This Week's Feature ↓
How I Think About Raising Google Ads Budgets
Let’s be real: there’s a common thought out there that just bumping up your Google Ads budget will magically bring in more leads, sales, and success.
I get it.
It seems like the obvious solution, right?
However, after working with many clients (and making my fair share of mistakes), I’ve learned that scaling a budget takes a bit more finesse if you want the results to match the spend. Just throwing more money at it can backfire—big time.
Here’s my take on increasing Google Ads budgets the smart way. It’s all about patience, small steps, and keeping an eye on the stuff that matters.
1. Check if Your Campaigns Are Solid First
Before I even think about upping the budget, I make sure the campaigns I’m running are steady.
For me, that means they’ve been consistent for at least 30 to 60 days. If you bump up the budget too soon, you’re just throwing cash at Google without a solid game plan.
✅ My checklist
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Are people clicking on the ad?
- Conversion Rate: Are those clicks turning into something valuable?
- Cost Per Conversion: Am I paying a fair amount for each lead or sale?
- Landing Page Quality: Is the landing page solid and connected to what the ad is promising?
- Competitor Landscape: How are we ranking compared to competitors? Are they pushing up our costs?
If all of these are moving in the right direction, that’s when I know the campaign’s ready for a budget boost.
2. Make Sure the Leads Match the Goal
It’s easy to get hung up on numbers like clicks or impressions, but those don’t mean much if they don’t match the business goals.
Before bumping up the budget, I double-check that the leads I’m getting are valuable. More clicks are great and all, but only if they’re bringing in the kind of traffic that matters to the business.
3. Take It Slow with the Increases
Here’s the deal: I’ve had people ask to double their budgets overnight, but jumping too fast usually just messes things up. Instead of doubling down, I like to increase the budget by 10-20% at a time.
Google’s algorithm needs a chance to catch up with these changes; otherwise, you could end up wasting money with little to show for it.
A gradual increase gives your campaign space to grow without making any drastic shifts.
4. Let It Run Before Judging the Results
After a budget increase, I’ll let the campaign run for about 2-4 weeks before making any more changes.
I know, waiting isn’t the most exciting part, but it’s important. During this time, I keep an eye on how things are trending, but I try not to expect a direct 1:1 jump in performance based on the budget increase alone.
If I’m not seeing improvement, that’s my cue to take another look at the ad copy, keywords, or landing page. Spending more won’t magically make things better without some solid adjustments to the strategy.
5. Keep Your Expectations in Check
One thing I tell every client is that a bigger budget doesn’t automatically equal bigger results. It can be frustrating, I know, but there’s a reason to do it in steps and measure along the way.
The goal is to make smart moves that impact performance, rather than just hoping for the best.
That’s my honest approach to scaling up Google Ads budgets. The secret is to go slow, keep checking in on performance, and focus on quality over quantity. It’s all about making thoughtful, strategic changes to get the best results over time.
And remember: patience pays off.