Budget Myths, Busted — Why $5/Day Won’t Cut It (on Any Platform)

The Reality of Ad Budgets

Whether it’s Google, Meta, or LinkedIn, the platforms need enough data to learn who your best prospects are. That’s why micro-budgets stretch your testing phase and often give you inconclusive results.

The Sweet Spot for Most Small Businesses

From our client data:

• Google Search Ads: $500–$1,000/month is enough for many local and service-based businesses to get consistent leads.

• Meta Ads: $500–$1,000/month works well for awareness + lead generation with retargeting.

• LinkedIn Ads: $1,500–$3,000/month is more realistic due to higher CPCs — but each click is typically a highly qualified lead.

Why It Works

This level of spend allows:

• Multiple ad variations for testing

• Enough impressions to feed AI optimization

• Faster elimination of underperforming campaigns

Want a realistic ad budget plan for your business and platform? Book your free discovery call with Merit Media.