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With business-to-business (B2B) decision makers relying on search engines throughout every stage of the buying journey, Google Ads has become one of the most powerful tools for generating high-intent leads.
However, success needs more than just setting up a few campaigns and hoping everything will work.
When executed strategically, B2B Google Ads can deliver huge returns. The average return on investment (ROI for B2B Google Ads is around 8:1 for businesses overall, meaning for every $1 spent, companies generate $8 in revenue.
In this guide, we’ll unpack how B2B Google Ads work, the different types of campaigns you can run, and some best practices for maximizing results in long, complex sales cycles.
B2B Google Ads are a form of paid digital advertising that helps B2B companies connect with other businesses actively searching for their products and services on Google.
This is important because digital channels dominate the B2B buyer journey, with 65% of buyers relying on search engines as their main way of discovering business solutions.
Unlike business-to-consumer (B2C) advertising, where the buying cycle is typically short and emotionally driven, the buying cycle in this context is longer and less emotionally driven.
B2B advertising focuses on reaching highly targeted decision makers, such as marketing directors, IT managers, or procurement teams who are looking for solutions to specific business needs.
These ads appear across Google’s vast network, including the search engine results pages (SERPs), YouTube, Google Display Network (GDN), and Gmail.
However, in a B2B context, the most effective use of Google Ads often centers around high-intent search campaigns targeting keywords that indicate real business needs.
A Google Ads campaign is a structured set of ads, keywords, and targeting settings created within Google Ads. B2B marketers use these campaigns to show relevant ads when a user types in a keyword like “CRM software for law firms” or “enterprise cybersecurity solutions”.
The idea is to reach professionals who are actively searching for or are ready to purchase solutions, capturing them at the most ideal moment in their buyer journey.
Below is an example of a type of Google Ad called search ads, which appear at the top of the SERP for the keyword “best CRM software for law firms”:
While the platform and tools are largely the same, B2B Google Ads differ from B2C ads in strategy and execution.
In B2B, you’re not selling a $30 gadget to a casual shopper. You’re offering complex, often expensive solutions that require multiple touchpoints, longer consideration periods, and buy-in from various stakeholders.
This means B2B advertisers need to take a more strategic approach to targeting, messaging, and nurturing leads.
Some of the key differences include:
Now that you know more about B2B Google Ads, let's look at the different ad formats to choose from when building your campaigns:
Google Search Ads are one of the most important ad types in B2B advertising, and they account for 37% of B2B web traffic.
These are text-based ads that appear on Google’s SERPs when users type in specific keywords.
Here is an example of a B2B Google Search Ad that appears at the top of the SERP for the keyword “enterprise cybersecurity solution”:
Advertisers bid on these keywords to show their ads when a relevant search query is entered into Google.
Search Ads are intent-driven, meaning that they reach users who are actively seeking a solution to a problem or researching a specific product or service. In B2B, this often includes decision makers or influencers looking for niche tools, software, services, or professional expertise.
Since B2B purchases often have longer sales cycles and higher stakes, targeting keywords that reflect buyer intent is essential.
Display Ads are visual ads, typically banner or image-based, that appear across millions of websites, apps, and Gmail via the GDN. They make up 1.3% of web traffic, meaning they’re valuable for B2B brands who want to drive qualified traffic to their websites.
These types of ads often display in sidebars or above the fold on websites you visit. While they don’t usually target high-intent users like Search Ads do, they are excellent for building brand awareness and keeping your brand top of mind during a long B2B sales cycle.
This is because the Display Network allows you to reach audiences who may not be actively searching for your solution but fit your ideal customer profile (ICP). It’s especially effective for retargeting campaigns and demand generation strategies.
B2B companies can use Display Ads to showcase case studies, promote upcoming webinars, push gated content like whitepapers or research reports, or retarget visitors who didn’t convert the first time.
As the Display Network allows targeting based on audience interests, demographics, company size, industry, or even specific websites, it’s a great way to introduce your brand to new prospects or re-engage previous site visitors.
Below is a B2B Display Ad on a website, potentially being placed by Google:
Video Ads, especially on YouTube, offer an engaging and versatile format for reaching B2B buyers. These ads can be shown before, during, or after YouTube videos, and across Google’s partner network.
Video is a powerful medium in B2B because it helps simplify complex offerings, showcase use cases, or build trust through testimonials and brand storytelling.
B2B video marketing achieves an average conversion rate of about 4.8%, which is higher than many text-based content benchmarks.
It’s also an excellent choice for top-of-funnel awareness and middle-of-funnel education.
B2B decision makers often need time and in-depth content to fully understand a solution before booking a demo or speaking with sales. Video ads meet that need by delivering educational content in a more engaging, digestible format than text or static images.
Formats include skiapple in-stream ads, non-skippable ads, bumper ads (six seconds), and discovery ads (which appear in YouTube search results or as suggested videos).
Below is an example of a discovery ad on YouTube for a B2B software platform for law firms:
Performance Max (PMax) is a newer, fully automated campaign type that uses Google’s machine learning (ML) to serve ads across all Google inventory, including Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discover, from a single campaign.
This campaign type is goal-driven: you set your desired conversion action, like demo requests, sign-ups, or downloads, and Google automatically optimizes toward that goal using real-time bidding strategies, audience segments, and asset combinations.
For B2B companies, Performance Max can be an efficient way to scale campaigns without managing multiple individual campaign types. It’s especially valuable for lead generation if you have strong conversion tracking and high-quality creative assets.
However, because it offers limited transparency and less control, it's best used by advertisers who already have a solid campaign infrastructure and want to maximize reach and efficiency.
It’s possible that this Search ad is a PMax campaign that’s being automatically optimized by Google Ads. It has a specific goal, which is for B2B buyers to request a demo:
Shopping Ads show product images, titles, prices, and merchant information at the top of Google’s SERPs.
While more commonly used in B2C eCommerce, they’re also relevant for product-based B2B companies that sell items like office supplies, tools, hardware, or industrial goods.
These ads are particularly useful for B2B companies that operate on a hybrid model, in other words, they’re both B2B and B2C, or those targeting procurement professionals and small business owners who purchase products online.
To run Shopping Ads, businesses must upload their product feed to the Google Merchant Center. From there, Google matches products to relevant search queries based on the feeds’ content.
Below is an example of Google Shopping Ads results for a search for office cleaning equipment:
Local Service Ads appear at the top of local search results and allow service-based businesses to generate direct leads through calls or message inquiries. These ads display your business name, rating, location, hours, and possibly a Google Guaranteed badge.
While LSAs are more commonly associated with B2C services, they’re valuable for local B2B service providers as well, especially those who rely on in-person sales or region-specific outreach.
Unlike traditional pay-per-click (PPC) models, LSAs charge on a pay-per-lead basis, which makes them potentially more cost-effective for small or regional B2B companies.
Below you can see an example of three LSAs that appear at the top of the SERP while searching for immigration attorneys:
Discovery Ads appear on high-engagement platforms within the Google ecosystem, including the YouTube home feed, Gmail Promotions tab, and the Discover feed on Android devices.
These ads are visual and mobile-optimized, making them ideal for top-of-funnel campaigns where you’re introducing your brand or offering gated content like eBooks, checklists, or webinar invites.
As Discovery Ads are based on audience signals rather than keyword intent, they work best for awareness and interest generation, rather than immediate conversions.
They’re also impactful for engaging warm audiences and building familiarity with key stakeholders.
You now understand the main types of B2B Google Ads. However, how do they work? Let’s unpack this below:
Before you can launch any ads, you’ll need to create and set up a Google Ads account. This serves as the central hub where you’ll manage everything related to your advertising, including budgets, audiences, keywords, and performance data.
Once set up, you’ll link your Google Analytics account to your Google Ads account. This integration is essential for tracking conversions, understanding user behavior, and optimizing your campaigns based on engagement and not just clicks.
By combining data from both platforms, you can see what happens after someone clicks on an ad, such as filling out a form, downloading a whitepaper, or booking a demo. This level of insight is critical for evaluating and improving your campaign performance.
Google Ads is highly goal-oriented. Before launching your campaign, you’ll need to choose a campaign objective, such as:
You’ll also need to select the type of campaign that aligns with your goal. Each has its own format, targeting options, and placements.
For most B2B businesses, the most common campaign objective is lead generation, where the goal is to capture qualified prospects through offers like free trials, webinars, whitepapers, consultations, or demo requests.
Within each campaign, you’ll create ad groups, which are smaller, organized segments that group together related keywords and ads.
For example, a B2B CRM company might have separate ad groups for:
Each ad group should focus on a tightly themed set of keywords and serve ads that are highly relevant to those search queries.
This improves your Quality Score, which is a Google metric that impacts cost and visibility, boosts click-through rates, and ensures a more relevant experience for the searcher.
Ads themselves consist of headlines, descriptions, URLs, and optional extensions like site links, callouts, phone numbers, and structured snippets.
These should clearly communicate your value proposition, highlight key features or benefits, and offer a strong call to action (CTA), such as “Schedule a Free Demo” or “Download the Guide.”
This B2B Google Ad for law firm software includes compelling ad copy, a strong CTA to request a free trial, and highlights the benefits of using the product:
One of the most important parts of running Google Ads is managing your ad spend wisely. You can set daily or monthly budgets, giving you control over how much you invest in this digital marketing strategy.
You’ll need to choose a bidding strategy, which is the method Google uses to determine how much to bid in each ad auction. There are two main types of bidding in B2B advertising:
Some of the most commonly used bidding strategies in B2B campaigns are:
Reaching the right audience is what separates a successful B2B campaign from wasting your budget. Google offers a wide range of targeting options, including:
Once your campaign is live, tracking performance is key. You’ll want to set up conversion tracking, which might include form submissions, phone calls, button clicks, or downloads, so you can see what’s driving tangible business outcomes.
Connecting Google Ads with Google Analytics gives you a more complete picture of what users are doing after they click on your ad.
You’ll see which channels are driving the highest-quality leads, how long visitors are staying on your site, and where drop-offs are happening in your funnel.
This insight is crucial for refining your messaging, adjusting your landing pages, reallocating budget, and optimizing bids to focus on what works.
For example, you may discover that visitors from one campaign spend just 10 seconds on a landing page and then bounce, while another campaign leads to users spending several minutes and completing a form.
With that insight, you can tweak the underperforming page by adjusting the messaging, improving your offer, and speeding up load times. You can then reallocate spend to what’s working.
B2B Google Ads isn’t a once-off effort. Ongoing optimization is essential to improving performance over time.
The top three tactics used by marketers to improve CTR for Google Ads are reviewing keywords (23.53%), improving copy (19.61%), and headline optimization (17.65%).
One of the first things you need to do is A/B testing. This means creating different variations of your ad copy, headlines, and display URLs to see which versions resonate most with your audience. Over time, data will show which message drives better engagement, allowing you to double down on what works.
Beyond ad copy, you should regularly evaluate the performance of your keywords and placements. In any campaign, there will be keywords that perform well and others that consume budget without delivering qualified leads. It’s essential to monitor this closely and pause or adjust underperforming elements.
Another key area to monitor is your bidding performance. If your target CPA is too low and your ads aren’t showing, it may be time to increase your bids or switch to a different bidding strategy.
To reduce wasted ad spend, continually build out your negative keyword list. These are terms you explicitly want to exclude from your campaigns, often because they attract the wrong audience or signal low intent.
Running successful B2B Google Ads campaigns means more than just setting a budget and launching ads. To generate qualified leads and drive ROI, you need to master the basics, which we discuss below:
Effective keyword research is the foundation of a successful B2B Google Ads strategy. You’re not just looking for volume, you’re looking for intent.
In B2B, this means identifying search terms that indicate a user isn’t just browsing, but actively looking for a solution.
Instead of focusing on broad, high-traffic terms like “CRM software”, a better approach may be to target more specific long-tail keywords such as “CRM software for enterprise sales teams” or “B2B CRM solution for financial services”.
These keywords typically have lower competition and higher purchase intent, which translates to better quality leads. Additionally, over 94% of search queries are long-tail keywords.
It’s also crucial to consider the different stages of the buyer journey. Some users may be researching and comparing options, while others are ready to speak with a sales rep or request a demo.
Building separate ad groups around these different intents allows for more precise targeting and messaging.
B2B ad copy needs to cut through the noise and speak directly to professionals who are making informed, strategic decisions.
This audience isn’t making impulse purchases. They’re solving business problems and often need internal buy-in before taking the next step.
Your ad copy should reflect that by being clear, concise, and value-driven.
Instead of flashy, vague slogans, focus on the specific pain points your product or service solves. Use language that resonates with your ICP and highlights what sets you apart, such as ROI impact, efficiency gains, or industry-specific features.
If you have social proof such as case studies or awards, referencing those in your headlines or descriptions can also improve engagement and build trust.
Additionally, including a positive sentiment in your ad title may improve your CTR by as much as 4%.
This Google Search Ad for HR software uses social proof in its headline, explains its benefits, and includes a CTA, making it a compelling ad:
To convert clicks into leads or customers, your landing page must align perfectly with your ad and meet the prospect’s expectations. In fact, landing pages can make your campaigns more than 5% more effective.
Consistency in messaging between the ad copy and landing page is critical. Users should immediately recognize that they’ve landed in the right place.
Keep your landing pages focused, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. Avoid distractions like sitewide navigation or unrelated content. Additionally, make your value proposition clear above the fold and use trust signals like client logos, testimonials, or security badges.
Any lead forms you use should be frictionless, especially at the top of the funnel. Asking only for essential information up front can significantly improve conversion rates.
Below is a Google Search Ad for a cybersecurity provider that leads to a landing page:
The landing page for this ad, pictured below, speaks directly to the content of the ad, displays real-world benefits, and includes trust signals such as client testimonials and star ratings:
When executed well, B2B Google Ads campaigns can drive consistent, qualified leads and become one of your most reliable growth channels.
However, to do it right, you need more than just technical know-how. You need a strategic partner who understands the full B2B sales cycle, knows how to use data to guide decisions, and can adapt your campaigns as your business evolves.
At Kalium, we’re experts in building and optimizing high-performance B2B Google Ads campaigns that don’t just bring in clicks, they bring in customers.
We’ll help you build a tailored strategy that fits your goals and budget, improving ROI and generating more qualified leads.
Partner with Kalium by getting in touch with our team today and start generating results rather than wasting ad spend.
Article by:
Doug Haines
Meet Doug, the mastermind behind Kalium’s success. Learn how Doug applies SEO strategies to turn this SA travel site into a million-dollar company.
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