Free tool
Advertising Budget Calculator
Choose your industry and enter a monthly ad budget. The calculator uses LocaliQ's 2026 Google Ads averages for that industry to estimate clicks, leads and customers, and shows the close rate you need to break even.
Sets the starting cost per click and cost per lead.
Edit if you know yours.
Edit if you know yours.
Start with a guess you can defend from your own sales history.
Adds break-even and return on ad spend.
Clicks a month
60
Leads a month
5.5
Customers a month
1.6
at a 30% close rate
Cost per customer
$303
Using the Home & Home Improvement averages from LocaliQ's 2026 Google Ads benchmarks. Estimates for US search campaigns, not guarantees.
How this calculator works
Leads equal your budget divided by the cost per lead. Clicks equal your budget divided by the cost per click. Customers equal leads multiplied by the share of leads you close.
The starting cost per click and cost per lead are LocaliQ's 2026 averages for 23 US industries, taken from thousands of small-business campaigns. You can edit both. If you know your own numbers, use them: your own data beats any average.
The break-even close rate is the cost per lead divided by the value of a sale. If a lead costs $90 and a sale is worth $400, you need to close at least about 23% of leads for the first sale to cover the ad cost.
These are estimates for US Google Ads search campaigns. Other channels and other countries cost differently. A strong offer, a fast website and answering every call quickly raise your results, and weak ones lower them.
Frequently asked questions
How many leads will my ad budget get me?
Divide the budget by your cost per lead. At the home improvement average of about $91 per lead, a $500 monthly budget buys about 5 leads. Your real number depends on your market, keywords and offer.
What is a good close rate?
It varies widely by business and by how quickly you respond. Start with a guess you can defend from your own sales history, for example the share of quotes you win, and update it as real data comes in.
What does the break-even close rate mean?
It is the lowest share of leads you must turn into customers for the first sale to pay back the cost of the lead. Below it, you lose money on the first sale and rely on repeat business to profit.
Why do two industries cost so differently?
Google Ads is an auction. Where each customer is worth more, such as legal services, advertisers bid more per click and each lead costs more. Where customers are worth less, such as restaurants, clicks and leads cost less.
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Sources
- LocaliQ (WordStream) 2026 Search Advertising Benchmarks. Average Google Ads cost per click and cost per lead for 23 US industries.
Estimates, not guarantees. Your own results depend on your offer, market and execution.