Google Ads Management for Australian Businesses
Tracked to revenue. Run in your account. Used only where it beats organic.
SAVVYARDS manages Google Ads for Australian ecommerce and service businesses: Search, Shopping and Performance Max, measured in AUD revenue rather than clicks. We're an organic-first agency, so paid has to earn its place. We'll show you where your spend is working, where it's leaking, and where organic search would do the job for less.
Updated
- 87.9%
- of Australian searches run on Google (StatCounter, Sept 2026)
- 100%
- of the account stays in your name: your data, your history, your billing
Is Google Ads worth it for an Australian business?
Google Ads is worth it when three things are true: people already search for what you sell, your margin can absorb the cost of each click, and your tracking shows which clicks became sales. If one is missing, fix that first, or put the budget into SEO and conversion work, which keep paying after you stop spending.
Google handles 87.9% of searches in Australia (StatCounter, September 2026), so paid search puts you in front of almost every buyer who's actively looking. Ads stop the day the budget does, though, so we treat them as a tool for speed, testing and peak seasons, not as the whole plan.
| Google Ads usually makes sense when… | It usually doesn't when… |
|---|---|
| You're launching and need sales before SEO matures | Your tracking can't tie clicks to orders or enquiries yet |
| A peak (EOFY, Black Friday, Christmas) is coming and every week counts | The margin on your product can't cover a realistic cost per sale |
| You want to test which keywords convert before investing in content | Your landing pages convert poorly (fix those first) |
| Big retailers own the organic results for your main terms | Few people search for what you sell yet |
How much does Google Ads cost in Australia?
There are three costs: your ad spend, paid to Google; 10% GST, which Google Australia adds to every ad invoice; and the management fee. Click prices vary widely by category and competition, so we pull your real cost-per-click ranges from Google Keyword Planner in the free audit rather than quoting averages.
| Cost | Who you pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ad spend | Google, directly, on your card | You set the budget and can change it any time |
| GST on ad spend | Google Australia Pty Ltd | 10%, charged on Australian accounts since 1 Nov 2016. GST-registered businesses can usually claim it back; confirm with your accountant |
| Management | SAVVYARDS | Execution hours, billed at the start of each month; see Pricing |
Example (illustrative, not a client): A$3,000 a month in ad spend becomes A$3,300 on Google's invoice once GST is added, plus management.
Google Ads or SEO: which should come first?
Use Google Ads for speed and SEO for compounding. Ads can bring buyers within days, but the traffic stops when spending stops. SEO takes months, then keeps working. Most Australian businesses do best running ads for immediate demand and peak seasons while organic search grows underneath, then reducing ad spend as rankings take over.
One of our Australian clients, a wine brand, grew organic revenue 141% in 12 months with no ad spend at all (case study). That's the organic-first approach in practice: we recommend ads where they're the faster or cheaper route, not by default.
What's different about running Google Ads in Australia?
Australian accounts need Australian setup: four time zones, daylight saving that only some states use, GST on every ad invoice, a retail calendar built around EOFY on 30 June, and alcohol rules from both Google and the ABAC Code. Generic global account structures get several of these wrong.
- One account clock, four time zones. Ad schedules run on the account's time zone. In an account set to Sydney time, switching ads off at 9 pm also switches them off at 6 pm in Perth during daylight saving. Queensland doesn't use daylight saving, so Brisbane moves an hour against Sydney from October to April. We split campaigns by time zone where the schedule matters.
- Who sees the ads. Google's default location option also reaches people outside Australia who've shown interest in it. For most Australian businesses that's paid clicks from people who can't buy, so we target people located in your areas.
- Currency is permanent. An account's currency can't be changed after it's created. If yours was opened in USD, your reports never match your AUD revenue, so we'll tell you whether a new AUD account is worth it.
- GST. Budgets are planned on the GST-inclusive figure, so the cost on your bank statement matches the plan.
- The retail calendar. EOFY (30 June), Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and Christmas through Boxing Day each get their own campaigns and budgets, so a short sale doesn't distort your everyday results.
- Alcohol. Drinks brands follow Google's alcohol policy and the ABAC Code at the same time (see below).
What our Australian Google Ads management includes
7 deliverables
Account audit and plan
We go through your account, tracking and landing pages, and send a written list of what's working, what's leaking and what we'd change first. Yours to keep, whether you hire us or not.
Search campaigns
Campaigns built around how Australians search for what you sell, including Australian spellings, with tight keyword groups and ads written for each.
Google Shopping
Your product feed set up and cleaned in Google Merchant Center: titles, images, prices and categories that match what buyers search for. For Shopify stores, connected through Shopify's Google channel.
Performance Max
Used where it fits, with your brand terms protected and the product feed driving it, so it doesn't just recycle customers who were already buying.
Conversion tracking
Google Ads conversions, GA4 and enhanced conversions set up and tested end to end, so every sale or enquiry is counted once and correctly. Without this, everything else is guesswork.
Search terms and negatives
Weekly review of what people actually typed before they clicked, and blocking the searches that will never buy.
Ads and landing pages
Ad copy tested against each other, and landing pages fixed alongside our conversion work, because a paid click to a weak page is the most expensive mistake in the account.
Monthly reports in AUD on revenue, return on ad spend and cost per sale or enquiry, after GST, and against your margin. Clicks and impressions are in the appendix, not the headline.
Landing pages that don't convert? See conversion rate optimisation. Selling on Shopify? See ecommerce growth.
Can wine, beer and spirits brands advertise on Google in Australia?
Yes, with conditions. Australia is on Google's list of countries where alcohol ads are allowed, but the ads must not target or appeal to under-18s, and since 30 September 2026 any drink of 0.5% ABV or more must show its ABV on the landing page. In Australia, the ABAC Code's content and placement rules apply on top.
What we set up for drinks brands
- Google's alcohol policy. Ads that don't target or appeal to under-18s, make no claims that alcohol improves performance or health, and avoid ad formats where Google doesn't allow alcohol (such as Dynamic Search Ads, Gmail and Discovery ads). Search ads for alcohol don't show to people using SafeSearch, which we factor into reach estimates.
- ABV on landing pages. Every product landing page shows the drink's ABV, required by Google's updated alcohol policy from 30 September 2026.
- Google Shopping. Alcohol is allowed in Shopping in Australia "with limitations": the feed uses the correct product category and the campaigns target adults only.
- The ABAC Code. Ad copy and images follow ABAC's content standards (nothing that appeals to minors or links drinking to social or sexual success). Placements use age-restriction controls where available, or run only where at least 80% of the audience is expected to be adults. For new campaigns, we recommend ABAC's pre-vetting service.
Paid reach for alcohol is narrower than for other products, and the rules keep tightening. That's why, for drinks brands, we usually lead with organic search: our Australian wine client grew organic revenue 141% with no ad spend. Ads then cover launches and peak seasons. We're not lawyers, so we recommend checking new campaigns against the Code before they go live.
Audit
We review your account, tracking and landing pages before the first call, and send a written list of fixes ranked by what they're costing you.
Fix the foundations
Tracking first, then account structure, location and time-zone settings, negatives and budgets. Nothing is scaled until the numbers can be trusted.
Run it daily
Your operator works in the account every working day: search terms, bids, ads, feed issues. You get a short written note on what changed.
Scale what pays
Campaigns that return a profit get more budget; the rest are cut or rebuilt. Where organic can take over a keyword, we tell you and move the budget.
- The account is yours. It's created or kept in your name, billed to your card; we work through manager access you can remove at any time.
- Month to month. 14 days' notice, no lock-in contract.
- Same business day replies (Sydney time).
How our Google Ads management is priced
You choose how many execution hours a day we spend on your account, and they're reserved for you each month, billed at the start of the month. The right number depends on your account; we recommend one after the free audit. Ad spend and its GST are paid straight to Google, never through us.
Your rate is confirmed on your free audit call.
We don't charge a percentage of ad spend, so there's no reason for us to push your budget up.
We'll tell you when not to spend.
Our Australian wine client grew organic revenue 141%, orders 52% and average order value from $186 to $294 in 12 months, without a dollar on ads. We run Google Ads where they're the faster or cheaper route, and we're the first to say when organic will do the job.
Google Ads Management for Australian Businesses — FAQs
How much should an Australian business spend on Google Ads?
Enough to collect useful data within a few weeks, which depends on your click prices and how often clicks turn into sales. We work it out from your Keyword Planner data and your margins in the free audit, then start at a level you're comfortable with and scale only what proves profitable.
Do Google Ads charges include GST?
No. Google Australia adds 10% GST to ad invoices for Australian accounts, on top of your ad spend. If you're registered for GST you can usually claim it back as an input tax credit; your accountant can confirm.
Who owns the Google Ads account?
You do. The account is in your name and billed to your card, and we work through manager access that you can remove at any time. Your data, history and campaigns stay with you if you leave.
How quickly do Google Ads work?
Ads can start bringing visitors within days of going live. The first few weeks are about gathering data and cutting waste; results usually stabilise once the account has enough conversions to optimise against.
Do you manage Google Shopping and Performance Max for Shopify stores?
Yes. We set up and clean your product feed in Google Merchant Center through Shopify's Google channel, run Shopping and Performance Max, and track sales back to Shopify revenue.
Can you fix an existing Google Ads account?
Usually, and it's often the fastest win. The common problems are broken or double-counted conversion tracking, missing negative keywords, the wrong location setting, and paid clicks sent to pages that don't convert. The free audit shows which of these apply to you.
Do you work with businesses across Australia?
Yes. We work remotely with businesses in every state, from India, and set campaigns up around your customers' time zones, not ours. Calls are booked for your afternoon, and you get a written note on what changed each working day.
Related Services
Ready to Execute in Australia?
Book a 30-minute strategy call. Come with a problem. Leave with a plan.