What the cost of advertising consists of

  • Ad budget: the money you pay Google for clicks.
  • Setup: niche analysis, keywords, campaign structure, ads, conversion tracking.
  • Management: weekly optimization, negative keywords, bids, reports.

The budget and the specialist's work are different things. When someone promises "turnkey ads for 3,000 UAH", ask what exactly is included.

The budget formula

  1. Find the estimated cost per click in the Google Ads Keyword Planner for your region.
  2. Estimate your site's conversion rate: the share of visitors who leave a request. If you have no data, use a cautious assumption.
  3. Calculate the cost per lead: cost per click ÷ conversion rate.
  4. Multiply it by the number of leads you want per month.

A hypothetical example: a click costs 20 UAH and the site converts 4% of visitors. One lead then costs 20 ÷ 0.04 = 500 UAH, and 30 leads a month need about 15,000 UAH of budget. This only shows the calculation; in your niche the numbers may be completely different.

What the cost per click depends on

  • Competition: how many companies show up for the same searches.
  • Region: big cities are usually more expensive than smaller towns.
  • Ad and landing page quality: a relevant ad and a convenient page lower the cost per click.
  • Ad schedule and devices.
  • Bidding strategy.

A minimum starting budget

During the first 2-4 weeks a campaign collects data: which searches bring leads and which do not. With a very small budget there are too few clicks in that time to draw any conclusions. It is better to start with one campaign for your main service and enough budget than to spread the same money over five directions.

Mistakes that make ads more expensive

  • No negative keywords: ads show for "free", "jobs", "DIY".
  • Ads lead to the home page instead of the page of a specific service.
  • The site is slow or awkward on a phone.
  • Conversions are not set up, so nobody knows what works.
  • Ads run at night when no one answers the phone.

How to get an exact estimate

Before launch I prepare a media plan: what your clients search for, the estimated cost per click and how many inquiries to expect at different budgets. You can estimate the cost of my services in the calculator on the home page.

FAQ

Can I run Google Ads on 3,000 UAH a month?

Technically yes, but in a niche with expensive clicks that buys only a few dozen clicks, which is often not enough to draw conclusions. Calculate the cost per click for your niche first.

Is the budget charged all at once?

No. You set an average daily budget and Google charges for actual clicks. On some days spend can exceed the daily budget, but over a month it will not exceed the average daily budget multiplied by about 30.4.

When will the ads pay off?

The first leads can come in the first weeks, but a stable cost per lead usually settles after 4-6 weeks of optimization.

Sources