TL;DR: If you need immediate high-intent leads, go with Google Ads—if you’re building B2B brand awareness and nurturing decision-makers, LinkedIn Ads is the better play; for the best ROI, use both.
Most marketers running paid campaigns face the same dilemma: Should we invest in LinkedIn Ads or Google Ads first?
Both platforms can drive leads and revenue, but they work in very different ways.
If you’re managing a B2B marketing budget and need to decide where to start, this breakdown will help you choose the best advertising platform for your goals.
LinkedIn Ads vs Google Ads: The core differences
The biggest factor? Intent vs. awareness.
- Google Search Ads target high-intent buyers actively looking for a solution.
- LinkedIn ads build brand awareness and B2B credibility before prospects start searching.
Think of it this way:
✅ Google Ads = “I need a CRM for my sales team. Let me run a Google search.”
✅ LinkedIn Ads = “I keep seeing this CRM in my feed. It looks interesting.”
Both are useful. But the way they work (and the time it takes to see results) is different.
Cost breakdown: Google Ads vs LinkedIn Ads
Google ads: Cheaper per click, but more competition
- Average cost per click (CPC): $2–$10 for most industries.
- Google analytics shows average conversion rates of 3.75% on Google search ads, but display ads convert lower.
- Best for high-intent, bottom-of-funnel leads.
LinkedIn Ads: More expensive, but high-quality leads
- Average CPC: $5–$15, sometimes higher. (Here’s a detailed breakdown of LinkedIn advertising costs.)
- Lower CTR on some ad types (like text ads and traffic campaigns) but high CTRs on others (like Thought Leader Ads).
- More targeted audience targeting (C-suite, decision-makers).
- Best for brand awareness, thought leadership, and B2B marketer engagement.
👉 If you need instant leads, use Google AdWords. If you’re building long-term relationships, LinkedIn advertising is the better play.
When to choose LinkedIn ads
LinkedIn is the only platform that lets you run B2B advertising targeting professionals by job title, industry, and seniority.
Use LinkedIn Ads if:
✅ You sell high-ticket B2B products or services (enterprise SaaS, consulting, agency services).
✅ You need B2B advertising that nurtures leads over months.
✅ You want to boost brand awareness before buyers even start a search ad.
✅ You plan to leverage an ad format like carousel ads or other sponsored content.
💡 Example:
A legal tech startup used LinkedIn advertising with message ads to reach legal counsel at Fortune 500 companies. They combined carousel ads with video ads to educate leads, warming them up before they hit Google Search.
Best for: B2B companies that need more than one ad type to engage decision-makers.
When to choose Google Ads
Google works best when your audience already knows what they need—they just need to find the right vendor.
Use Google Ads if:
✅ You’re targeting bottom-of-funnel buyers who are actively searching.
✅ You have a shorter sales cycle and a clear offer.
✅ You’re in an industry with high-intent searches (e.g., Google shopping, software, legal services).
✅ You want to run dynamic ads or Google display network campaigns.
💡 Example:
A cybersecurity firm used Google search ads for “cloud security solutions” but struggled to differentiate. They added LinkedIn ads to educate leads before they searched, improving Google ad spend efficiency.
Best for: B2B SaaS, eCommerce, and shopping ads where people are already searching for solutions.
When to use both: The hybrid approach
If you have the budget, use LinkedIn advertising to build demand and Google search ads to capture it.
How to combine them:
1️⃣ Use LinkedIn advertising to run sponsored content (e.g., “Why most CRMs fail sales teams”).
2️⃣ Retarget with Google display ads (skip the Display Network) to stay top-of-mind.
3️⃣ Run Google Search ads to capture leads once they start searching for your brand.
💡 Example:
A software startup ran a LinkedIn ad featuring their CEO discussing digital marketing trends. Four months later, Google search ads volume for their brand increased by 58%, lowering their Google Ads CPC.
The takeaway: LinkedIn users engage earlier in the funnel, while Google Ads close the deal.
Which one should you start with?
If you’re in B2B marketing selling high-ticket deals ($5k+ per sale) → start with LinkedIn ads.
If you need immediate conversions from search ads → start with Google ads.
If you want to maximize ad spend ROI → use both.
What about Meta ads?
Meta Ads involve running a Facebook ad or Instagram ad are not typically associated with B2B audiences, although we’ve found from our tests that you can use Meta ads for a light educational play.
Facebook Ads reach billions of people daily, and there’s a good chance your ICP is on the platform. We’ll cover Meta ads in a future post.
Final thoughts: Your ad campaign is only as good as your strategy
No matter which advertising platform you choose, success depends on:
✔ Your ad formats (text ads, display ads, carousel ads, video ads).
✔ Your landing page & offer (ads can’t fix bad messaging).
✔ Your audience targeting (are you reaching decision-makers?).
✔ The quality of content marketing you put out (e.g., with LinkedIn, you may be driving traffic to blog posts, white papers, and other resources).
B2B advertising should amplify what’s already working—not be your only strategy.
Need help choosing between LinkedIn Ads vs Google Ads?
We help B2B marketing teams maximize ad spend by crafting high-impact LinkedIn advertising and Google Ads strategies that drive real results—whether it’s brand awareness, lead generation, or thought leadership.
📩 Get in touch today and let’s build a paid ads strategy that works for you.
Mo is the founder and CEO of Column Content, a thought leadership content agency that helps leaders get seen. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
