“How much should we spend?” is usually the first question a peptide or supplement brand asks about Google Ads. There is no single right number, but there is a right way to work it out, so that you spend enough to learn what works without burning money before you know.
Start from your numbers, not a guess
Three figures decide a sensible budget:
- Average order value (AOV): what a typical order is worth.
- Gross margin: what you keep from that order after product and shipping costs.
- Target cost per purchase: the most you can pay in ad spend for one order and still be happy. For first orders this is often set close to the margin, because repeat purchases bring the profit.
Your daily budget needs to buy enough clicks for Google to find buyers. A useful rule of thumb: plan to spend at least two to three times your target cost per purchase each day, so campaigns can collect conversions quickly enough to learn.
What a $50 to $100 a day budget can do
For most peptide and supplement stores, around $50 to $100 a day (roughly $1,500 to $3,000 a month) is a workable starting range. It is enough to:
- Run a branded Search campaign so competitors do not take your own name.
- Run a non-brand Search campaign on research-supplier and category searches.
- Run Shopping for your strongest, compliant products.
- Collect enough clicks and conversions in a few weeks to see what is working.
Below that, it is usually better to focus on one campaign type (often Shopping or brand Search) than to spread a small budget thinly.
How to split Search and Shopping
- Brand Search: a small, fixed share. It is cheap and usually the most profitable.
- Shopping: often the largest share for stores with clear products and prices, because it shows images and prices directly in results.
- Non-brand Search: the rest, focused on the searches that match your best products.
- Rebalance every couple of weeks based on cost per purchase, not clicks.
Share your average order value and margins and we will map out a starting budget and campaign split for Google Search and Shopping. Free.
Book a free strategy call →What to expect in the first 90 days
- Month 1: setup, policy review and learning. Costs per purchase are usually at their highest. Fixing disapprovals and pruning keywords is normal.
- Month 2: budget moves to the products and searches that convert. Results usually become more predictable.
- Month 3: with enough conversion data, smart bidding (target ROAS or target CPA) can take over and you can start scaling.
When to scale
Increase budget when a campaign is hitting your target cost per purchase and is limited by budget. Raise it in steps of about 20 to 30 percent every week or so, rather than doubling overnight, so bidding has time to adjust. Watch policy status as you scale: new products and search terms bring new review risks.
Do not forget the other costs
- Management fees, if you work with an agency.
- Landing pages and website fixes needed before launch.
- Tracking setup: GA4, conversion tracking and enhanced conversions.
- Microsoft (Bing) Ads, which can often be added with a smaller budget once Google is working.
