AI search flips the funnel
AI-referred visitors convert at ~16% vs ~1.8% for classic organic, while AI Overviews cut top-position clicks by 60%. Entity SEO and answer-first content win the citations that replace rankings.
Portfolio benchmark · July 3, 2026
How CI Web Group stacks up.
The anonymized aggregate of CI Web Group's 1,000+ recurring accounts and 2,000+ websites built — HVAC, plumbing, and home-services — measured against 2025-2026 industry benchmarks and the agencies we compete with. No client names or domains appear here or were shared with the research tool.
GA4 + Search Console + WhatConvertsWindow: Jun 3 – Jul 2, 2026Benchmarks: Gemini Deep Research, 64 sources
The headline
CI Web Group generates leads at about one-fifth of the industry’s $153 blended cost per lead, and client sites convert at roughly twice the average contractor website. The research pass called that combination "nearly unassailable" in the small-business segment at a $1,250 median retainer.
$30
Median cost per lead
Industry blended: $153
4.7%
Median site conversion
Industry average: 2-3%
19,100
Tracked leads, last 30 days
Across 220 tracked clients
+13.5%
Leads, month over month
Sessions +12.3%
The two numbers that matter
Cost per lead. Conversion rate.
Cost per lead (USD)
SEO organic
$10–30
CIWG median
$30
LSA average
~$51
CIWG mean
$81
Search ads
$91
PPC non-brand
$149
HVAC blended
$153
CIWG = monthly retainer / tracked calls + forms, last 30d, n=214 clients. Benchmarks: WebFX, Coast333, LocaliQ 2025-26 (SEO $10-30, LSA ~$51, search ads $91, PPC non-brand $149, HVAC blended $153).
Site conversion rate (%)
Average contractor site
2–3%
CIWG median
4.7%
Top quartile
6%
Top 6% of sites
8–12%
Sessions to tracked leads, last 30d, n=196 clients with sessions over 50. Benchmarks: PipelineOn and OnwardCraft contractor studies (average 2-3%, top quartile 6%, top 6% of sites 8-12%).
Priced where the majors aren't
Major-agency scale. Small-business pricing.
Typical monthly retainer (USD)
CI Web Group
$1,250/mo median
Hook Agency
$3.5k–15k
Scorpion entry
$5k–20k+
Mid-market norm
$4–10k
RYNO full package
$15–20k
Entry/typical pricing from published rates and the deep-research pass (Hook publishes $3.5k-15k; RYNO packages run $15-20k; mid-market full-service norm $4-10k).
The PE-backed majors moved to $15k+ packages and formally exclude contractors under $3-5M revenue. That leaves the small-business market — most of the trades — structurally underserved.
At a $1,250 median retainer with 1,000+ recurring accounts and 2,000+ websites built, CIWG already operates at the scale of the biggest trade-only specialists while staying below every major’s entry price.
The competitive field
Where every major player stands.
| Agency | Scale | Entry price | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| CI Web Group | 1,000+ recurring accounts · 2,000+ websites built | $1,250/mo median | SEO-led; clients own their sites |
| Scorpion | 10,000+ clients · $150M+ rev | $5k-20k+ · 12-24 mo terms | Proprietary CMS: leave and lose the site |
| RYNO / Blue Corona | ~1,000 clients · $90M rev | $15k-20k packages | Excludes shops under ~$3-5M revenue |
| Hook Agency | ~30-staff boutique | $3.5k-15k · annual term | Google-only; no social or video |
| CAMP Digital | 350+ clients | Mid-market, custom | Closest scale peer; capacity-routing tech |
| SearchKings | 5,000+ customers | % of ad spend | Automated PMax cannibalizes branded terms |
| Service Direct | National pay-per-lead network | Per-lead bidding | Zero equity: stop paying, leads stop |
| Mediagistic | 116+ staff · $29-50M rev | Blended retainers | Billing and account-service complaints |
Long tail: Rocket Media (month-to-month, market exclusivity), Lemon Seed (brand/creative), LeadHub (4.8 rating), Contractor Growth Network (design-build niche), Valve+Meter, LeadsNearby, 1SEO and Surefire Local (both widely criticized), EverConnect (PE lead aggregator).
Inside the portfolio
What the measured portfolio actually looks like.
Clients by cost per lead
Half of the portfolio sits under $30 per lead; the 36 clients above $100 drag the mean to $81.
x: retainer / tracked leads (USD) · y: clients · n=214 · last 30d. Half sit under $30; the 36 clients above $100 drag the mean to $81.
Clients by monthly lead volume
33<10
2910–24
5425–49
4550–99
37100–199
22200+
x: tracked leads in last 30d · y: clients · n=220. 59 clients clear 100+ leads/month; 33 sit under 10 and need a tracking or delivery audit.
Looking ahead
Four forces shaping 2026.
Paid channels are saturating
Contractor LSA adoption jumped 28% to 70% since 2021 and non-brand PPC runs ~$149/lead. Organic-heavy economics — exactly where the $30 median lives — are the hedge.
The majors moved upmarket
EverService rolled RYNO + Blue Corona into a $90M platform; Scorpion took $100M in PE. Standardized $15k+ retainers leave the SMB lane open — CIWG’s lane.
Retention is the moat
Retainer agencies average ~18% annual churn; RYNO holds ~3% monthly with full attribution. Closing the tracking gap and marketing maintenance plans protects the $662k/mo base.
Watch list before renewal season
- 36 clients pay over $100 per lead and drag the mean to $81 — fix channels or conversion paths first.
- 115 accounts have no lead tracking and 21 are fully data-blind — value is unprovable exactly where churn hides.
- Median 46 leads/month fits SMBs but caps $10M+ shops, and June-July seasonality flattens the +13.5% growth.
Transparency
Method and sources.
Portfolio data: ciwg-reporting MCP sweep (2026-07-03) across 335 unique recurring accounts with reporting wired inside CI Web Group's 1,000+ recurring-account / 2,000+ website portfolio — GA4 sessions n=307, WhatConverts lead tracking n=220, cost-per-lead computable n=214, conversion n=196. Cost per lead = monthly retainer / tracked calls + forms (blended, all channels). Only sanitized aggregates left the workspace.
WebFX HVAC benchmarksLocaliQ home-services search ads 2025Coast333 HVAC CPLSequoia GEO LSA statsPipelineOn conversion benchmarksOnwardCraft 200-site studySureShot agency pricing 2026RYNO + Blue Corona merger coverageScorpion (Wikipedia)Focus Digital agency churnCallJolt retention benchmarksQuickSEO ChatGPT vs GoogleMarketingCode LSA saturation
Keep exploring
See the proof behind the aggregate.
Featured Customers
Real launches on Hydra OS, week by week — the sites behind these portfolio numbers.
Browse the launches →Client Stories & Reviews
What the owners behind these accounts say about working with CI Web Group.
Read the testimonials →Get the $30-lead playbook
Talk to our team about what SEO-led, own-your-site economics would look like for your business.
Contact CI Web Group →How we keep this fair
- Strengths first: every comparison opens with what the other company does well.
- Every factual claim about another company links a public source and shows the date we checked it.
- If a company doesn't publish something (pricing, contract terms), we say “not published” and recommend you verify with them directly — an unknown is never a knock.
- All trademarks and brand names belong to their owners. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any company we compare against; names are used only to identify them (nominative fair use).
- Companies change. If anything here is out of date or wrong, email [email protected] and we will verify and correct it promptly.
Legal notice: all third-party trademarks, service marks, and company names are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification and comparison only (nominative fair use). CI Web Group is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any company referenced on this page. Comparisons reflect publicly available information as of 2026-07-18; offerings and terms change, so confirm current details with each company before deciding. Believe something here is inaccurate? Email [email protected] — verified corrections are published promptly.
Benchmark
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A senior strategist will show you where your current numbers sit against the industry's $153 blended cost per lead — and what it takes to get to the $30 side of the chart.
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- Strategist, not SDR
- Walk the live dashboard
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