The honest answer: whatever you decide — Google has no minimum. The useful answer: local service clicks typically run a few dollars each, competitive industries can cost tens of dollars per click, and most small businesses need a few hundred dollars a month before the data means anything. Here's how to know your number.
You bid per click in an auction against everyone who wants the same search. Typical ranges: many local services see clicks in the $1–$10 neighborhood; retail and restaurants often less; and high-stakes keywords — lawyers, emergency HVAC, movers in big metros — can run $20–$50 or more per click, because one customer is worth thousands. Your industry's click price is discoverable for free in Google's Keyword Planner before you spend a dollar. The click price alone tells you nothing, though — what matters is how many clicks become customers.
Work backwards from a customer. If clicks cost $5 and one visitor in twenty calls you, a lead costs about $100 — great if a customer is worth $2,000, brutal if they're worth $150. That's the whole game: know your click price, your conversion rate, and your customer value, and the right budget calculates itself. Practically, most small businesses need at least $300–$1,500 a month to gather enough data to optimize; below that, you're guessing with extra steps. Local Services Ads — the pay-per-lead format for trades — runs on different math: you pay per lead, commonly $25–$100+ each depending on trade and city.
Ads amplify what exists; they don't fix what doesn't. If your Google Business Profile is thin, your reviews are sparse, or your site doesn't convert visitors, paid clicks land on weakness and the budget evaporates. The free foundation converts the demand your name already has — search engines and AI assistants recommending you costs nothing per click. Ads make sense after that, for demand your reputation hasn't reached yet. And if you do run them: exact locations, tight keywords, tracking to the booked job — never “boost” and hope.
There's no minimum — you could run $2 a day. But meaningful testing needs enough clicks to learn from: for most local businesses that's at least $300 a month, and competitive industries need more before the data says anything trustworthy.
It's an auction, so it varies by industry and city: many local services see $1–$10 per click, while legal, insurance, and emergency trades can exceed $20–$50. Google's free Keyword Planner shows estimates for your exact keywords before you commit.
When the math works: click cost times clicks-per-customer must land well under what a customer is worth — and the profile and site the clicks land on must convert. Fix the free foundation first; ads pointed at weakness just spend faster.
The “Google Guaranteed” format for trades and services: you pay per lead, not per click — commonly $25–$100+ per lead depending on industry and market. Good fit for plumbers, electricians, movers, and similar urgent-need businesses with solid reviews.
Related: Google Ads vs Facebook Ads · Facebook ads cost · Instagram ads cost · En español