What does Google Ads cost?
The honest answer has two parts: the budget that goes directly to Google and the cost of management. On this page we simply name figures for both, so you know where you stand before you start.
Google Ads costs consist of two parts
The cost of Google advertising is not one figure. Money goes to Google and money goes to management. Both are below, with numbers.
Ad budget: this is what you pay Google
You pay per click on your ad, directly to Google through your own payment method. What a click costs differs per industry and region, because you bid against other advertisers on the same keyword.
For most small and medium-sized businesses, 500 euros per month in ad budget is the minimum to build up enough data to learn from.
What a click roughly costs
Management: this is what you pay us
This is what outsourcing Google Ads costs with us: the full fee scale from our quotes, with no surprises afterwards. A one-off set-up fee of 500 euros for setting up the account, tracking and campaigns. After that, a management fee as a percentage of the ad budget actually spent that month.
You only pay on what was actually spent. The larger your budget, the lower our percentage.
Example: with 1,000 euros in ad budget, management is 300 euros per month.
Everything about the handover and what we take over is on the page Outsource Google Ads.
Not what it costs, but what it delivers
An example with round numbers, so you can redo the sum with your own figures.
- Ad budget per month
- 1,000 euros
- Average cost per click
- 2 euros
- Clicks per month
- 500
- Becomes an inquiry (5 percent of clicks)
- 25 inquiries
- Management (30 percent)
- 300 euros
- Total cost per month
- 1,300 euros
- Cost per inquiry
- 52 euros
What is one new client worth to you?
If one in 5 inquiries becomes a client, a new client costs you 260 euros in this example. If a client is worth more to you than that, every euro in the campaign pays for itself. The percentage from click to inquiry depends on your website and your offer; 5 percent is a common starting point, not a promise.
As long as an inquiry costs less than it brings in, Google Ads is not an expense but a dial you can turn.
Prefer to calculate your own situation? Use the leads calculator.
Why Google Ads turns out too expensive for many businesses
No conversion tracking
Clicks are paid for, but nobody knows which click became an inquiry. Then you steer on gut feeling and every euro becomes a gamble.
No negative keywords
Without exclusions you also pay for people searching for free, vacancy and do it yourself. Those are clicks that never become clients.
Paying for clicks that never become clients
Broad keywords attract visitors who are looking for something else. The budget is gone before the right people come by.
We only start once the tracking is in place. After that you see per search term what it costs and what it delivers.
Want to read more? Five reasons why a Google Ads campaign delivers no leads.
Promotional credit for new accounts
For new ad accounts we activate Google promotional credit as a Google Partner: you spend a starting amount and receive ad credit in return. That makes your starting budget go further.
The credit goes up to € 3.600 for higher starting amounts. So anyone starting with a large budget can also see in the table what it delivers.
This is a Google promotion. The amounts change per period and are set by Google. In the strategy call we show you what is available for your account at that moment.
What clients say about us
“Great company! Good results achieved!”
Good to know
It varies widely. A regional trade business often pays 1 to 3 euros per click, a national service provider 3 to 8 euros, and business financial or legal services easily 10 euros or more. The price comes from an auction: the more companies bid on the same keyword, the more expensive the click. With good ads and a good landing page you pay less per click than a competitor with sloppy campaigns.
Want to know what Google Ads costs in your situation?
In the strategy call we work it out for your business, so you know exactly what you pay before you start.
