Digital Marketing Agency
Google Ads are everywhere, but are they worth it? And how much does it cost to advertise on Google?
These are the questions we get from small business owners who are expanding their advertising to compete, but need to make sure they are getting the best return on their investment for every advertising dollar.
In today’s market, having a presence on Google is important, and necessary in some industries. If customers can’t find you on the first page of Google, it’s as though your business doesn’t exist in today’s digital world. Paid Google Ads are an important part of every SEO strategy. Fortunately, you can pay to rank higher in Google for keywords that do not show up organically on the first page of search results. Paid Google advertising allows you to compete with larger companies when you use a smart strategy to target your specific customers.
Google Ads FAQ's
Google AdWords is the former name of Google’s Ad management service, now called Google Ads. Google Ads are the ads that appear at the top of the page when you search for something in Google. Additionally Google Ads appear on popular websites with text or images, and they can also appear in the sidebar in your Gmail account, on YouTube videos, and in other places on the web.
The cost to run Google Ads depends on the type of type of ad, what you are advertising, and your location. For example, a jeweler could pay $4 per click to advertise “engagement rings” and could do well with a budget of $500 or $1,500 per month. Meanwhile, a divorce attorney would need to spend $35 per click to advertise their services, and would need a budget starting around $5,000 per month to have ads displayed on Google in their geographic area.
There are also different types of Google ads pricing depending on the campaign. Google Search campaigns show up at the top of the search results when someone searches for “roofer near me” for example in Google. Here is an example of a Google Ads Search campaign for a roofing company:
A Google display campaign, on the other hand, shows up as an image at the top or side of the screen when you are reading an article on USAToday.com, for example. Here is an example of a display campaign for a roofing company:
Google advertising is an effective way to advertise your small business with a high ROI (return on investment) of $8 for every $1 spent on advertising.
In today’s marketplace, Google ads should be a part of every business’s marketing strategy. Even if you cannot afford Google ads right now, you can integrate them into your business plan in order to grow your business over time.
Your customers are searching for you on Google, and if they can’t find your business, they are spending money with a competitor. Even though it can be difficult for a small business to compete with large companies with extensive ad budgets, Google ads can help to level the playing field. Once you devise a strong Google Ads strategy to reach your specific customers, you can capture your slice of the market as a small business.
This depends entirely on the business and the industry. Small to midsized businesses can spend anywhere from $500 to $25,000 on Google Ads costs each month. Studies show that the national average for Google Ads costs per month for small to midsized business is $9,500 per month.
Google AdWords Auction is the way that Google selects which ads will be displayed when someone types a search term in Google. For example, if you search for “electrician Orlando,” the electrician company in Orlando that has bid the highest for that keyword will display at the top of the page. Electrician companies with the next highest bids will display at the bottom of the first page of Google results.
The quality of the ad also affects which ads Google selects to display. For example, if the words in the ad itself match the search term exactly, Google is more likely to display the ad.
PPC or “pay per click” ads work by bringing traffic to your website from people who are interested in the specific product or service that you are advertising. With Google PPC ads, you are not charged when someone views the ad. You are only charged when someone clicks on the ad.
A PPC Agency usually charges 30% of the ad budget to manage the ads. For example, if you are spending $1,200 on your ad budget, you will pay the PPC agency an additional $360 to manage your PPC campaign. In this case, the total PPC campaign cost would be $1,560. The optimum PPC campaign budget depends on your industry and competition.
What is the minimum budget for Google AdWords?
At M5 Design Studio, we recommend that a small business start with a Google Ads budget of $500 per month as a minimum. Depending on how competitive and expensive clicks are in your industry, a $500 budget could last the whole month or be gone in one week.
For an industry with low competition, you can successfully bring traffic and sales to your website with a budget of $500 per month. However, ideally a business would start with a budget of $1,500 per month to rank at the top of the page for relevant Google Search results.
The optimal Google Ads budget for your business depends on your industry and location. Here are a few examples of how much Google Ads cost for different industries.
Google Ads for Orlando Jewelers
Jewelry is an example of an industry that has a surprisingly low cost per click for Google Ads. You can see from the estimate below that jewelers in Orlando pay around $4 per click for important keywords such as “engagement ring.” A small jewelry company can compete with other jewelers and bring considerable traffic to their website with a budget of $500 per month.
Google Ads for Orlando Roofing Industry
Meanwhile, Orlando roofers pay up to $125 per click for some ads. You can see in the example below that Google Ads estimates $65.00 per click for the keyword “roofers near me.” At this rate, an Orlando roofer could burn through a $500 budget in one day. In order to compete to have their ads displayed, they’ll need to start with at least $1,500 per month minimum and should consider spending around $10,000 per month to consistently rank at the top of Google Search results.
Keep in mind that Google Ads estimates are often considerably lower than what the bids actually end up costing. So, for a click that is estimated at $65, you may end up paying closer to $100 per click. Competition is high in the roofing industry because each click could mean a sale of $10,000 or more if the client selects the company for a roof replacement.
Google Ads for Orlando Lawyers vs. New York Lawyers
Here you can see that the cost of ads depends on your location. The estimated cost per click for a divorce attorney in Orlando at the top of the range is $35, wheras the top bids in New York City are about $42.
Orlando Lawyer Ads
New York City Lawyer Ads
Google Ads for Orlando Web Designers
Orlando web design is another example of a competitive field. Web designers in Orlando pay around $20 to $25 per click for Google Ads.
PPC Services
If you are new to Google Ads you’ll want to hire a digital marketing agency to provide PPC services, or “pay per click” services. A digital marketing consultant will help you create and manage your Google Ads campaigns.
The more streamlined your ads are, the less you will pay per click. Deciding which keywords to bid on and how much you should bid for each keyword requires research and experience. Companies that start Google Ads campaigns without the research often end up spending their entire ad budget on expensive keywords that don’t bring them new sales or clients.
However, by hiring a reputable, local PPC agency, you can make sure that your ads are targeting your specific customers and adjust the ad text and bids as needed. A good PPC agency will also make sure that your ads are pointing to an effective landing page, where customers or clients can easily take action or make a purchase.
Digital Marketing Orlando
M5 Design Studio is an Orlando digital marketing agency offering PPC campaign management as well as full service digital design and digital marketing packages. If you would like help creating or managing your Google Ads, get in touch today by filling out our contact form, or call us at (407) 968-6296.
