Using Google Ads Keyword Planner to Estimate Monthly Spend

You can use Google Ads Keyword Planner to estimate your monthly ad spend by creating a keyword plan and viewing the forecast data based on your selected keywords, bids, and budget. The tool uses historical search data, your bid amounts, budget, and other factors to forecast impressions, clicks, average cost-per-click (CPC), and conversions, helping you understand how much you might spend monthly for your chosen keywords.

Here is how to estimate monthly spend using Keyword Planner:

1. Access Keyword Planner: Log into your Google Ads account, go to the Tools menu, and select Keyword Planner.

2. Get keyword ideas or enter your keywords: You can either search for new keywords or upload a list of keywords relevant to your campaign.

3. Add keywords to your plan: Select keywords and add them to a new or existing keyword plan. Specify match types (broad, phrase, exact) to refine targeting.

4. Set your bid and budget: On the Forecast page, you can enter or adjust your maximum CPC bid and daily budget. The tool will update the forecast accordingly.

5. Review the forecast: The forecast summary shows estimated clicks, impressions, average position, CPC, and conversions for your keywords based on your budget and bids. This helps you see how your spend translates into potential ad performance.

6. Adjust parameters: You can change bids, budgets, and locations to see how these affect your forecasted spend and results.

The suggested bid column shows the average CPC needed to rank well for a keyword, which helps in estimating realistic spend levels. Using the forecast, you can refine your keyword list and budget to avoid overspending, especially on high-CPC keywords that can quickly exhaust your budget.

In summary, Keyword Planner provides a detailed forecast that estimates your monthly spend based on your keyword choices, bids, and budget settings, allowing you to plan and optimize your Google Ads campaigns effectively.