Google Ads Budget Calculator 2026
Plan Your PPC Advertising Budget Based on Goals & Industry
Based on Google Ads 2026 benchmarks
Calculate Budget Based on Your Goals
Budget Recommendation by Industry & Business Size
Allocate Budget Across Campaign Types
📊 Recommended Budget
How to Set Your Google Ads Budget
💡 Budget Planning Overview
Your Google Ads budget depends on your business goals, industry competitiveness, and expected returns. Start with a test budget to gather data, then scale based on performance. A good rule of thumb: new advertisers should allocate 5-10% of target revenue for advertising, while established businesses often spend 10-20% during growth phases.
- Define Your Goals: Leads, sales, calls, or brand awareness? Each has different cost structures.
- Research Industry Benchmarks: Know typical CPC and conversion rates for your industry.
- Calculate Required CPA: What can you afford per conversion while staying profitable?
- Work Backwards: Budget = Target Conversions × Expected CPA.
- Start Testing: Begin with minimum viable budget, then optimize and scale.
Budget Formulas
Goal-Based Budget
Maximum CPA (Break-Even)
Daily Budget from Monthly
Required Clicks
Budget Benchmarks by Industry 2026
| Industry | Avg CPA | Recommended Monthly (SMB) | % of Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Services | $50 - $200 | $5,000 - $20,000 | 10-20% |
| Insurance | $30 - $100 | $3,000 - $15,000 | 8-15% |
| Finance/Banking | $50 - $150 | $5,000 - $25,000 | 10-18% |
| Healthcare | $30 - $80 | $2,000 - $10,000 | 8-15% |
| Real Estate | $25 - $75 | $1,500 - $8,000 | 5-12% |
| Home Services | $20 - $60 | $1,000 - $5,000 | 8-15% |
| E-commerce | $10 - $50 | $2,000 - $15,000 | 10-25% |
| SaaS/Software | $50 - $200 | $5,000 - $30,000 | 15-30% |
| Education | $20 - $80 | $1,500 - $8,000 | 8-15% |
| Restaurant/Food | $5 - $20 | $500 - $3,000 | 3-8% |
Budget Allocation Guidelines
| Campaign Type | Best For | Typical Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| Search Campaigns | High-intent leads, conversions | 40-60% |
| Display Campaigns | Brand awareness, reach | 10-20% |
| Shopping Campaigns | E-commerce products | 20-40% (retail) |
| Video (YouTube) | Brand awareness, engagement | 10-20% |
| Remarketing | Converting warm leads | 10-20% |
| Performance Max | Automated cross-channel | 20-40% |
Setting the Right Daily Budget
✅ Starting Budget Tips
- Set daily budget 2x your target CPA minimum
- Allow 10-15 clicks per day for learning
- Run for 2-4 weeks before major changes
- Budget for at least 30 conversions/month
⚠️ Budget Pitfalls
- Too low: Limited data, no optimization
- Too spread: Thin across too many campaigns
- No buffer: Can't handle bid spikes
- Set and forget: Need ongoing adjustments
Official Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
There's no minimum. Most small businesses start with $500-$3,000/month. Budget should be based on: your industry's CPA, target conversions, and profit margins. A good starting point is 10% of your target revenue from ads.
Google suggests at least 2x your target CPA as daily budget. For competitive industries, $10-50/day minimum is recommended to gather meaningful data. Very low budgets (<$5 /day) limit learning and optimization.
Monthly Budget = Target Conversions × Expected CPA. If you want 50 leads and your industry averages $40/lead, budget $2,000/month. Add 20-30% buffer for testing and optimization.
Google Ads uses daily budgets but averages over the month (can spend up to 2x daily on peak days). Monthly budgets exist for campaigns. For consistency, set daily = monthly ÷ 30.4.
Industry averages: E-commerce 10-25%, SaaS 15-30%, Local services 5-15%, B2B 5-12%. Startups may spend more (20-50%) for growth, while established brands spend less (5-10%) for maintenance.
Initial data: 1-2 weeks. Optimization baseline: 30 conversions (~1 month). Full campaign maturity: 3-6 months. Budget enough for at least 100 clicks to assess performance.
Increase when: ROAS exceeds target, campaigns are "limited by budget," conversion costs are stable and profitable. Increase gradually (20-30% at a time) to maintain performance.
Focus on: 1) High-intent keywords only, 2) Narrow geographic targeting, 3) Specific dayparting, 4) Long-tail keywords, 5) One campaign type (usually Search). Quality over quantity.
Typical split: Search 40-60%, Remarketing 10-20%, Display/Video 10-20%, Shopping 20-40% (e-commerce). Allocate more to highest-converting campaigns and adjust monthly based on data.
Shared budgets let Google automatically distribute budget across multiple campaigns. Useful for managing total spend, but less control. Best when campaigns have similar goals and performance.
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Last Updated: January 2026