B2B PPC
B2B PPC measured in qualified pipeline, by one consultant across Google, Microsoft and LinkedIn
B2B accounts fail in a specific way: the platforms are optimizing toward form fills, the sales team is ignoring them, and nobody can say which campaign produced the last closed deal. Connecting the CRM to the ad platforms is most of the job, and it is where a B2B engagement starts here.
Where B2B accounts leak
- Leads counted, pipeline not. A whitepaper download and a demo request from a named account are both "a lead" to the platform. Until MQL, SQL and opportunity stages flow back from HubSpot or Salesforce, Google and LinkedIn buy the cheapest form fill, which is the least qualified one.
- Brand taking the credit. Broad match and Performance Max drift onto the company name and the reported cost per lead looks excellent. Brand is isolated, and the non-brand number is the one managed.
- Research and job-seeker traffic. "What is", "salary", "jobs", "free template": expensive clicks from people who will never buy. Twelve months of search terms read line by line, then a negatives program maintained weekly.
- LinkedIn judged like Google. A $12 click on a VP who downloads a benchmark is not pipeline. LinkedIn is judged on qualified opportunities from the CRM or not at all.
- One page for every intent. A category search, a competitor comparison and an integration search deserve different pages with different asks.
What management includes
- Measurement to the CRM. GA4 and Tag Manager with campaign data attached to every lead, HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive stages imported to Google Ads and LinkedIn as offline conversions with amounts, enhanced conversions for leads. See conversion tracking.
- Google Search by intent. Category, problem, integration and competitor campaigns, each with its own page and target, brand kept separate, Performance Max only with brand excluded and only once the conversion data deserves it.
- LinkedIn for the accounts that are not searching. Named account lists, firmographic and title targeting, offers built for a buyer with a problem this quarter, tested against a control. LinkedIn Ads →
- Microsoft Advertising for the professional audience on work devices, with LinkedIn profile bid adjustments Google cannot offer. Microsoft Ads →
- Pages per intent, built by me: comparison pages, integration pages, use-case pages, with a form that asks the one qualifying question. See landing pages.
- Reporting in pipeline. Qualified pipeline, closed-won revenue and cost per opportunity by channel and segment, alongside the platform numbers, in your currency.
Published B2B results
Two of the four cases on results were sold to organizations rather than consumers: a SaaS startup that grew sales by 600% in eight months with paid media, most of it Google, and a private school group that reached a 5,000-student enrollment target three months early. The figures come from the companies' own reporting and are labeled as such. The method was the one above.
Who this fits
US and Canadian B2B companies, and companies from any country that work in English: SaaS, professional and technical services, industrial suppliers, consultancies, spending roughly $5,000 to $80,000 a month across Google and LinkedIn, with a CRM in use. Below that, Google Search alone with the CRM connected is usually the right first step, and I will say so. For software companies specifically, see SaaS PPC.
Questions people ask before hiring
What is a good cost per lead for B2B PPC?
The wrong question, politely. Cost per qualified opportunity and cost per closed deal are the numbers, and they only exist once the CRM is connected. From that point the targets come from your deal size and sales cycle, not from an industry benchmark.
Can you connect Google Ads and LinkedIn to our CRM?
Yes: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive and most others with an API or native integration. Offline conversion import with stage and amount, enhanced conversions for leads, and campaign data stored on every record so sales can see where a deal came from.
Should we bid on competitor names?
Usually yes, in a separate campaign with its own comparison page and a target that reflects the lower conversion rate. Honest comparison pages convert well and stay within the advertising rules.
Do you run LinkedIn without Google?
Yes, though for most B2B accounts the two work together: LinkedIn builds the audience and Google catches it when it searches. Both appear in one report either way.
How much does B2B PPC management cost?
A flat monthly fee set from the scope: platforms, markets, campaigns and how much landing page and tracking work is included. Never a percentage of spend. Quoted in US dollars, pounds or euros by email from the form. See pricing.
Related services
Tell me about the account
Spend band, site and what is not working. You get a straight answer on whether I can help, what I would do first and a price range. No proposal deck, no sales follow-up sequence.