Start with a rule of thumb
The Small Business Administration's marketing plan guide says that, as a general rule, small businesses with revenues under $5 million should put 7 to 8 percent of revenue toward marketing, split between building the brand (your website, blog and materials) and promoting it (ads, campaigns and events). It notes the figure assumes margins of about 10 to 12 percent (SBA).
$15,000 a month → about $1,050 to $1,200 a month
$30,000 a month → about $2,100 to $2,400 a month
Treat it as a sanity check, not a rule. A new business with little revenue yet will usually spend more than 8 percent for a while to get started.
Two kinds of marketing money
Your ad budget buys clicks. It goes to Google, and you choose the amount. The work is everything else: the website, managing the ads, SEO and hosting.
Many quotes blend the two into one monthly number, which makes them impossible to compare. Ask any agency to split them. With us, your ad budget is paid straight to Google with no markup, and the ad account is in your name.
Work backward from visits
The most useful number is how many visits it takes to cover the cost:
($448 for ads, SEO and hosting + $500 ad budget) ÷ $199 = about 4.8 visits a month
Then count what a client is worth over time, not just the first visit. A client who comes back once a month is 12 visits a year, or $2,388 at $199 a visit. If your marketing brings in clients who return, the first visit does not have to pay for everything.
These are example numbers, not results. Use your own in the ROI calculator.
How much to give Google Ads
Google has no minimum budget, but a small one buys few clicks. At $4.75 a click, the real average Anywhere Infusions paid in Tulsa from Sep 1 to Sep 21, 2026:
$600 a month → about 126 clicks
$1,000 a month → about 210 clicks
Your cost per click will differ by city and competition. Google's Keyword Planner shows estimates for your area, and our ad budget calculator does the arithmetic. If Google shows your campaign as “Limited by budget”, more people searched than your budget could reach.
Launch costs versus monthly costs
Some costs happen once, and some every month. With our published prices:
- Starting out: a Standard website, $649 once, plus Hosting & Care at $49 a month. Add ads when you are ready to grow past word of mouth.
- Growing: a Premium website and an ad landing page, $1,198 once, plus Google Ads management and Hosting & Care, $298 a month, plus your ad budget.
- Everything: the Full Engine, $1,198 once and $448 a month for ads, SEO and hosting, plus your ad budget.
Websites are paid half to start and half at launch. Every price, on one page.
Adjust for the season
IV demand is not flat across the year. Immunity drips matter most in cold and flu season, and holiday weekends and local events can bring their own rush. Raise the ad budget ahead of the busy weeks rather than during them, and check Keyword Planner for your own city. How to prepare for flu season.
Budget mistakes to avoid
- Comparing quotes where the ad budget is hidden inside the fee.
- Splitting a small budget across many campaigns, so none gets enough clicks to learn from.
- Paying for traffic before the site makes booking easy.
- Judging Google Ads on a single week of data.
- Cutting the budget in the season when people search most.
The short version
- A common guide is 7 to 8 percent of revenue, per the SBA
- Keep the ad budget separate from the fees
- Work out how many visits cover the cost
- Count repeat visits, not just the first one
- Raise the budget before busy season, not during it