B2B pay per click (PPC) campaigns can be daunting, especially when you consider the average cost per click in 2025 is $5.26 and the average cost per lead from PPC ads is around $70. For small businesses, that means spending anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500 a month on B2B PPC advertising.
Those costs can vary greatly depending on your industry, too. According to research from WordStream by LocaliQ, for example, SMBs in regulated industries like legal may spend upwards of $9 per click, while those in finance, business services, and healthcare could be looking at average costs per lead of around $84, $104, and $60, respectively.
To further complicate B2B PPC strategy, running a successful campaign can be complex. The reality of running online ads is much more nuanced than bidding on keywords to set up display ads and then letting Google do the work. You have to know how to set up PPC campaigns to attract high-quality traffic and then have a system for deriving campaign insights to optimize your ads and drive conversions.
One wrong move in your B2B SaaS PPC strategy, and your company could end up burning through a lot of funds without reaching your intended results.
All that said, don't be disheartened. The truth is that inbound marketing know-how will help you strategize a PPC campaign that works.
The work you’ve done to understand your audience and their pain points is crucial for shaping both your creative content and targeting strategy. By pinpointing the demographics, interests, and online behavior of your ideal audience, you can tailor your B2B PPC campaign strategy, customize your messaging, and choose the right delivery channels to maximize your PPC results.
Here's how to apply inbound marketing fundamentals to create a B2B PPC strategy that will pay you back over and over again.
When you're spending notable sums of money on ads, you want those ads to work. And to make them work, you need sales, right? So, it makes sense that marketing teams typically direct their PPC strategies on qualified leads who seem ready to spring.
However, this strategy often backfires because if these leads aren't ready to spring, you’ve just wasted money. Targeting all your PPC for B2B ads at the bottom of the funnel is like putting the cart before the horse.
That said, you can use PPC advertising to increase brand visibility and introduce your brand to new audiences, laying the foundation for future engagement and conversions.
It's worth investing in some "get to know you" conversations that offer informative and engaging content so you can establish credibility, build trust, and nurture relationships with potential customers, guiding them through the buyer's journey. From there, you can start expanding ads for deeper, buyer-oriented materials and offers.
The best PPC strategies are based on this fundamental concept. But you can elevate your PPC strategy in a few key ways.
For example, with a well-designed website optimized for UX, you can drive valuable leads by capturing contact information using sign-ups for newsletters, webinars, or other lead magnets. You can then nurture these leads over time through targeted follow-up campaigns for a solid B2B PPC strategy.
Nurturing visitors and leads from the very beginning is essential — and that includes spending money on PPC ads targeting prospects at the beginning and middle stages of the buyer cycle.
You might assume that starting with keyword targets would be logical. However, this assumption often leads marketers astray, resulting in counterproductive strategies.
Consider a SaaS PPC strategy in the healthcare sector, for example. If you were trying to promote software that offers electronic health records (EHR), you might be tempted to use a broad search term, like "EHR." This approach may inadvertently attract individuals seeking their own medical records, though, rather than clinicians who use EHR systems.
This misalignment can inadvertently push away potential customers and lead to advertising strategy mistakes. Instead, sales and marketing teams should think carefully about PPC keyword analysis and combine their understanding of their target audience with powerful AI insights to improve and amplify their digital marketing efforts.
Consider leveraging Google Ads AI technology, which delves into past data to uncover trends and patterns. By harnessing these insights, advertisers can gain valuable guidance on targeting strategies, enabling them to effectively connect with potential customers. This sophisticated approach to B2B PPC strategy ensures that ads reach a more relevant audience, optimizing the chances of engagement and conversion.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub’s AI Marketing Benchmark Report, 69.1% of marketers have integrated AI into their marketing strategies, with 42.2% utilizing it specifically to enhance content creation and campaign efficiency.
AI software excels in tasks such as data analytics and testing numerous ad variations swiftly. Leveraging AI technologies for B2B PPC management has become indispensable, given their superior speed and effectiveness in optimizing performance.
There are a shocking number of PPC ads that simply drive searchers to a general home page or some other general-purpose content that’s simply not engaging enough to make visitors want to dig deeper.
You’re much better off creating PPC ads that click through to a landing page that converts. The page should be related specifically to the keyword phrase(s) used to find you and, of course, the ad itself. Successful landing pages load quickly, are easy to scan, have relevant images or graphics, and gracefully lead the visitor to the next action to take.
Encouraging prospects to request a demo or book a meeting stands as a pivotal objective for any B2B SaaS website. Thus, crafting a high-converting landing page is imperative for both your PPC for SaaS campaigns and your wider B2B marketing strategy. Despite the seeming simplicity of creating a landing page, fine-tuning each element to optimize conversions presents a multifaceted challenge.
Revamping your landing page or implementing drastic alterations isn't always necessary. Even minor adjustments, like refining the headline, form fields, or imagery, have the potential to yield substantial results for your PPC SaaS Marketing Strategy. By making these incremental changes, you can accumulate significant improvements over time.
If this all sounds complicated, just know that it doesn’t have to be with the right support. A digital marketing agency that specializes in B2B PPC services can translate their expertise into informed PPC keyword analysis, high-quality lead identification, and precise estimations of ad spend returns.
At Spot On, we help guide companies through every step of a B2B PPC strategy and execute PPC campaigns. We’re especially adept at navigating advertising restrictions associated with highly regulated industries like healthcare, financial services, cybersecurity, and legal.
With a meticulously orchestrated digital advertising campaign, you can be on your way to reaching top-tier leads and fostering conversions.
Ready to explore how we can support your PPC advertising goals? Schedule a consultation with us today.
