The Price of Free Google Report.
Proton analyzed over 54,000 demographic profiles using 2025 ad auction data to estimate what advertisers pay to reach different types of Americans. The range is much wider than you might expect.
The average American generates about $1,605 a year in advertising value. A 35- to 44-year-old man in Bozeman, MT, without children, using a desktop and making high-value corporate searches, generates an estimated $17,929.30. An 18- to 24-year-old father in Fort Smith, AR, using an Android phone and making low-value searches, generates $31.05.
That’s a 577x difference between two people using the same free service.
What does this actually mean? An add pops up and the person says yes I’ll click and buy it?
No. It means an ad pops up and Google knows enough about you individually to say, “that was an extremely high value ad placement. That person was in your target demographic, has a history of similar purchases, and was actively searching for keywords you rank highly. Because of that, we’re going to charge you more for having placed your ad there rather than anyone else’s. Same if they click the ad.”
You just need to see the ad for the ad network to make money off it.