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Google Ads Limited by Budget: How to Develop a Winning PPC Strategy

There’s a worrying status that may appear when you’re running a campaign in Google Ads: “limited by budget”. Newcomers to the platform can often be left concerned by this message. What does it mean, exactly? However, there’s no need to be worried. The status is very much on the nose. “Limited by budget” means your…
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There’s a worrying status that may appear when you’re running a campaign in Google Ads: “limited by budget”. Newcomers to the platform can often be left concerned by this message. What does it mean, exactly?

However, there’s no need to be worried. The status is very much on the nose. “Limited by budget” means your campaign cannot reach its full potential at its current budget. It is essentially a suggestion by Google to up your ad spend – although there’s no obligation to change your Google Ads budget.

This guide will take a closer look at how Google Ads limited by budget works, along with how to overcome this to develop a winning PPC strategy.

Read more: What Is PPC?

Limited by Budget, Google Ads, and how it works

Picking your Google AdWords budget is a big decision. This is particularly the case if you have limited budgets for marketing. So when you have taken the time to settle on a budget you think is best for both your ad campaign and bank balance, one of the last things you want to see is the following message:

“Limited by budget”

Yet this is what happens if your Google Ads daily budget drops below the recommended amount. If that status appears, it means your Google Ad budget will probably run out before the end of the day.

Want to offer paid search to your clients? Contact us today about our professional White Label PPC Services.

Example

You have set your daily budget for Google Ads at $20. Each click generated costs approximately $0.50, which means you can afford 40 clicks per day. However, Google believes current demand can result in 100 clicks per day. That would mean pushing your Google Ads daily budget limit to $50 to meet demand.

Yet what if you cannot afford to stretch your budget? What if a PPC consultant advises against upping your ad spend?

This would result in Google limiting ad visibility for your campaign. Once you have received those 40 clicks, that would be it for the day. Your ads will no longer be visible – even though more clicks could be generated. The result: you might miss out on possible leads and conversions.

Google Ads Limited By Budget: Tips To Work Around It

Don’t feel your PPC Google Ads dreams are over if that pesky “limited by budget” status pops up. It’s actually a common occurrence. As part of our PPC Audit services, we have had to help numerous companies circumnavigate this problem to build a successful ad campaign.

Now we’re going to teach you some of the tactics we use to make the most of Google Ads – minimum budget or not.

Take A Closer Look At Your Google Ads Budget

It’s obvious, but the easiest way to remedy that “limited by budget” status is to spend more on your PPC Google Ads.

Google wants you to splash out more money, of course, but they wouldn’t prompt you into spending extra on your Google Ads PPC campaign if they didn’t think it would produce results.

However, you should only up your Google Ads daily budget if you feel comfortable doing so. This is the case when your campaigns are performing well. Although if you do push your Google Ads small budget up, it’s recommended to do this gradually. That way, you can measure performance and ensure you avoid throwing money away.

Keep It Simple

When operating with a minimum Google Ads budget, you cannot get too adventurous and start targeting a wide assortment of keywords. Instead, you should keep it simple and focus on a small number of keywords for your ad campaign.

Ideally, stick with around five to ten keywords. These should be the main keywords you want to target that will bring in the best results.

Get The Location Right

International PPC might be the main aim of your ad campaign. However, casting your net too wide can quickly see your Google Ads budget recommendation disappear.

This is why it’s essential to target specific locations, the ones that are most important to your business, to stop a Google Ads over budget situation. By keeping your ad traffic locally, for example, this ensures your Google Ads account budget sticks around for longer.

Of course, make sure you adjust the location correctly. That’s because there is another status update you don’t want to see: “The search location doesn’t match this campaign’s location targeting settings”.

Schedule Your Ads

When you budget Google Ads and cannot afford to run them throughout the day, it’s vital you are strategic with scheduling your ads.

The good news is that PPC Google Ads gives you the option to display your ads at certain times of the day. So if you’re generating more positive clicks in the morning for example, you can schedule it for your ads to only appear during the morning. This is just one of many smart tactics we use as part of our Google Ads Management services.

Lower The Cost Per Click

One way to stretch your limited budget is to lower your max CPC bid. This can open the door to more clicks, which lowers the chance you will go over your budget. Admittedly, you don’t want to choose keywords limited by search volume. Google Ads isn’t much use if you target search terms that bring in no traffic.

Use Negative Keywords

If you’re unfamiliar with negative keywords, this may not exactly sound like the wisest use of your Google Ads budget. However, the negative keyword function is an option where you opt for your ads not to appear for specific search terms. This prevents your ads from showing up in the wrong places.

Conclusion

What is a good budget for Google Ads? Good question. There is no definitive answer. It is dependent on various factors, including your goals, target audience, and keywords. Yet with the right approach, you can profit with Google Ads – even if that “limited by budget” status pops up.

Google Ads too expensive still? Get in touch with us today. As an expert PPC agency, we can provide you with the knowledge and services that will make your budget go further than ever!

James Owen, Co-Founder & Head Of Search

James has been involved in SEO and digital marketing projects since 2007. James has led many SEO projects for well-known brands in Travel, Gaming and Retail such as Jackpotjoy, Marriott, Intercontinental Hotels, Hotels.com, Expedia, Betway, Gumtree, 888, Ax Paris, Ebyuer, Ebay, Hotels combined, Smyths toys, love honey and Pearson to name a few. James has also been a speaker at SEO and digital marketing conferences and events such as Brighton SEO.

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