Google Ads cost calculator
Work out the Google Ads budget you need from the customers you want, your cost per click and your conversion rates. Free, and it runs in your browser.
Monthly ad budget
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in your currency
- Clicks needed
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- Leads needed
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- Cost per lead
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- Cost per customer
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- Return on ad spend
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Pre-filled with example figures, not benchmarks. Use the numbers from your own account and CRM.
How the calculator works
It works backwards from the customers you want. Leads needed = customers ÷ lead-to-customer rate. Clicks needed = leads ÷ click-to-lead rate. Budget = clicks × cost per click. Cost per customer = budget ÷ customers.
The most important input is the lead-to-customer rate, and it only comes from your CRM. Google Ads can tell you cost per click and cost per lead, but not how many of those leads became customers.
What drives Google Ads costs
- Competition for the keyword. You pay in an auction, so terms many advertisers want cost more per click.
- Quality Score. Google rewards relevant ads and landing pages with lower costs for the same position.
- Match types and negatives. Broad match reaches more searches, including irrelevant ones; tidy them with the keyword wrapper.
- Bidding strategy. Automated bidding chases the conversions you track, so track the ones that matter.
If Google is judged on conversions it reports itself, its numbers will overlap with other platforms. See Meta and Google both claim the same conversion, or how we run Google Ads measured on closed revenue.
Questions people ask
How much should I spend on Google Ads?
Work backwards from the customers you need: divide by your lead-to-customer rate to get leads, by your click-to-lead rate to get clicks, and multiply by your cost per click.
What is a good cost per click on Google Ads?
It depends on the keyword and industry. The useful test is not the cost per click but the cost per customer once your CRM shows which clicks closed.
Why does my Google Ads cost per lead look fine but sales are low?
Google counts the conversions you tell it to track, and some may not be real leads or may also be claimed by other platforms. Compare Google's conversions with the leads in your CRM.
More free tools: all drop-b tools.
See what your Google leads turned into.
The audit traces Google Ads conversions into your CRM, record by record.
Get the free audit