How to think about a
digital ad budget.

Digital advertising budgets are easier to manage when you separate the work of running campaigns from the money paid to advertising platforms. The right allocation depends on your offer, audience, sales cycle, creative needs and ability to respond to new enquiries.

Separate the cost categories

Management fee: planning, setup, optimization and reporting provided by your team or agency. Media spend: money charged by Google, Meta or another platform for ad delivery. Creative and landing page costs: production work that may be separate. Measurement: tracking and analytics setup needed to understand performance.

ArcaneKey's listed management starting fees for Google Ads and Meta Ads are ₹20,000 per month each. Advertising budget is separate. Final scope and fees should be confirmed before work begins.

Start with a business outcome

Choose one measurable objective, such as qualified enquiries or online purchases. Define what counts as a qualified outcome and make sure you can track it. If a lead needs a phone follow-up, decide who will respond and how quickly.

Set a learning budget

When performance is unknown, begin with a test budget your business can afford to learn from. Avoid basing decisions on a handful of clicks. Agree in advance when you will review results and what evidence would justify increasing, changing or stopping spend.

Ask what is included

Before signing off, clarify account ownership, campaign setup, creative responsibilities, landing pages, tracking, reporting cadence and whether the agency fee changes as spend grows. Get those details in writing.

Review quality, not just volume

Clicks and form submissions are early signals. Compare cost with lead quality, sales conversations, purchase value and the time it takes to convert. This gives you a more useful picture than platform metrics alone.

Common questions