Costs
How much does Google Ads cost?
Short answer
With Google Ads you set your own budget. For search campaigns you pay per click, and the cost per click comes from an auction: it depends on competition for the keyword and the quality of your ad and landing page. If you outsource, you also pay the agency for setup and management. Media budget and management fees are two separate costs.
How the cost per click is set
Every time someone searches, Google runs an auction between advertisers. Your maximum bid counts, but so does quality: how well do the ad and landing page match the search? A better page can therefore lower your cost per click.
Roughly what clicks cost
It varies widely by market. As an illustration, Semrush (Netherlands, November 2026) estimated the average cost per click for the Dutch query 'google ads kosten' at around $6.50. Business services with a high deal value are often more expensive than consumer keywords. Treat this as an indication, not a quote.
How the budget works
You set an average daily budget. Google may spend more on a busy day, but over a month no more than about 30.4 times your daily budget. You can pause whenever you like; Google has no minimum contract.
Work back from an enquiry
More important than the cost per click is what an enquiry costs. If on average 1 in 20 visitors makes an enquiry, an enquiry costs 20 times the click price. A better landing page often lowers that cost more than a lower bid.
Management costs
Agencies charge a fixed fee, an hourly rate or a percentage of media spend. With a percentage, ask whether it encourages the agency to recommend more budget than needed. At FOR3 you always pay the media budget directly to Google.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good starting budget for Google Ads?
Enough to collect sufficient clicks within a few weeks to judge which keywords produce enquiries. The amount depends on click prices in your market; a good adviser explains the reasoning.
Can I run Google Ads myself?
Yes. The risk lies in broad keywords, missing negative keywords and no working conversion tracking: you pay for clicks without knowing what they produce.
Do I pay if nobody clicks?
For search campaigns you pay per click. Some other campaign types can be billed per impression.
More questions about costs
- How much does SEO cost?SEO costs depend on four things: the size and technical state of your website, the competition for your search terms, how much new content is needed and whether the work is one-off or ongoing.
- How much does a website cost per year?After launch, a website's yearly costs consist of six items: the domain name, hosting, licences (such as plugins or a CMS subscription), maintenance and updates, security and backups, and further development.
- What is SEO?SEO stands for search engine optimisation.
- How do I rank higher on Google?You rank higher on Google by creating a page per service that answers the search query better than the pages currently at the top, by getting the technical basics right and by being visibly trustworthy, with a complete Google Business Profile and links from relevant websites.
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