Paid search works best when budget is connected to math, not guesswork. This calculator helps estimate the spend required to generate a target number of leads or customers from Google Ads. Use it to plan budgets, evaluate feasibility, and understand which levers—CPC, conversion rate, and close rate—most affect performance.
What this calculator does
Estimate the monthly Google Ads spend required to hit a lead or customer goal using expected CPC, landing page conversion rate, and sales close rate.
How to use it
Choose whether to plan around target leads or target customers. Enter average cost per click, landing page conversion rate, close rate, average customer value, and management fee. The calculator estimates clicks, ad spend, total spend, customers, revenue, CPL, CPA, and ROAS.
Formula and assumptions
- If planning for leads: required clicks = target leads ÷ conversion rate.
- If planning for customers: target leads = target customers ÷ close rate.
- Ad spend = required clicks × average CPC.
- ROAS = estimated revenue ÷ ad spend.
Assumptions
- Average CPC should be based on real account data, Keyword Planner research, or market benchmarks.
- Conversion rate depends heavily on landing page quality, offer, tracking accuracy, and search intent.
- The model assumes the account can spend the recommended budget without severe impression share or inventory limits.
Model details and limits
- Choose a lead goal or a customer goal. Only the selected goal is used. CPC and conversion assumptions are constant for the modeled month; the tool does not forecast auction demand or account eligibility.
- CPL uses media spend only. Cost per customer includes the entered management fee. ROAS uses revenue divided by media spend and does not deduct management cost or cost of fulfillment.
Worked example
With a goal of 50 leads, 5% landing-page conversion and $8 CPC, 1,000 clicks require $8,000 of media spend. A 20% close rate gives 10 customers; adding $1,500 management produces $9,500 total spend, $160 media CPL and $950 total cost per customer. At $2,500 per customer, modeled revenue is $25,000 and ROAS is 3.125x.
Methodology references
How to interpret your result
If the required monthly spend is higher than expected, improve the economics before lowering budget too far. The biggest levers are conversion rate, close rate, average customer value, and wasted spend from poor keyword targeting.
Next steps
Request a paid search budget plan
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