The secret to success with Google Ads isn't just about placing ads; planning the budget correctlyMany businesses say, "I started running ads but I'm not getting conversions," and the problem is often not with the ad panel, but with incorrect budget allocation. A very low budget prevents the collection of sufficient data, too much budget is wasted on the wrong campaign, and unplanned budget allocation hides true potential.
Therefore, the answer to the question "How to plan a Google Ads budget?" is not simply setting daily expenses. The correct approach is to consider goal setting, campaign prioritization, testing, optimization, and scaling steps together.
This guide will explain how to manage your Google Ads budget. transformation-oriented I'll explain step-by-step how you should plan it.
Why should your Google Ads budget be planned correctly?
Google Ads, when used correctly, delivers quick results. However, improper budget planning can lead to the following problems:
- The campaign ends early in the day, and you miss out on potential customers in the evening.
- Clicks will come in, but no conversions will occur because the budget has been allocated to the wrong campaign.
- You cannot optimize because you haven't collected enough data.
- “You might arrive at a false conclusion like, "Google Ads is expensive.".
TRUE budget Planning allows you to:
- More controlled testing process
- Clearly seeing which campaign is working.
- Better management of cost per conversion (CPA)
- Scalable advertising structure suitable for growth.
In short, success in Google Ads often depends on... It's not about how much you spend, but how you allocate your budget. It is related.
How to plan your Google Ads budget: daily and monthly budgeting principles.
In Google Ads, the campaign budget is not a "monthly budget,", average daily budget It is managed with this logic. The Google Ads help documentation clearly states that you set a daily budget at the campaign level and that you can change this budget at any time.
The critical point here is this:
On some days, Google may spend more than your daily budget depending on traffic opportunities. This is known as "overdelivery." However, at the end of the month, the system balances the total spending to keep it within the monthly limit. Google's help content explains this monthly calculation logic. 30.4 day average This is explained by...
7 essential steps when planning your Google Ads budget.
1) Clarify your goal: Leads, sales, or traffic?
Budget planning varies depending on the objective, as each objective has a different cost.
- Lead collection (form/search/WhatsApp) It is generally used in the service sector.
- E-commerce sales: Product-based optimization is needed.
- Brand awareness / traffic: The goal is wider reach, but it's not conversion-focused.
For example, for a law firm, "filling out forms" might be the main objective.
For an e-commerce brand, the goal of "buying" is more meaningful.
If your goal isn't clear, your budget plan won't be clear either.
2) Determine the acceptable conversion cost (CPA).
This is one of the most important steps in budget planning.
Ask yourself this question:
What is the maximum amount I can pay for a lead or a sale?
Example:
- Your average profit per service: 8,000 TL
- Your lead conversion rate: (1 out of 5 leads becomes a customer)
- In this case, 5 leads are needed for 1 customer.
If you're making a profit of 8,000 TL per customer, it might make sense to spend a total of 2,000-3,000 TL on 5 leads.
This translates to a target CPA of approximately 400-600 TL per lead.
Campaigns launched without this calculation only show "how much we have spent," not "how much we will spend.".
3) Create a realistic starting scenario for the conversion rate.
The biggest challenge with a new Google Ads account is the lack of historical performance data. Therefore, the first step in budget planning shouldn't be waiting for definitive results; a realistic starting scenario to create.
The aim here is not to run the campaign with the mentality of "let it work no matter what,", a measurable testing process The key is to start with that. Because ad performance is affected by many factors such as industry, target audience, bidding strategy, ad copy, keyword quality, and landing page experience.
The most appropriate approach at this stage is as follows:
- The first period is a data collection and learning process to see as
- To establish a clear tracking infrastructure for comparing results from campaigns.
- Measuring which type of campaign works more effectively.
- Evaluating conversion quality not just in terms of numbers, but also in terms of its impact on business results.
Especially in the service sector, not every lead is of the same quality. Some inquiries are simply about pricing, while others can directly lead to sales. Therefore, when planning your budget, you shouldn't just focus on "how many leads came in?", “"What was the quality of the incoming leads?"” This question must also be considered.
4) Allocate the budget according to campaign types.
The most common mistake is putting the entire budget into a single campaign. Instead, allocate the budget according to its function.
Proposed basic distribution (for SMEs)
- -60 Search Network: Capturing hot demand
- -25 Remarketing: Recycling and complementary transformation
- -25 Performance Max / test campaigns: New areas of opportunity
This distribution may vary by sector, but the logic remains the same:
Before intention (search), later follow-up (remarketing), later scaling/testing.
Why is that?
Search campaigns generally have a higher purchase intent. Remarketing, on the other hand, can help lower conversion costs because it re-engages users who have visited your site before. Performance Max, when properly configured, creates additional volume but has less control initially; therefore, it's healthier to manage it with a test budget.
5) Allocate a testing budget (for the first 2-4 weeks)
Expecting "perfect performance" from day one on Google Ads is unrealistic. Especially with new accounts, the system needs time to learn.
Therefore, a portion of your total monthly budget testing and data collection Set it aside.
Example approach
Monthly budget: 30,000 TL
- First 2 weeks: 12,000 TL test
- Main campaign: 7,000 TL
- Remarketing: 2,000 TL
- Test/PMax: 3,000 TL
- Next 2 weeks: Shifting to the best-performing campaigns.
This approach allows you to answer the question "which campaign was the best?" with data at the end of the month.
6) Perform daily monitoring and weekly optimization.
As much as planning the budget managing the budget It is also important.
Things to do every day:
- Is the spending normal?
- Is the campaign consuming its energy too quickly?
- Are you getting any clicks?
- Is conversion tracking working?
Things to do each week:
- Search terms report (negating unnecessary words)
- Device performance (mobile/desktop)
- Hourly and daily performance
- Campaign-based CPA / ROAS comparison
- Landing page performance
If a campaign is going badly, the solution is often not “more budget.”.
Before keyword, advertising text, targeting And landing page This side needs to be corrected.
7) Create a seasonal budget plan.
Budget planning should not be fixed. Market demand changes seasonally.
Example seasonal scenarios:
- Before the holiday
- Back to school season
- Black Friday / End of Year
- Summer season / Winter season
- Sectoral campaign periods
The right approach:
- Raising the budget in advance for a period when demand is expected to increase.
- Focusing on testing and optimization during the low season.
- Making predictions using historical data.
Google Ads Performance Planner This tool comes in handy at this point; it provides predictions on how budget and bid changes might affect performance. Google Ads The aid documents state that this tool can be used for planning and forecasting purposes for different types of campaigns.
Google Ads budget plan for SMEs (example approach)
For service-oriented SMEs, the most important point when planning a Google Ads budget is to allocate the budget to different objectives rather than allocating it to a single campaign. This way, both campaigns that directly generate demand are supported, and space is created for efforts to regain users.
In a healthy startup plan, the budget is usually divided into three main groups:
- Search Network campaigns: To target users who generate direct demand and have a high intention to buy.
- Remarketing campaigns: To re-engage users who have visited the website but haven't converted.
- Performance Max or test campaigns: To test new targeting areas, create additional reach, and explore scaling opportunities.
The aim here is not just to allocate the budget to attract traffic; intention capture, retargeting, and testing new opportunities. It means managing according to balance.
This allocation should initially be considered a starting plan. Once campaigns are launched, budget allocation should be reviewed regularly based on the data obtained. For example, if search campaigns yield more efficient results, more funds can be allocated to them. Similarly, if test campaigns are not performing as expected, they can be temporarily reduced or restructured. Remarketing campaigns can be more strongly supported if they generate conversions at a low cost.
The most common mistakes that waste the budget.
1) Advertising without conversion tracking
This is the most critical mistake. You can't manage a budget without measuring conversion rates.
2) Putting all services/products into a single campaign
You can't tell where the budget is efficient and where it's inefficient.
3) Avoid using negative keywords.
Clicks from irrelevant searches deplete the budget.
4) Launching a high-budget campaign with a weak landing page.
Even if the ads are good, if the page is bad, you won't get conversions.
5) Making early decisions
Some campaigns are optimized not in 2-3 days, but after sufficient data has been collected.
6) Just looking at the click
High click-through rates may be acceptable, but low conversion rates don't equate to success.
When should the decision to increase the budget be made?
There are right times to increase the budget:
- If the campaign is running below the target CPA
- If conversions are coming regularly
- If the loss in viewership share is high "due to budget reasons"
- If seasonal demand increase is approaching
When increasing the budget, it is healthier to make gradual increases rather than sudden jumps.
For example, if a campaign is going well, instead of increasing the budget by 0 all at once... -25 range Increasing gradually would be safer.
Conclusion
Planning a Google Ads budget is much more than just asking "how much should we allocate per day?". Proper planning should consider the goals, CPA (cost per minute), campaign distribution, testing process, and optimization cycle.
In short, the most accurate approach is this:
- First, set your goal.
- Calculate the acceptable cost.
- Divide the budget among campaign types.
- Collect data through the testing process.
- Optimize weekly
- Then with the scale
With proper budget planning, Google Ads ceases to be a cost center and transforms into a measurable growth channel.
