See exactly how many new projects you need to break even on marketing—and start generating profit.
e.g., £250,000 for a typical project
Typical construction margin: 20-30%
SEO + LinkedIn + Content package
Industry average: 10-20%
Realistic target with our services
Projects Per Year
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Break-even
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months
Annual Net Profit from Marketing
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Marketing ROI
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Cost Per Lead
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Book a free audit to see exactly how we'd generate these leads for your firm.
Book Free Audit →The Construction Marketing ROI Calculator estimates the financial return on a construction marketing investment based on your trade, average project value, monthly marketing spend, and estimated lead volumes. It calculates annual profit, break-even timeline, and cost-per-lead so you can make an evidence-based decision about marketing investment. The calculator is calibrated for UK construction firms targeting commercial, public sector, and infrastructure contracts.
Projects per year should reflect your current delivery capacity at the contract sizes you are targeting — not your historical average. If you are a groundworks contractor capable of running 6 active sites simultaneously at £100k–£300k per project, your realistic annual project volume at target scale would be 8–12 projects per year. Use your desired run rate, not your current one — the calculator shows what ROI looks like when marketing is working as intended.
Cost-per-lead for construction marketing varies significantly by channel and contract size. Google Ads for specialist subcontractors typically generates leads at £25–£120 depending on trade and geography. LinkedIn outreach generates framework-stage conversations at effectively zero cost-per-lead once programme costs are accounted for. SEO-generated leads cost £15–£60 per lead once the investment has paid down. For commercial and public sector contracts with £50k–£500k average values, a cost-per-lead of £100–£300 is economically strong.
A well-executed construction marketing programme typically generates 5:1 to 15:1 ROI over 12 months for specialist subcontractors targeting commercial or public sector work. A £1,500/month marketing investment that generates two additional £75k projects per year delivers £150k revenue against £18k annual spend — an 8:1 return. Framework contracts won through marketing generate recurring multi-year revenue that compounds the initial ROI substantially beyond year one.
Most construction firms break even on marketing investment within 3–6 months when Google Ads and LinkedIn outreach are deployed simultaneously. Google Ads generates qualified leads from week one; LinkedIn outreach begins producing framework conversations within 4–6 weeks. SEO takes longer — typically 3–6 months for meaningful organic visibility — but the marginal cost-per-lead falls to near zero once rankings are established, improving overall programme ROI month-on-month.
Profit per project is your net margin on each contract won — revenue minus all direct costs (labour, materials, plant, subcontract, prelims) and your overhead allocation. For most specialist subcontractors, net project margins of 15–25% are typical depending on contract type, risk profile, and payment terms. Use conservative estimates: the calculator is designed to show minimum acceptable ROI, so if the numbers look positive on conservative margin assumptions, marketing is economically justified.
Yes — the ROI calculator is built for UK construction firms targeting commercial, public sector, and infrastructure contracts. The lead volume estimates, cost-per-lead benchmarks, and marketing channel mix reflect UK construction procurement behaviour: framework tendering, PQQ processes, direct procurement by main contractors, and the relative effectiveness of Google Ads, LinkedIn, and SEO for reaching UK construction procurement audiences.
Use the calculator to identify the minimum monthly spend that generates positive ROI at your average project margin — then test that budget level for 60–90 days before scaling. For most specialist subcontractors, £1,000–£2,000/month in combined Google Ads and LinkedIn is sufficient for an initial pilot that generates meaningful data. Once cost-per-lead and lead quality are validated, scale spend to the level where ROI remains positive — typically 3–5% of target annual revenue.
