Short answer
To set an ad budget, start with the monthly revenue you want from ads. Divide by your average job value to get jobs, divide jobs by your lead-to-job rate to get leads, then multiply leads by your cost per lead. Enter your own numbers below to see the budget that implies and what share of revenue it is.
Most owners pick a budget first and hope. This ad budget calculator works the other way round, so you can see whether a goal is realistic for your close rate and market before you spend.
Use the calculator
The starting numbers are round placeholders, not industry averages. Replace every one with your own figures. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
What the result means
The budget shown is what you pay the ad platform. It leaves out your management fee, call tracking, software and the cost of answering more calls. If the share of revenue looks high, the numbers are telling you something real: your lead-to-job rate, job value or cost per lead needs work before more spend makes sense.
| If the budget looks too high | Check |
|---|---|
| Many leads needed | Lead-to-job rate. Faster call-backs and better qualifying often move it more than a new campaign. |
| High cost per lead | Keywords, locations, ad schedule and landing page. See the Google Ads guides. |
| Low job value | Whether you are targeting small jobs. Bid on higher-value services instead. |
Minimum budgets
Below a certain spend, a campaign cannot collect enough clicks to learn from. My recommendation is at least $1,500 a month in ad spend per platform for paid search or social. If your result is lower than that, treat it as a small test, or put the money into your Google Business Profile and a review process first. The channel suggester can help you choose where a smaller budget goes.
Mistakes to avoid
- Setting a revenue goal that assumes every lead is answered. Check your missed calls first.
- Using last year's cost per lead after a big change in competition or season.
- Counting repeat work as new-customer revenue.
- Raising budget before tracking is reliable.
Want this checked against your real account?
These calculators give you a first read on your own assumptions. They cannot see your account, your market or how quickly your phone is answered. LiveLeadsLane is a new, founder-led remote practice run by Prakhar Kirsali from India. Paid ads management starts at $375 a month for one platform, with ad spend paid by you directly to the platform, and a recommended minimum of $1,500 a month per platform. Book a free call and bring your numbers, or see the published prices. Nothing here is a promise of leads or revenue.
