Google Ads Budget Pacing: How to Track Spend in Real-Time

Nothing kills a campaign faster than running out of budget on day 15. Or worse, overspending by 40% and explaining it to a client.

Google Ads sets daily budgets, but most teams think monthly. That gap causes problems. Without budget pacing, you're flying blind until the month ends and the damage is done.

Budget pacing tracks your actual spend against planned spend in real-time. It answers one question: are you on track to hit your budget, or headed for trouble?

This guide shows you how to set it up. Manual calculations to automated dashboards to AI-powered alerts.

What Is Budget Pacing

Budget pacing compares where you are versus where you should be.

The formula is simple:

Pacing % = (Actual Spend / Expected Spend) × 100

If your monthly budget is $10,000 and you're halfway through the month, you should have spent around $5,000. Spent $4,500? You're at 90% pacing. Slightly under. Spent $6,000? You're at 120% pacing. Overspending.

Underpacing means missed opportunities. You budgeted for 1,000 clicks this month, but you'll only get 800. Either targeting is too narrow, bids are too low, or ads aren't showing.

Overpacing means budget problems. You'll run out of money before month end, or blow past budget and have an uncomfortable conversation.

Neither is good. Pacing catches both problems early enough to fix them.

Target Pacing Ranges

Below 85%: Significantly underpacing. Investigate immediately.

85-95%: Slightly underpacing. Monitor closely.

95-105%: On track. No action needed.

105-115%: Slightly overpacing. Monitor closely.

Above 115%: Significantly overpacing. Investigate immediately.

The goal is staying in that 95-105% range. Anything outside 85-115% needs attention.

How to Calculate Budget Pacing

Let's walk through a real example.

Setup:

• Monthly budget: $15,000

• Days in month: 30

• Today's date: Day 12

• Actual spend so far: $5,400

Step 1: Calculate expected spend

Expected Spend = Monthly Budget × (Days Elapsed / Days in Month) Expected Spend = $15,000 × (12 / 30) Expected Spend = $6,000

Step 2: Calculate pacing percentage

Pacing % = (Actual Spend / Expected Spend) × 100 Pacing % = ($5,400 / $6,000) × 100 Pacing % = 90%

At 90%, this campaign is slightly underpacing. Not critical, but worth investigating.

Adjusting for Weekends

B2B campaigns often see lower weekend performance. If you're running Monday-Friday, calendar days skew your pacing.

For B2B, count business days instead. 22 business days in month, 9 elapsed. Expected spend: $15,000 × (9 / 22) = $6,136.

More accurate for campaigns that naturally slow on weekends.

Multi-Campaign Pacing

Most accounts have multiple campaigns with different budgets. Calculate pacing per campaign, then roll up to account level.

Brand: $3,000 budget, $1,350 actual, $1,200 expected = 112% pacing Non-Brand: $8,000 budget, $2,800 actual, $3,200 expected = 88% pacing Retargeting: $4,000 budget, $1,600 actual, $1,600 expected = 100% pacing Total: $15,000 budget, $5,750 actual, $6,000 expected = 96% pacing

Account-level looks fine at 96%. But Non-Brand is underpacing at 88%. That's the campaign needing attention.

Setting Up Budget Pacing in Looker Studio

Manual calculations work but don't scale. Looker Studio automates the math and updates daily.

Step 1: Connect Google Ads

Open Looker Studio. Create new report. Click "Add data" and select Google Ads. Authorize access. Select your account. Choose campaigns to include.

Step 2: Create Calculated Fields

You'll need custom fields for pacing calculations.

Days in Period: Use DATE_DIFF to calculate days in current month.

Days Elapsed: Days from month start to today.

Expected Spend: Monthly Budget × (Days Elapsed / Days in Period)

Pacing Percentage: Cost / Expected Spend × 100

Step 3: Build the Dashboard

Create a table showing campaign name, monthly budget, actual spend (MTD), expected spend, pacing percentage, variance.

Add conditional formatting. Green for 95-105%. Yellow for 85-95% or 105-115%. Red for below 85% or above 115%.

Step 4: Add Visual Indicators

A pacing gauge makes status obvious at a glance. Show current pacing percentage, target range, warning zones, danger zones.

Step 5: Schedule Email Delivery

Looker Studio can email the dashboard automatically. Set frequency to daily. Add recipients. Choose morning delivery time. Now your team sees pacing status every morning without logging in.

Automating Budget Pacing Alerts

Dashboards are reactive. You check them when you remember. Alerts are proactive. They find you when something's wrong.

Option 1: Google Ads Scripts

Google Ads Scripts check pacing daily and email when thresholds are breached. Calculate expected spend, pull actual spend, compare, send alert if outside threshold.

Requires JavaScript knowledge but runs free inside Google Ads.

Option 2: Third-Party Tools

Platforms like Optmyzr, Supermetrics, and Shape offer built-in pacing alerts. Set budget and threshold once. Get alerts via email or Slack. No coding required.

Additional monthly cost. $50-500+ depending on tool.

Option 3: AI-Powered Monitoring

Connect Google Ads to Claude via MCP and set up natural language monitoring.

"Show me any campaigns pacing below 85% or above 115%"

"Which campaigns will likely overspend this month based on current trajectory?"

"Alert me if any campaign's daily spend jumps more than 30% from yesterday"

The advantage is flexibility. You're not limited to pre-built alert types. Ask any question about your data.

Connect your Google Ads account via MCP to try this approach.

Budget Pacing Best Practices

Check early and often. First week of a campaign is critical. Small pacing issues compound. A campaign at 80% pacing on day 7 will be significantly underdelivered by day 30 unless you intervene.

Recommended cadence: Week 1 check daily. Weeks 2-4 check every 2-3 days. Stable campaigns weekly minimum.

Set alert thresholds correctly. Too tight and you get alert fatigue. Too loose and you miss problems.

Start with warning at 85% or 115%. Critical at 75% or 125%. Adjust based on tolerance.

Document and communicate. When pacing is off, document what triggered the issue, what action you took, what the result was. This builds a playbook for future issues.

Build in buffer time. Don't wait until day 28 to address pacing issues. Give yourself at least a week to make adjustments.

Troubleshooting Pacing Issues

Underpacing Causes

Low search volume. Keywords don't have enough searches to spend budget. Check Search Terms report. Consider broadening targeting.

Bids too low. Losing auctions. Check impression share and auction insights. Raise bids or switch to automated bidding.

Overly narrow targeting. Location, audience, or device restrictions limit reach. Review targeting settings.

Ad disapprovals. Ads aren't running due to policy issues. Check ad status and fix disapprovals.

Budget too high for the market. Sometimes there isn't enough demand. Adjust expectations, don't force spend.

Overpacing Causes

Broad match going wide. Matching irrelevant queries. Check Search Terms and add negatives.

Seasonal demand spike. Holidays, events, or news driving unexpected traffic. Review if this is good traffic.

Competitor exits. A competitor pausing ads can spike your impression share and spend. Usually good. Monitor quality.

Automated bidding aggression. Smart bidding finding more conversions than expected. Good if CPA is acceptable.

Quick Fixes

Underpacing: Raise bids, broaden targeting, add keywords.

Overpacing: Lower bids, add negatives, tighten targeting.

Budget too high: Reduce budget or reallocate to other campaigns.

Budget too low: Increase budget if performance supports it.

Common Questions

How often should I check budget pacing?

Daily for new campaigns or high-spend periods. Every 2-3 days for stable campaigns. Weekly minimum.

What pacing percentage should I aim for?

95-105% is ideal. 85-115% is manageable. Outside that range needs immediate attention.

Does Google Ads have built-in pacing?

Google shows "Limited by budget" for underspending campaigns, but no percentage-based pacing. You need external tools or manual calculation.

How do I pace across multiple clients?

Build a master Looker Studio dashboard pulling all accounts. Create a summary table showing each client's pacing status. This becomes your daily check-in view.

What if my budget changes mid-month?

Recalculate expected spend based on new budget and remaining days. Most pacing tools let you update the target on the fly.

Start Tracking Budget Pacing Today

Budget pacing isn't complicated. It's just often overlooked until something goes wrong.

The fix is simple. Calculate where you should be. Compare to where you are. Act on the gap.

Start with manual calculations to understand the concept. Move to Looker Studio for automation. Add alerts so problems find you.

Ready to connect your Google Ads data? Set up Google Ads MCP integration to query pacing and performance with natural language.