Told Through a Thanksgiving Story
Every Thanksgiving, there are two types of people:
The ones who show up with a color-coded plan for the menu…
…and the ones who say, “Let’s just wing it,” then burn the rolls, under-season the turkey, and somehow forget the mashed potatoes entirely.
Paid search budgets?
Same energy.
When you first launch a PPC account, everyone dreams of an unlimited budget — the marketing version of an endless feast. But in reality? You’re working with whatever you’ve got in the fridge, and the client’s comfort level decides whether you’re cooking a turkey… or heating up a frozen lasagna.
So here’s how to think about your starting budget — Thanksgiving-style.
1. Start With What You’re Comfortable Spending (Your Grocery List)
Before you even open Google Ads, ask:
“What is a budget I’m comfortable with?”
Just like how you don’t walk into Thanksgiving hoping the receipt magically says $0, you shouldn’t start ads assuming the platform will magically stretch your dollars.
The starting budget has to match reality — not wishful thinking.
This gives your marketer the boundaries they need to build a plan that actually… works.
2. Your Goals Decide the Menu
Are you trying to drive leads? Sales? Brand awareness?
Your goals are basically your family’s expectations at Thanksgiving dinner.
You can’t promise a 12-dish meal if you have:
- $500 for the whole month
- Four different services
- A competitive industry
- Expensive keywords
- A large geo targeting area
That’s the equivalent of telling the family you’re cooking for 30 people with one box of Stove Top and half a rotisserie chicken.
Something’s gotta give.
3. Your Budget Determines How Many “Dishes” You Can Realistically Serve
Let’s break it down with the math most clients don’t want to see but need to understand.
Say you give a budget of $500/month.
$500 ÷ 30.4 days = ~$16/day
That already bumps right up against the recommended minimum of $15/day just to get enough clicks and data.
Now imagine splitting that $16/day across four different services:
$16/day ÷ 4 services = $4/day per service
$4/day isn’t even enough for Google to sniff your ad, let alone run it consistently.
At that point you’re basically serving one green bean per guest and calling it a side dish.
So what do you do?
4. Prioritize Your Services (Pick the Dishes That Matter Most)
Instead of trying to run four campaigns at starvation-level budgets, pick ONE service to start with — the one that has:
- The highest demand
- The strongest margins
- The most impact on your goals
- OR the clearest keyword opportunities
Run that service properly. Let it get data. Let the algorithm do its work.
Then expand into the others once you’ve proven results or increased the budget.
Just like Thanksgiving, you master the turkey first before you start getting fancy with the sweet potato brûlée and bacon-wrapped green beans.
5. Start Small, Learn, Then Expand
This is the true recipe for PPC success:
- Start with a realistic daily budget.
- Focus on one priority service.
- Gather data.
- Scale with confidence.
Trying to do everything at once with too little budget is how you end up with undercooked campaigns — and nobody wants dry turkey energy in their account.
Final Takeaway
Your starting budget isn’t about what marketers wish they could spend.
It’s about:
- What you are comfortable spending
- What your goals require
- What your industry and competition demand
- And how much coverage you can realistically afford
Think of your PPC account like your Thanksgiving dinner:
You can make it incredible… as long as you plan it right, don’t spread yourself too thin, and give each dish (or campaign) the love it deserves.
So start small.
Start smart.
And build a feast of results from there.
