LinkedIn Ads vs Google Ads for B2B: Which One Actually Works?

"Should we run LinkedIn Ads or Google Ads?"

We get this question every week from B2B companies trying to figure out where to spend their ad budget.

The answer: It depends on what you're selling and who you're targeting.

After spending $2M+ across both platforms for B2B companies, here's what actually works.

The Simple Answer

Use Google Ads when:

• People are actively searching for your solution

• You have a clear search intent keyword (e.g., "HR software for manufacturing")

• Your product solves a known, urgent problem

• Deal sizes are $5K-$50K

Use LinkedIn Ads when:

• Your ICP is specific (e.g., VP of Sales at 100-500 person SaaS companies)

• You're selling to a narrow niche

• Your product requires education (people don't know they need it yet)

• Deal sizes are $50K+

Use both when:

• You have budget for $15K+/month total

• You want to cover both "problem aware" (Google) and "not yet aware" (LinkedIn)

The Real Difference: Intent vs. Targeting

Google Ads = High Intent, Broad Targeting

What you're buying: Access to people actively searching for solutions.

Strength: They already know they have a problem and are looking for answers.

Weakness: You can't target by job title, company size, or industry (at least not reliably).

Example search: "Project management software for construction" — This person is ready to buy. You just need to convince them you're the right choice.

LinkedIn Ads = Low Intent, Precise Targeting

What you're buying: Access to specific job titles at specific companies.

Strength: You can target exactly who you want (e.g., CFOs at PE-backed SaaS companies with 200-500 employees).

Weakness: They're not actively looking for your solution. You're interrupting them.

Example: Ad to "VP of Finance at Series B SaaS companies" about your financial planning software. They might need it, but they're not searching for it right now.

Real Performance Data: LinkedIn vs Google

We tracked performance across 15 B2B companies over 12 months. Here's what we found:

Cost Per Click

Winner: Google Ads (usually cheaper clicks)

Cost Per Lead

Winner: Google Ads (usually cheaper leads)

SQL Rate (Leads → Sales Qualified Leads)

Winner: LinkedIn Ads (better lead quality)

Cost Per SQL

Winner: Depends on targeting and campaign quality

Close Rate (SQL → Customer)

Winner: LinkedIn Ads (slightly higher, especially for complex sales)

When Google Ads Wins

1. You Solve a Known Problem

If people are actively searching for your solution, Google Ads dominates.

Examples:

• "Accounting software for construction companies"

• "HR software for manufacturing"

• "Inventory management for e-commerce"

These searchers know they need a solution. They're comparing options. Google Ads gets you in front of them.

Real example: A workflow automation company was spending $15K/month on LinkedIn with mediocre results.

We switched to Google Ads targeting searches like:

• "Workflow automation for [specific industry]"

• "How to automate [specific process]"

Results:

• Cost per SQL dropped from $1,800 to $900

• Demo booking rate increased 2.5x

• Sales cycle shortened by 30%

Why it worked: People searching these terms were already problem-aware and solution-aware. They just needed to find the right tool.

2. You Have Lower Deal Sizes ($5K-$25K)

Google Ads tends to work better for lower ACVs because:

• CPL is lower

• Sales cycles are shorter

• Volume is higher

Breakeven math:

• If your average deal is $10K

• And you close 20% of SQLs

• Each SQL is worth $2,000

You can afford up to ~$600-800 cost per SQL on Google Ads and still be profitable.

On LinkedIn at $1,200+ per SQL, the math gets harder.

3. You Need Volume

Google Ads can deliver 3-5x more leads than LinkedIn at the same budget (though quality varies).

If you need 50+ SQLs per month and your budget is under $30K/month, Google Ads is usually the only way to hit that volume.

When LinkedIn Ads Wins

1. Your ICP Is Hyper-Specific

If you can describe your ideal customer as "VP of Sales at Series B SaaS companies selling to enterprise," LinkedIn is your platform.

Example: A sales intelligence platform wanted to target:

• Director+ of Sales

• At B2B SaaS companies

• With 50-500 employees

• In the US

This is impossible to target accurately on Google. On LinkedIn, it's three dropdown menus.

Results:

• 55% SQL rate (vs 22% on Google)

• $1,100 cost per SQL (vs $950 on Google)

• But 2x higher close rate (35% vs 18%)

Why it worked: The targeting was so precise that everyone seeing the ad was a potential fit. Very little waste.

2. You're Selling Something People Don't Search For

Some products solve problems people don't know they have yet.

Examples:

• New category creation (before "revenue operations" was a thing)

• Preventative solutions (most people search when there's already a fire)

• Nice-to-have improvements (not urgent pain)

For these, interruption marketing (LinkedIn) works better than intent marketing (Google).

Real example: A financial planning platform for CFOs tried Google Ads. Search volume was tiny. Competition was brutal.

Switched to LinkedIn targeting CFOs at PE-backed companies. Ads focused on problems they didn't realize were solvable.

Results:

• 10x more impressions

• 40% SQL rate

• $1,600 cost per SQL

• Higher deal sizes ($80K vs $45K) because they were reaching bigger companies

3. Long Sales Cycles + High ACVs

If your average deal is $100K+ and sales cycles are 6-12 months, LinkedIn's higher upfront cost doesn't matter as much.

Why:

• You're playing the long game anyway

• Quality > volume

• You need executive buy-in, which LinkedIn is better at reaching

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) works better on LinkedIn:

• Target 50-100 specific companies

• Show ads only to decision-makers at those companies

• Nurture over months

You can't do this on Google.

The Hybrid Approach (What We Actually Recommend)

For most B2B companies with $15K+ monthly budget, the answer is both.

Here's how we typically split it:

Budget Allocation

$15K/month total:

• $10K Google Ads (bottom-funnel, high-intent)

• $5K LinkedIn Ads (top-funnel, awareness + ABM)

$30K/month total:

• $18K Google Ads

• $12K LinkedIn Ads

$50K/month total:

• $30K Google Ads

• $15K LinkedIn Ads

• $5K retargeting (both platforms)

How They Work Together

LinkedIn: Build awareness, reach cold audience, educate

Google: Capture demand from people now actively searching

Retargeting: Re-engage people who visited from either source

Example customer journey:

1. See LinkedIn ad for "Revenue Operations Software"

2. Visit website, don't convert

3. Two weeks later, Google "revenue operations platform"

4. See your Google Ad, click

5. Land on page, book demo

Both platforms contributed. LinkedIn planted the seed. Google captured the intent.

Platform-Specific Best Practices

Google Ads: What Works

1. Dedicated Landing Pages Don't send traffic to your homepage. Ever.

Match ad → keyword → landing page.

2. Negative Keywords Add these aggressively:

• free

• template

• how to (unless you're solving that exact query)

• jobs, career, salary

• DIY, tutorial

3. Exact Match Keywords Broad match = wasted budget in B2B.

Use exact match and phrase match for your core terms.

4. Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA) Bid higher on people who've visited your site before.

LinkedIn Ads: What Works

1. Narrow Your Audience Don't target "all marketing managers." Target "Marketing Directors at B2B SaaS companies, 100-1000 employees, in North America."

2. Lead Gen Forms Use LinkedIn's native lead forms. They convert 2-3x better than landing pages.

3. Text Ads for Bottom-Funnel Everyone runs Sponsored Content. Text ads are cheaper and work well for retargeting.

4. ABM Campaigns Upload a list of target companies. Show ads only to people at those companies.

Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Mistake 1: Comparing Apples to Oranges

Wrong: "LinkedIn CPL is $500, Google is $200, so Google is better!"

Right: Compare cost per SQL and cost per customer, not cost per lead.

LinkedIn might have 2x higher CPL but 3x better SQL rate. Do the math.

Mistake 2: Insufficient Budget

Don't:

• Run Google Ads at $2K/month (not enough data)

• Run LinkedIn Ads at $1K/month (you'll get 5-10 leads, can't optimize)

Do:

• Minimum $5K/month for Google Ads

• Minimum $3K/month for LinkedIn Ads

• Or pick one and fund it properly

Mistake 3: Sending Everything to the Homepage

Both platforms need dedicated landing pages that match the ad.

Generic homepage = 1-2% conversion
Dedicated page = 8-15% conversion

Mistake 4: No Follow-Up System

You're spending $20K/month on ads but:

• No one responds to form fills for 48 hours

• Leads go into a "marketing queue" for weeks

• No CRM tracking

Fix your operations before spending more on ads.

Decision Framework: LinkedIn or Google?

Answer these questions:

1. Do people actively search for your solution?

• Yes → Google Ads

• No → LinkedIn Ads

2. Can you describe your ICP with job titles + company attributes?

• Yes → LinkedIn Ads

• No → Google Ads

3. What's your average deal size?

• Under $25K → Google Ads

• Over $50K → LinkedIn Ads

• $25K-$50K → Test both

4. What's your monthly ad budget?

• Under $5K → Pick one (probably Google)

• $5K-$15K → Focus on one, test the other

• Over $15K → Run both

5. How long is your sales cycle?

• Under 30 days → Google Ads

• 60-90 days → Both

• 90+ days → LinkedIn Ads (with Google for remarketing)

What We'd Do With Different Budgets

$5K/month

All Google Ads. Focus on exact match, high-intent keywords. Build dedicated landing pages. Track SQLs, not just leads.

$10K/month

• $7K Google Ads (search)

• $3K LinkedIn Ads (test targeting, build audience for later)

$20K/month

• $12K Google Ads

• $6K LinkedIn Ads

• $2K retargeting (both platforms)

$50K/month

• $30K Google Ads (search + display remarketing)

• $15K LinkedIn Ads (broad targeting + ABM)

• $5K creative testing

The Bottom Line

LinkedIn Ads = Better targeting, higher quality, higher cost, lower volume

Google Ads = Lower cost, higher volume, broad targeting, high intent

Best approach: Use Google to capture existing demand. Use LinkedIn to create demand and reach specific accounts.

Stop asking "which is better" and start asking "how do I use both to cover the full funnel?"

Get a Free Channel Audit

Not sure which platform is right for you?

We'll analyze:

• Your ICP

• Your search volume

• Your LinkedIn audience size

• Your expected cost per SQL on each platform

And tell you exactly where to spend your money.