Free RevOps Tool
PPC Budget Calculator
Start from the revenue you want. Get the budget it takes. This calculator works backwards through your funnel: customers, leads, clicks, then dollars, with a CPC sensitivity range so the plan survives contact with the auction.
Work Backwards From the Goal
Most budget tools start from spend and hope. This one starts from the revenue target and shows the funnel it requires.
1. Your goal and funnel
Enter a revenue goal above zero.
Enter an average sale value above zero.
Use your own account history where you have it. Industry CPC ranges vary too widely to assume.
Enter a cost per click above zero.
Your monthly PPC budget
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Start from the revenue you want. Get the budget it takes.
- Customers needed
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- Leads needed
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- Clicks needed
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- Monthly budget
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- Budget range (CPC ±20%)
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- Cost per lead
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- Customer acquisition cost
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- CAC as share of sale value
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Want this funnel modeled on your real numbers?
Book a 30-minute planning callHow This Calculator Works
Most PPC budgets are set forwards: pick a number, spend it, see what happens. This calculator runs the chain in reverse. Your revenue goal divided by average sale value gives customers needed. Customers divided by your close rate gives leads. Leads divided by your landing page conversion rate gives clicks. Clicks times CPC gives the budget, and each step rounds up, because you cannot buy four fifths of a customer.
Two derived numbers keep the plan honest. Cost per lead is CPC divided by conversion rate, and customer acquisition cost is cost per lead divided by close rate. When CAC creeps past about a third of average sale value, the verdict band flags it: the funnel can hit the revenue number and still be uncomfortable to scale. The ±20% CPC range shows how much the budget moves when the auction does.
The formula
| What | The math |
|---|---|
| Customers needed | revenue goal ÷ average sale value, rounded up |
| Leads needed | customers ÷ close rate, rounded up |
| Clicks needed | leads ÷ conversion rate, rounded up |
| Monthly budget | clicks × CPC |
| Cost per lead | CPC ÷ conversion rate |
| Customer acquisition cost | cost per lead ÷ close rate |
| Budget range | clicks × CPC at −20% and +20% |
Keep the Math Going
The rest of the free RevOps toolkit, and the team that runs this math for clients.
Check whether the spend you just planned will actually clear break-even.
Compare the paid plan against the compounding channel.
Senior operators who run reverse-funnel budgets on real accounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate a PPC budget?
Work backwards from revenue. Divide your monthly revenue goal by average sale value to get customers, divide by your lead-to-customer close rate to get leads, divide by your landing page conversion rate to get clicks, then multiply clicks by your average CPC. That product is the budget the goal actually requires.
What is a good cost per lead?
The honest answer is a formula, not a benchmark: cost per lead equals CPC divided by landing page conversion rate, and it is “good” when the resulting acquisition cost fits your margins. A $4.00 CPC at a 3% conversion rate is a $133 lead; whether that works depends on your close rate and deal size, not on an industry average.
How many clicks do I need to get one customer?
Divide 1 by your conversion rate, then by your close rate. At a 3% landing page conversion rate and a 20% close rate, one customer takes about 167 clicks. That single number explains most PPC budget surprises.
Should my budget be based on spend capacity or revenue goals?
Revenue goals. A budget set from spend capacity answers “what can we afford,” which has no connection to the pipeline you need. Reverse-funnel math ties every ad dollar to a revenue outcome, and it tells you before you spend whether the goal is realistic at your current conversion rates.
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What You’ll Get
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- See what your data is hiding: a plain-English read of your tracking, CRM, and attribution: what leadership can and can’t currently see between spend and revenue.
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