Ask A PPC: Is Google Ads Still Good Value For Money For Low Budget Accounts? via @sejournal, @navahf

Historically, Google has been the default for most marketers, especially when it comes to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. However, for low-budget accounts, the question arises:

Is Google Search the best value for money?

This article explores how Google Search can still provide value for money for lower-budget accounts and where to allocate the budget if Google isn’t feasible.

Understanding Low Budgets

When we refer to low budgets, we typically mean anything below $5,000 per month in ad spend. Some brands may even operate with budgets as low as $1,000 a month or less.

With a budget of $1,000 or less, relying solely on search as your main strategy may not be viable.

However, it can still be used for remarketing or branded search to dominate your search result page and direct users to specific services.

Screenshot from Google Ads, February 2025

By using extensions (now called assets) in your ads, you can promote your services effectively.

When users click on these extensions, they pay the same price as they would for a click to the headline of the ad. This strategy allows you to pre-qualify potential customers and direct them to higher-value services, even if you sacrifice appearing directly in search results.

The other benefit of branded campaigns is they tend to have better results than non-branded campaigns. Averaging branded campaigns into an account can help ramp up a low-volume ad account.

Dynamic Search Ads

For those with a budget allowing for some data acquisition, Dynamic Search Ads can be a powerful tool.

These ads can capture queries that align with your brand while allowing you to set bid caps to avoid expensive auctions. This allows you to learn what ways of searching will fit your budget, as well as give you a useful sense of how Google understands your site.

Screenshot from Google Ads, February 2025

Targeting less popular queries can lead to more affordable auction prices.

Due to close variants, you only need to bid on one version of your keyword. Dynamic Search Ads can help you discover which ways will be useful without guessing.

Performance Max (PMax)

Using PMax as a volume play can also be beneficial. However, it’s crucial to apply extensive exclusions for display and YouTube placements at the account level to protect your budget from ineffective placements.

It’s also important to remember that PMax requires smart bidding, which means meeting the 50+ conversion threshold in a 30-day period.

Performance Max works best when integrated with other campaigns, such as search or video, making up 15-20% of your overall budget.

It’s important to remember that it represents a bias-free way of investing marketing dollars, so it should only be brought into a low-budget account when conversion tracking is perfect and there’s the budget for that kind of investment.

While Google Search is a significant channel, it’s essential to remember that Google offers more than just search options.

Leveraging Video Campaigns

Video inventory is relatively inexpensive, allowing you to achieve volume without a hefty investment in traditional media buys.

Video campaigns can include non-skippable, skippable, or in-sequence ads, helping users understand your service and why you’re the best fit.

Additionally, investing in video can help you build a scalable audience targeting list, enhancing the return on investment (ROI) of your search investments.

When you invest in YouTube, you’re also buying into an audience type that can be used on other Google inventory. Advertisers can target users who have seen content, interacted with a channel, and other actions.

Aside from YouTube and PMax, there are also Demand Gen ads.

Demand Generation encompasses video, discovery, and display ads. It borrows the most from paid social and allows marketers to have multi-channel distribution with more control than PMax.

Exploring Other Platforms

After discussing Google’s opportunities, let’s consider alternatives like Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon.

Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft has long been viewed as a cheaper alternative to Google. However, its audience size is smaller, which may not suit those needing high volume.

Still, Microsoft offers specific targeting options and transparency in ad serving. Key differences include ad serving in the user’s time zone, flexible ad group settings, and impression-based remarketing.

Meta Advertising

Meta has been a go-to for small- to medium-sized businesses, especially those with low budgets.

However, it’s shifting focus towards A/B testing, meaning brands need a budget for testing.

Generally, a budget of at least $500 to $1,000 per month is recommended for effective campaigns.

Amazon Advertising

For sellers, Amazon media buying is essential for improving organic rankings.

Non-sellers can also benefit from sponsored display and video ads, leveraging Amazon’s precise targeting signals. However, these options are still in beta, making return on ad spend (ROAS) calculations challenging.

Conclusion: Is Google Worth It For Low Budgets?

The answer to whether Google is a good value for low-budget accounts depends on three key factors:

If you have any more questions, feel free to submit them here, and I look forward to connecting next month!

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Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal