10 Things Every Childcare Owner Should Know About Google Ads

1. Why should my preschool or daycare use Google Ads?

With the right strategy, Google Ads helps your center reach families who are actively searching for the type of childcare you provide. Unlike advertising platforms designed to generate demand, Google Search Ads can capture demand that already exists.

2. What should my Google Ads strategy include?

A strong childcare Google Ads strategy should include keywords, service areas, budgets, bidding strategies, and conversion tracking all working toward the same goal. Your strategy should reflect your enrollment priorities, available capacity, and budget.

3. How much are we spending?

Know your actual monthly ad spend, separate from what you’re paying someone to manage it.

4. Are we showing up for the right searches?

Your ads should reach families actively looking for childcare in the areas you serve, not just generate more website traffic.

5. What counts as a “conversion” in Google Ads?

A conversion could mean a phone call, form submission, tour request, or something much less valuable. Know what your reports are actually counting.

6. What counts as a “qualified lead” in Google Ads?

A qualified lead is an inquiry your business has identified as a real enrollment opportunity. When this information is fed back to Google Ads, it gives Google a much stronger signal about the kinds of families you actually want more of.

7. What is our CPL benchmark?

There isn’t one “good” CPL for every childcare center. Your benchmark should account for your market, tuition, age groups, competition, and most importantly, lead quality. A $200 lead that turns into tours and enrollments can be far more valuable than ten $20 leads that go nowhere.

8. How many of our leads are actually qualified?

Compare your lead-to-qualified-lead, lead-to-tour, and lead-to-enrollment rates by source. This helps you understand whether Google Ads is producing better or worse opportunities than your other marketing channels.

9. What’s our ROI?

Compare what you’re spending on advertising to the revenue generated by families who actually enroll. Ultimately, the goal isn’t cheaper leads. It’s profitable enrollments and filled classrooms.

10. What is being changed in the account, and why?

Google Ads shouldn’t run on autopilot. Ask what your provider is learning from search behavior, lead quality, competition, and enrollment data, what they’re changing as a result, and why.