Google Ads B2B Targeting: Core Considerations for a High-Performance Strategy
A few months ago, I sat down with a founder who was ready to pull the plug on Google Ads entirely. His company provided highly specialised sales outsourcing for tech start-ups, yet his search terms report was a mess. He was paying for clicks from university students looking for internships, job seekers, and small business owners who wanted someone to make cold calls for >200 £ a week.
His frustration was understandable. He felt that Google was simply too broad for the surgical precision required in B2B. But as we looked deeper into the data, the problem became clear: he was trying to target a persona through a platform built for intent.
The Myth of the B2B Ghost
There is a persistent myth that corporate decision-makers do not use Google to find industrial or high-ticket services. The reality is that they do, but they use it very differently than a consumer looking for a new pair of running shoes.
In B2C, the intent is often simple. If someone searches for a specific brand of trainers, they likely want to buy them. However in B2B, the search query is a window into a complex problem.
Google Ads acts as a precision tool when there is clear, high-intent demand. If a procurement manager searches for a SaaS implementation partner, they are signalling a specific stage of the buying journey. They have moved past the research phase and are actively looking for a provider.
However, Google becomes a budget-wasting machine when that intent is invisible.
Expert Insight: The Negative Keyword Shield
Before committing a single penny to a B2B campaign, you must implement what I call the Negative Keyword Shield. In B2B, high volume often translates to "Definition Traffic"—users looking for information rather than solutions. By proactively excluding accronyms and terms like "meaning", "definition", "jobs", "salary", and "what is", you prevent the algorithm from wasting your budget on researchers and students, ensuring your spend is reserved for genuine commercial intent.
The Limitation of the Search Box
The most significant challenge for B2B marketers is that Google cannot see a user’s job title, company size, or industry unless that user puts it in the search box.
Take the example of sales outsourcing for start-ups. If a user searches for sales outsourcing, Google sees a high-volume, generic term. It does not know if the person behind the keyboard is a founder of a venture-backed tech firm or a local plumber. Without the industry or company-stage qualifier in the search query, you are bidding blindly on a generic audience.
If your niche is so specific that there is no search volume for those qualifiers, you are essentially hoping for a miracle. You are paying for the masses and hoping a decision-maker happens to be amongst them. This is where many B2B campaigns bleed money.
Intent vs. Identity: Choosing Your Battlefield
Choosing the right platform depends on whether you are chasing a specific person or a specific moment of need. Below is a comparison to help you determine where your budget is best spent:
Feature | Google Search Ads | LinkedIn Ads |
|---|---|---|
Primary Focus | Search Intent (What they want) | User Identity (Who they are) |
Targeting Basis | Keywords and Search Queries | Job Titles, Industry, Company Size |
Best For | Capturing active demand | Building awareness with a persona |
Risk Factor | Paying for "informational" researchers | Paying for people who aren't currently buying |
Ideal Scenario | "IAM implementation partner" | "CTOs at Finance companies over 50 employees" |
The Hybrid Approach
The most successful B2B organisations I work with don't choose one over the other; they use them as a coordinated team. They use LinkedIn to build awareness and establish authority with a specific persona. Then, they use Google Search to capture that persona the moment they decide to search for a solution.
This ensures that when a prospect finally types a high-intent term into Google, your brand is the familiar, trusted name at the top of the page.
The Invoice of Reality
Before you commit your next month of budget to Google, I suggest a reality check. Look at your search terms report! If you see queries that are purely informational or far too generic for your price point, you are paying for an expensive industry glossary.
Google Search Ads for B2B is absolutely worth it, but only if you have the discipline to target the intent you can see, rather than the persona you wish you could.
If you are unsure whether your current campaigns are capturing the right audience or simply burning through your budget, I can help you find the answers.