Your first month of Google Ads: what you pay for
“Why am I paying for clicks that don’t turn into calls?” It’s a fair question in the first weeks of a new account. The first month is mostly learning, for Google and for us. Google tries your ads on different searches, and we watch which of those searches turn into calls and forms and cut the ones that don’t.
The first month is for learning
When your ads go live, Google doesn’t know your business yet. It tries your ads on different searches, at different times, in different places. Some of those clicks will be the wrong people, and that’s how the account finds the right ones.
Google runs an auction, where businesses bid to show their ads, and competitors, budget and season all move the results. That’s why we don’t put a number on leads, calls or sales, promise the top spot, or name a date. If someone else does, our questions to ask before hiring for Google Ads or SEO will help you check their answer.
What a week looks like
Each week we look at the clicks, the exact words people typed, and what was spent. The words matter most, because they show what people were looking for when they found you.
A quiet week still teaches us something: which searches don’t bring customers. We block those, so the budget goes to the searches that do.
Tracking comes first
Before any ad goes live, we set up tracking for calls from the ad and your website, forms, and online bookings if you take them. Why your Google Ads get clicks but no calls explains why we won’t launch without it.
The weekly check and the monthly report
We check the account every week, block searches that don’t fit, and move budget toward what’s working. Once a month you get a one-page report showing what ran, what changed, and what the calls and forms did.
Where your money goes
There are two separate costs, and they go to two different places.
| You pay | To | For |
|---|---|---|
| Ad spend | Google, billed directly to you | The clicks on your ads |
| Management fee | Us | Setup, tracking, the weekly check and the monthly report |
You’ll see both numbers before we start. Who owns the ad account matters too, and it’s one of the questions worth asking before you hire anyone.
Questions
How long before Google Ads starts bringing calls?
Ads can start showing soon after launch. When calls come in, and how many, depends on the auction, so we don’t put a number or a date on it.
Why is Google showing my ad for the wrong searches?
Early on, Google is still learning which searches match your business. We check the search terms every week and block the ones that don’t fit.
Why am I not getting leads from Google Ads?
We wrote a whole post on this: why Google Ads get clicks but no calls. It walks through tracking, searches, your page, your ad hours and your area.
If you’d like us to run your first month, book a call. You can also see how our Google Ads work or read whether to start with Google Ads or SEO.