How Much Does It Cost To Advertise On Google UK?

By Adrian Stephenson on May 08 in AdWords, Google Ads, Pay Per Click, PPC.

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So, How Much Does It Cost To Advertise On Google UK?

I’ve been asked this question many times, but in truth it’s like asking how much it costs to buy a car.

The answer to which is: as much or as little as you like. Google doesn’t impose any minimum monthly spend and unsurprisingly, there is no maximum either.

But let’s be realistic for a moment. By advertising on Google you are bidding against other advertisers for your ads to be shown in the top slots. And the higher the demand for those slots, the more it is likely to cost. Though in practice it’s not all about who has the deepest pockets.

It all depends on the competition…

This means that if your business is fairly niche (eg pedicure for dogs), then the competition probably won’t be too high, so costs may be just a few pence per click. On the other hand, if you run an online gaming site, be prepared to pay upwards of £30 (no, that’s not a typo) per click.

It’s certainly possible to achieve success with a small (say £200 – £300pm) budget in a lowish competition market, although once costs per click move into the £1.00 to £3.00 bracket, then your monthly spend could easily be £500 – £1000, depending on a wide range of differing factors.

Stand out, or sink to the bottom…

However, beware of ‘Yellow Pages syndrome’. Back then, if you opted for the smallest format ad, the chances of getting business from it were remote. So it is with Google Ads. Out of sight is out of mind.

Although the similarity ends there, because Yellow Pages advertising was almost impossible to measure with any accuracy.

By contrast the return on investment from Google Ads isn’t that difficult to calculate. You just need to have appropriate tracking in place. These days you can even track phone calls made once visitors have reached your site. How clever is that?

Rumour has it that it’s easy to waste money…

Okay, if you don’t know what you’re doing it is easy to waste a lot of money on Google Ads. Yet that argument surely applies to most forms of marketing! I might be an expert at Pay Per Click but I wouldn’t know where to begin with a PR campaign.

I could probably learn – there will be books, websites, webinars etc – but I neither have the time nor the inclination! So if PR was going to rapidly grow my business (and I could measure it), I’d be talking to my local PR guru.

The trick to achieving an escalating return from Google Ads is to consistently refine keywords, ads and bids until you find the sweet spot. Then you change your thinking from ‘how little can I spend’ to ‘how much I can invest’. In the knowledge that every pound spent will pay you back manyfold.

Nobody buys from an obsolete website…

The other vital ingredients in the Google Ads mix are your website and its content – NB. This is critical.

The old adage of ‘leading a horse to water’ is extremely relevant here!

Think of your web site as if it were a high street shop. Try to imagine one with dirty windows, dim lighting, poor signage and a totally uninspiring display of stock. You wouldn’t bother going in would you?

Google Ads can certainly bring prospects to your ‘door’, but don’t expect them to stay if they can’t see or find what they want!

Over the years I’ve seen some very good websites and some shockers. Yet there’s always been something I’ve been unable to work out. Why would anyone pay good money to Google to get qualified visitors, but then refuse to make changes to their site when they get no sales or enquiries. Trust me, these people exist!

So, what’s next?

Hopefully, that gives you a flavour of how much it potentially costs to advertise on Google in the UK. Clearly in an article like this it’s impossible to be specific due to the number of variables.

So, if you’re interested in finding out the cost of advertising on Google UK for your business, here’s what I’d suggest that you. Just click on this Ubersuggest link: https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest and input a couple of keywords too see how much they might cost. NB the site provides stats for both PPC and SEO.


This entry was posted in AdWords, Google Ads, Pay Per Click, PPC and tagged , , , , , by Adrian Stephenson. Bookmark the permalink.

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