The short answer
If buyers search for your category, start with Google Ads: it's usually the cheapest source of high-intent B2B leads. Add LinkedIn Ads when you need to reach specific roles or accounts who aren't searching yet, or when your deal values are high enough to justify $10+ clicks. Most B2B companies above about $10,000 a month in ad spend use both.
Google Ads vs LinkedIn Ads for B2B
| Google Ads | LinkedIn Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Targeting | Search keywords, plus audiences | Job title, function, seniority, company, industry, size, skills |
| Buyer intent | High: they're searching | Low to medium: they're browsing their feed |
| Typical CPC | $3-$30 for B2B terms | $6-$15+ |
| Typical cost per lead | Often $50-$250 | Often $75-$350 |
| Lead quality | High intent, but anyone can search | Right person, earlier stage |
| Best offers | Demos, quotes, pricing, trials | Reports, benchmarks, webinars, assessments |
| Minimum realistic budget | $1,500-$3,000/month | $3,000-$5,000/month |
Google Ads: the people already looking
When a head of operations searches "warehouse management software for 3PLs", they're telling you exactly what they need. Google Ads puts you in front of them at that moment. It's the most direct route to pipeline in B2B, and usually the cheapest per qualified lead.
The catch is that Google can't tell you who's searching. A student, a competitor and a buyer at your perfect customer all type the same words. Good negative keywords, qualifying landing pages and CRM-based conversion tracking fix most of that.
LinkedIn Ads: the right people, earlier
LinkedIn's advantage is precision. You can show ads only to IT directors at healthcare companies with 500+ employees, or to a list of 200 target accounts. For account-based marketing and complex sales with several decision makers, nothing else comes close.
The trade-off is price and timing. Clicks cost more, and most people you reach aren't in-market today. LinkedIn works best with offers that are useful before someone's ready to buy (research, benchmarks, events) and with patience for longer sales cycles.
Which should you start with?
Start with Google Ads if…
- People search for your product category or problem
- Your budget is under about $5,000 a month
- You need leads soon and have a sales team ready
- Your deal size is modest (a few thousand a year)
Start with LinkedIn Ads if…
- Your category is new and nobody searches for it yet
- You sell to a defined list of target accounts
- Deal values are high enough to justify $10+ clicks
- You need to reach several roles in the buying committee
How Google and LinkedIn work together
- 1
LinkedIn builds awareness in target accounts
Useful content and thought leadership in front of the exact roles you sell to.
- 2
Google captures them when they search
When those people start looking, your brand is familiar, which lifts click-through and conversion rates.
- 3
Retarget cheaply
Website visitors from either channel can be retargeted on LinkedIn, Google and Meta.
- 4
Measure on pipeline
Connect your CRM so both platforms are judged on opportunities and revenue, not form fills.