How much does Google Ads cost in 2026?
On Google, you only pay when someone clicks. That sounds fair, and it is, right up until you discover how many of those clicks come from people who could never become your customers. Here is what you actually pay, what drives the click price, and where the money usually leaks.
The key difference from Facebook: someone is already looking for you
On Facebook and Instagram, you interrupt someone who is scrolling. On Google, you meet someone who has just typed “emergency locksmith Aarhus” or “dentist near me”. That person has already decided they need something. The only question is who gets the job.
That changes the maths completely. A click on Google is usually more expensive than an impression on Facebook, but it is also much closer to a real customer. That is why it rarely makes sense to compare the two channels on price alone.
The two bills
As with all advertising, you pay for two different things to two different recipients:
- The ad budget goes to Google. You set a daily cap yourself, and you only pay when someone actually clicks.
- The management goes to whoever builds the campaigns, writes the ads, weeds out the keywords and keeps an eye on things.
The budget should go straight to Google from your own payment card, on an account in your name. That way you can log in yourself and see every single click you have paid for, and you keep the account, the history and the keyword data if the partnership ends.
Why one keyword can cost many times more than another
There is no fixed price per click. Every time someone searches, an auction is held among the advertisers who have bid on that keyword. And advertisers bid based on what a customer is worth to them.
That is why “personal injury lawyer” sits in a completely different price range from “dog groomer”. A lawyer can earn many thousands of kroner from one new client and can afford to bid accordingly. A dog groomer earns a few hundred kroner per trim. Both bid rationally. The prices just end up very different.
The practical takeaway: never ask “how much does a click cost?”. Ask “how much can a new customer cost me?”. Once you know that number, you can work backwards and judge whether Google Ads makes sense for your business at all. And if your actual click price after a couple of weeks is higher than you can afford, the answer is no, and it is better to find that out after DKK 5,000 than after DKK 50,000.
You can pay less than your competitor for the same position
Google does not run the auction on bids alone. The system also judges the quality of what you bid with: how likely people are to click, how well the ad matches the search, and what the experience is like on the page people land on.
This means an ad that hits the search precisely and sends people on to a fast, relevant page can rank higher than a competitor who bids more. The flip side: if you send people searching for “tap replacement” to a generic homepage, you pay a penalty in click price every single time.
That is why the landing page is not only about how many people get in touch. It is a direct part of the price.
Where the money really leaks: the clicks you did not want
This is where the single biggest cost lies in most poorly managed accounts, and it is rarely about the click price.
If you set up the keyword “electrician” without narrowing it down, you also pay for people searching for:
- “electrician training”: a 17-year-old considering a trade.
- “electrician jobs”: someone looking for work, not a tradesperson.
- “electrician salary”: pure curiosity.
- “how to replace a socket yourself”: someone who explicitly wants to avoid hiring you.
Each of those clicks costs the same as a click from someone standing in front of a faulty fuse board who needs help today. The fix is called negative keywords: a list of what you do not want to show up for. On a small budget, it is the single task that makes the biggest difference, and it needs ongoing maintenance, not a one-time setup.
So when you assess a quote, ask how often someone reviews the search terms report. If it never happens, you will be paying for people looking for training courses for the rest of the contract.
How small a budget can you start with?
For most local businesses, we recommend DKK 3,000 to 5,000/month in ad budget. That is enough to get usable data within 4 to 6 weeks: enough clicks and enough enquiries to see a pattern instead of guessing.
Note that this is lower than what we recommend on Facebook and Instagram. That is not because Google is cheaper per click, but because the traffic is more targeted from the start: you only pay when someone who was actively searching clicks.
And an honest caveat that applies to every channel: the first month is rarely the best. Money gets spent finding out which searches bring in customers before money gets spent repeating them.
What does it cost to have it managed?
At Webpartneren, Google Ads management starts from $1,150/month. That covers setup, ad copy, keywords, negative keywords, ongoing optimisation and reporting. You get the exact price in writing after a first meeting, and you pay the ad budget yourself, directly to Google:
On our Google Ads page you can see what the management covers and how the price is put together.
Google Ads or Meta Ads: which should you start with?
The short answer depends on whether people are already searching for what you do.
- Start with Google if your trade is something people actively google when the need arises: tradespeople, locksmiths, dentists, removal firms, drain services. The demand already exists. You just need to be there when it appears.
- Start with Meta if people do not yet know they need you: a new treatment, a course, a product, a salon that is opening. Demand has to be created, not captured.
If you have the budget for both, the order is usually Google first, because results come faster, and because the searches people actually use tell you what to say in your Facebook ads afterwards. Here is what Facebook and Instagram advertising costs.
Six questions to ask before you sign
- Is the Google Ads account in my name, and do I keep it, the history and the keyword data if we stop?
- Does the ad budget go straight to Google from my own payment card?
- How often do you review the search terms report and add negative keywords?
- Which campaign types do you run, and how much can I see and control myself?
- Do you send the traffic to a page that matches the search, or to the homepage?
- Is there a commitment period, and what is the fee if I increase the budget?
Questions one and three matter most. The first decides whether you can walk away. The third decides whether you are paying for customers or for the curious.
What we will not promise you
We will not put a number on your click price or on what a customer will cost before we have run ads on your account. We do not know the auction in your industry in your city right now, and we do not know how your customers will react to your ads. We cannot guarantee a position either. Nobody can, and anyone who does is selling you something they do not own.
What we can promise is that the numbers sit in your own account, that you can see them all the way, and that you can leave if it does not pay off.
See what Google Ads management costs
Management from $1,150/month plus your own ad budget paid directly to Google. You get the exact price in writing after a first meeting.
See the price →