How is Google Ads ROI calculated?

Subtract Google Ads spend from the revenue it produced, divide by the spend, and multiply by 100. For $40,000 on $20,000 it is 100%.

What is a good Google Ads ROI?

High-intent and brand search usually return most; display and video less. The figure here is orientation — compare campaign types separately.

Why separate brand and non-brand?

Brand search often shows inflated ROI from demand you already had. Separating it shows the true incremental return of non-brand spend.

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Google Ads ROI Calculator

Measure the net return on Google Ads — and decide whether to scale, restructure, or cut the spend.

Revenue

Google Ads spend

Google Ads ROI

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Average

Scenario lens Current · Benchmark · Optimized

Leverage

Formula

ROI = (Revenue − Google Ads spend) / Google Ads spend × 100

Understanding Google Ads ROI

Reference material — the calculator above stays the primary tool.

What Google Ads ROI measures measures

Google Ads ROI is the net return on Google Ads spend — search, shopping, display, and video combined or by campaign. It is return on investment: the gain produced for every dollar spent, expressed as a percentage. A positive figure means the spend earned more than it cost; a negative one means it lost money.

Because it is a ratio, ROI lets you compare very different investments on equal footing — a small efficient spend and a large one resolve to the same scale.

How to read your result

The result is labelled against an orientation benchmark so the number resolves into a decision:

Low — well under the benchmark; the spend barely returns its cost. Average — near the benchmark; efficiency work pays off. Strong — at or above; the spend earns well and scaling compounds.

Google Ads ROI benchmarks

Returns vary by channel, offer, and maturity. Treat these as orientation, not targets.

Context	Typical median
Brand / high-intent search	200%+
Non-brand search	75–150%
Shopping	100–200%
Display / video	0–75%

Levers that raise return

Separate brand from non-brand, prune wasted spend with negative keywords and search-term review, tighten match types, and align landing pages to intent. High-intent search usually returns most, so weight budget there. Model a higher return as a scenario above to see the additional gain it implies at the same spend.

Return in context

Read Google Ads ROI alongside the broader paid ads and Facebook Ads ROI tools, which the related tools cover. Compare returns across platforms before shifting budget, and confirm conversions are valued consistently.