill My Bins audit pool. Assumes constant conversion rate; CPL drops proportionally with CPC at fixed conversion rate.
This is why "spend more on ads" almost never solves the problem. Adding budget at QS 4 just buys more expensive clicks. The work is to move the QS first, then decide whether to add budget.
What a real account looked like, 90 days in.
Client: Owner-operated junk removal company, Southwestern Ontario. One truck, two crew. Running Google Ads on their own for 14 months before the audit.
Going in:
- Monthly ad spend: $2,400
- Average CPL: $87
- Booked jobs per month from ads: ~16
- Quality Score (account average): 4.2
- Ad group structure: 1 ad group, 23 keywords, all services
What the diagnostic found:
- "Hot tub removal" and "estate cleanout" were buried in broad match. Both were converting 5× higher than the rest of the keyword set, at a third of the CPL.
- Conversion tracking was double-counting form submissions and missing all calls.
- Landing page form had 8 fields, including "company name" on a residential service.
- GBP service list missing 4 of the operator's top revenue lines.
90 days after the rebuild:
- Monthly ad spend: $2,400 (unchanged)
- Average CPL: $34 (−61%)
- Booked jobs per month from ads: 41 (+156%)
- Quality Score (account average): 7.6
- Ad group structure: 6 ad groups, separated by service line
No new spend. No new tools. Same operator, same trucks, same market. Account structure + Quality Score lift + landing-page friction reduction. The work paid for itself in month one.
What we don't promise.
Every account is different. Some are already well-structured and only need GBP and tracking work. Some are leaking from every joint and the rebuild takes the full 90 days to show in the numbers. We won't quote you a CPL number until we've actually seen your account.
What we will promise: the diagnostic is honest. If your account doesn't have meaningful upside, we'll tell you that, in writing, and you'll keep the document.
Want context first? Read the five patterns we find most often, or see how the engagement works after the audit.