How to Set a Web Marketing Budget in Google AdWords

By John Arnold, Michael Becker, Marty Dickinson, Ian Lurie, and Elizabeth Marsten from Web Marketing All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

As a web marketer, you may have been required to set a budget when you did your account set up in Google AdWords, but your first budget may require some adjustment.

To set or adjust your budget in Google AdWords, follow these steps:

Log in to your AdWords account.
On the Campaigns tab, click the dollar/day number under the budget column.
Enter the new budget amount and click Save.

You can also edit the amount of your daily budget for a campaign on the Settings tab.
In the Delivery Method section on the Settings tab of a campaign, choose the speed at which you want your ads to appear by clicking the plus box:
- Standard delivery is selected by default, and means that Google will adjust impressions throughout the day to meet the budget that you just entered.
- Accelerated delivery means Google will show your ad continuously until the budget you entered is spent, unless you’re using Conversion Optimizer or enhanced CPC bidding.

Using the Accelerated delivery method can cause your budget to run out very quickly or not at all. If you choose this option, be sure to check in on your campaign regularly to monitor the speed of the spending.

Google also offers a Manager Defined Spend feature, which allows you to set and track a budget efficiently from a dashboard. To use this feature, you must be managing several accounts through a my Client Center and must be on invoicing terms with Google. For more information on this feature, see the AdWords Help Center.