How much do Google Ads cost?

One of the first questions every business owner asks me is: "How much do Google Ads cost?"

It is the right question to ask. Before you start spending money, you need to know if you can afford it. You need to know if it will be profitable.

The short answer is that Google Ads is very flexible. You can spend €5 a day or €5,000 a day. There is no minimum entry fee. You can start today and stop tomorrow.

But asking "how much does it cost" is a bit like asking "how long is a piece of string?" or "how much is a house in Ireland?" The answer depends entirely on what you are buying and where you are buying it.

If you are a solicitor in Dublin, you will pay a lot more for a click than a gift shop in Kerry. If you run ads at Christmas, you will pay more than you would in January.

This guide is designed to give you a complete answer. We will look at the average costs for Irish businesses, the extra fees most people forget, and exactly how to calculate a budget that makes sense for your bank account.

Key takeaways

• It works like an auction: You are bidding against other businesses. If they pay more, you usually have to pay more too.

• Your industry affects the price: Insurance and Legal keywords are expensive (€5 to €15+). Retail and Hospitality are usually cheaper (€0.50 to €2.00).

• Quality beats money: It is not just about who has the biggest budget. If your ads are better than your competitors, Google gives you a discount.

• You might need to pay VAT: If you are not VAT registered in Ireland, you must add 23% to your costs.

• You can start small: You don't need a huge budget. Start with €10 to €20 a day to test the waters.

Why Google Ads price changes

Before we look at specific numbers, it helps to understand why the price changes. Google Ads does not have a fixed price list like a restaurant menu. Instead, the price changes every second based on supply and demand.

Your industry matters most

This is the biggest factor. If you sell a €5 pair of socks, you cannot afford to pay €2 for a visitor. But if you are a roofer selling a €5,000 roof repair, paying €10 for a visitor is a bargain. The market adjusts itself based on the value of a new customer.

Where you advertise

Ireland is small, but the costs vary. Online marketing in Dublin is almost always more expensive than in rural areas. There are simply more businesses in the capital fighting for the same screen space.

The time of year

In November and December, costs often go up because every retailer is trying to sell Christmas gifts. In January, costs for gyms and health foods spike because everyone is making New Year's resolutions.

Where the ad appears

Text ads on Google Search are more expensive because people are actively looking to buy. Image ads on news sites (the Display Network) are much cheaper, but people rarely click them to buy immediately.

Average Google Ads costs in Ireland by industry

To give you a realistic idea, here are the average costs we see for different industries across Ireland right now.

In Google Ads, we usually talk about CPC (Cost Per Click). This is the amount you pay when someone clicks on your ad to visit your website.

Why some clicks cost more than others

You will notice that Legal and Insurance are very expensive. This is because one new client for a solicitor might be worth €5,000 or more. Because the reward is so high, they are willing to pay €15 just to get someone to visit their website.

If you are a local cafe selling coffee for €4, you will never have to pay €15 for a click. The system creates a natural balance.

Why cheaper clicks are not always better

Business owners across Ireland often ask me: "How do I get my cost per click down?"

I am going to give you an answer you might not expect. Sometimes, you should try to pay more, not less.

Here is why.

Look at value instead of price

Imagine you sell luxury kitchens in Cork.

• Keyword A: "Kitchen ideas" (Cost: €0.50 per click).

• Keyword B: "Buy luxury kitchen Cork" (Cost: €5.00 per click).

Keyword A is cheap. But the person searching is just looking for pictures. They are not ready to spend money. You might pay for 100 clicks (€50) and get zero sales.

Keyword B is expensive. But the person searching has their credit card ready. You might pay for 10 clicks (€50) and get one massive sale.

Paying more can actually save you money. In this example, the "cheap" clicks cost you €50 for nothing. The "expensive" clicks cost you €50 for a new client.

My advice: Do not obsess over getting the cheapest clicks possible. "Cheap" often means "low quality." Instead, focus on value. Be willing to pay more for the clicks that bring you money.

How Google decides the price of ads

Many people think Google Ads works like a standard auction. They think the person with the most money always wins.

That is false.

Google wants to show helpful ads, not just expensive ones. If they showed irrelevant ads just because a company paid a lot, people would stop using Google.

Understanding Ad Rank

Google uses a special system called Ad Rank to decide who gets the top spot and how much they pay. They look at two main things:

1. Your bid: This is the maximum amount you are willing to pay for a click.

2. Your Quality Score: This is a grade Google gives your ad. It measures how relevant and helpful your ad is to the person searching.

How good ads save you money

This is great news for Irish small businesses. It means if your ad is excellent, you can pay less than a big competitor who has a higher budget but a worse ad.

Imagine a competitor bids €5.00 but has a terrible ad. You bid €3.00 but have an amazing ad. Google will often show your ad above theirs, and charge you less, because they know their users will be happier with your result.

Other costs you need to plan for

When you plan your budget, do not just look at the click costs. There are other expenses you need to keep in mind to get the true picture.

Fees for managing the ads

You have a choice regarding who runs the account. You can do it yourself, or you can hire a professional.

• Doing it yourself: The cost is your time. You need to learn the system and check it every week.

• Hiring a freelancer: They might charge between €350 and €600 per month.

• Hiring an agency: They usually charge €800 or more per month, or they might take a percentage of your ad spend (usually 10% to 20%).

Paying VAT on ads in Ireland

This is very important for Irish businesses because Google Ireland Ltd is based in Dublin.

• Business accounts: If you have a valid Irish VAT number for your business, you usually account for VAT yourself using the "reverse charge" mechanism. You won't see VAT on your Google invoice.

• Personal or small accounts: If you are not VAT registered, Google will add 23% VAT to your bill. This is a huge factor. If you budget €100 for ads, you will pay €123.

Cost of creating the ads

For standard text ads on Google Search, you just need good writing. But if you want to run image ads or video ads on YouTube, you might need to pay a designer or video editor to create them for you.

How to calculate your Google Ads budget

Do not just pick a number out of thin air. It is better to work backwards from your goal. Here is a simple way to do the math yourself.

Working backwards from your goal

1. Your goal: Let's say you want 10 new customers this month.

2. Conversion rate: On average, let's say 5% of the people who visit your website buy something. (This is a safe estimate for many service businesses in Ireland).

3. Traffic needed: To get 10 customers at a 5% rate, you need 200 visitors. (10 divided by 0.05).

4. The cost: Let's assume the average click in your industry costs €2.00.

5. Your budget: 200 visitors multiplied by €2.00 equals €400.

So, to get 10 new customers, you need a budget of roughly €400.

Finding your daily budget

Google asks for a daily budget. To find this, divide your monthly budget by 30.4 (the average number of days in a month).

In this example, €400 divided by 30.4 is about €13 per day.

If €13 a day sounds too high, you might need to lower your goal to 5 customers. If you want 20 customers, you will need to double the budget.

Using a safety net

When you set up a new campaign, you might use an automated strategy like "Maximise Clicks." This tells Google to get you as many visitors as possible.

But be careful. Sometimes Google might spend €10 on a single click just to hit a target. To stop this, always look for the setting called "Set a maximum cost per click bid limit."

If you set this to €2.00 or €3.00, you are telling Google: "Get me visitors, but never pay more than this amount for a single person." It is the best way to protect your budget while you sleep.

3 common ways to waste money with Google Ads

Sometimes, the cost isn't high because of the market. It is high because of mistakes in the setup. Here are three common money pits.

1. Using broad match keywords

If you use keywords without any punctuation, Google will show your ad for loosely related terms. A plumber might end up paying for people searching for "how to fix a tap yourself." You pay for the click, but they never hire you.

2. Targeting the wrong location

I often see Dublin businesses targeting "Ireland." This means they are paying for clicks from Cork or Galway, even though they cannot travel there to do the job. Tighten your location settings to your actual service area.

3. Ignoring negative keywords

You must block words that don't make money. If you sell luxury watches, block the word "cheap." If you sell new cars, block the word "repair." Every time you block a bad word, you save money.

Lowering costs with Quality Score

If you want to save money, you need to focus on Quality Score. Think of it like a hygiene rating for your ads.

Google rates your keywords on a scale of 1 to 10. If you score between 1 and 4, you pay a penalty. If you score between 8 and 10, you get a discount.

How to improve your score

1. Be specific: If someone searches for "red running shoes," show them an ad that says "Red Running Shoes." Do not show a generic ad that just says "Shoes."

2. Check your landing page: When they click, they must land on a page selling red running shoes. Do not send them to your home page.

3. Write better ads: If nobody clicks your ad, your score drops. Write catchy headlines that promise a solution.

Check your mobile page speed

Google hates slow websites. If your landing page takes more than 3 seconds to load on a mobile phone, Google will lower your Quality Score.

This means you pay a higher price for every click, just because your website is slow. Use Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool to check your site.

Making your website faster is often the quickest way to lower your ad costs.

Why the first month is expensive

Here is something most guides won't tell you. Your first month will likely be your most expensive month.

This happens because a new account has no history. Google doesn't know you yet. You also don't know which keywords work best.

I call this the tuition fee.

You are paying to learn. In the first 30 days, you might spend money on clicks that don't turn into sales. This is normal. You use that data to block the bad keywords.

In month two and month three, your costs will usually go down as you make improvements.

Do not panic if the first few weeks look expensive. It is part of the process.

Final thoughts

If there is one thing you take away from this guide, it should be this: You are in control.

Google Ads can seem expensive if you look at the big numbers legal firms pay. But for most Irish businesses, it is affordable and flexible.

You decide your daily limit. You decide when to turn the ads on and off. You decide exactly how much a new customer is worth to you.

Remember, the goal is not to spend the least amount of money. The goal is to make a profit. If spending €10 brings you €50 in profit, then the cost doesn't matter as much.

Start with a small budget. Focus on your Quality Score. Be patient during the first month. If you do these things, Google Ads stops being a cost and starts being an investment.

FAQs about Google Ads costs

1. Is there a minimum spend for Google Ads?

No. Technically you can spend €1 a day. But to see real results, I recommend starting with at least €10 to €20 a day. This gives Google enough data to find your customers.

2. Do I pay when my ad shows up?

No. For standard Search ads, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. If 1,000 people see your ad but nobody clicks, you pay nothing. This is why it is called PPC (Pay Per Click).

3. Why are clicks in Dublin more expensive?

There is more competition in Dublin. More businesses are bidding for the same customers in the city, which drives the price up. Targeting rural areas or smaller towns is often cheaper.

4. How do I stop spending too much?

You set a Daily Budget (for example, €20/day). Google might go slightly over on a busy day, but they promise never to exceed your monthly limit (Daily Budget x 30.4). You are always in control.

5. Are Google Ads cheaper than Facebook Ads?

Usually, Facebook Ads are cheaper per click. But Google Ads often bring in better customers. Google catches people when they are actively searching to buy, whereas Facebook interrupts them while they are scrolling.

6. Does the time of day affect the cost?

Yes. Clicks can be more expensive during business hours (9 am – 5 pm) when everyone is online. You can use a feature called "Ad Scheduling" to turn ads off during expensive times if they aren't leading to sales.

7. Why is my cost higher than the average?

It could be a low Quality Score. Or perhaps you are targeting very broad keywords that have a lot of competition. If your ad is not relevant to the search, Google charges you more.

8. Do I have to pay VAT on Google Ads in Ireland?

If you are a VAT-registered business, generally no (it is a reverse charge). If you are an individual or not VAT registered, yes, Google will add Irish VAT (23%) to your invoice.

9. What is a negative keyword?

These are words you block to save money. For example, if you sell "Luxury Tours," you should block the word "Cheap." This stops you from paying for clicks from people who are looking for a bargain and won't buy from you.

10. Should I bid on my own business name?

Yes. These clicks are usually very cheap (often €0.05 – €0.10). It protects your brand and stops competitors from showing their ads when people search for your name.

Need help managing your Google Ads budget?

Worried about wasting money on the wrong clicks? It happens to the best of us.

As a Certified Google Partner, I help Irish businesses turn their ad spend into profit. I don't just set up ads; I build a strategy that fits your wallet.

Here is how I can help:

• Budget planning: We calculate exactly what you need to spend to hit your sales goals.

• Waste reduction: I block the money pit keywords that drain your budget.

• ROI focus: We focus on sales, not just clicks.

Ready to spend smarter on Google Ads?

Book a free consultation today. Let’s look at your numbers and build a Google Ads plan that works for you.

About the author

Alessandro Boscolo Conway — Hello Digital

I'm a Dublin-based freelance SEO and digital marketing consultant with over 20 years of experience, including time on Google Ireland’s Search Quality team.

I run Hello Digital, a consultancy that helps startups and small businesses across Ireland grow online through clear strategy, expert delivery, and practical support.

I've worked with over 50 Irish companies to improve their visibility, generate better leads, and grow sustainably through SEO and digital marketing.

I'm a certified Google Partner and a trusted advisor to e-commerce brands, local services, and fast-growing startups.

• Based in Dublin, 20+ years of experience

• Former Googler, certified Google Partner, SEO strategist, and performance marketer

• Trusted by 50+ Irish startups, e-commerce brands, and local businesses

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