{
  "slug": "cpc-budget",
  "title": "PPC Budget Calculator",
  "heading": "PPC Budget Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cpc-budget",
  "summary": "Budget needed to hit a target number of customers.",
  "description": "Works backwards from the customers you want: how many conversions, how many clicks, how much budget at your CPC. It also shows the maximum CPC you can afford before the campaign stops paying.",
  "formula": "Budget = Customers ÷ Conversion rate × CPC. Max CPC = Order value × Margin × Conversion rate.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=cpc-budget",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "targetCustomers",
      "label": "Customers wanted per month",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 80,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "cpc",
      "label": "Average cost per click",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2.4,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0.01,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "conversionRate",
      "label": "Click to customer rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0.01,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "orderValue",
      "label": "Average order value",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 140,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "margin",
      "label": "Gross margin",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 50,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 100
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "budget",
      "label": "Monthly budget needed",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "clicks",
      "label": "Clicks required",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "cpa",
      "label": "Cost per acquisition",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "maxCpc",
      "label": "Max CPC before you lose money",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "profit",
      "label": "Expected gross profit after spend",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Customers wanted per month: 80",
      "Average cost per click: 2.4 $",
      "Click to customer rate: 4 %",
      "Average order value: 140 $",
      "Gross margin: 50 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Monthly budget needed: $4,800.00",
      "Clicks required: 2,000",
      "Cost per acquisition: $60.00",
      "Max CPC before you lose money: $2.80",
      "Expected gross profit after spend: $800.00"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter customers wanted per month.",
      "Enter average cost per click ($).",
      "Enter click to customer rate (%).",
      "Enter average order value ($).",
      "Enter gross margin (%).",
      "Read your monthly budget needed on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "targetCustomers": 48,
        "cpc": 1.44,
        "conversionRate": 2.4,
        "orderValue": 85,
        "margin": 30
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "targetCustomers": 80,
        "cpc": 2.4,
        "conversionRate": 4,
        "orderValue": 140,
        "margin": 50
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "targetCustomers": 128,
        "cpc": 3.84,
        "conversionRate": 6.4,
        "orderValue": 225,
        "margin": 80
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the ppc budget calculator work?",
      "a": "Works backwards from the customers you want: how many conversions, how many clicks, how much budget at your CPC. It also shows the maximum CPC you can afford before the campaign stops paying. The underlying maths is: Budget = Customers ÷ Conversion rate × CPC. Max CPC = Order value × Margin × Conversion rate."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "5 values: customers wanted per month, average cost per click, click to customer rate, average order value, and gross margin. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the monthly budget needed result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cpm",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/roas",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cac"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — PPC Budget Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cpc-budget)"
}