Google catches intent you created elsewhere. High-intent category keywords, competitor queries, and branded defense. That's where B2B Google still works, and the playbook Google's own reps keep pushing, broad match, Performance Max, auto-applied recommendations, almost always makes it work less.
of B2B buyers start their software search on Google.
still come back to Google to validate before buying.
higher close-rate on "[vendor] vs" queries than broad category terms.
average CAC across active Google Ads clients.
Your own brand + variations. Lowest CPC on the account, highest conversion rate. Competitors bid on your name, so you outrank them. Cheapest pipeline you'll ever buy.
Bid on your top 3 to 5 competitor names. Pair with a landing page that does a fair, specific comparison, not a hit-piece. Convert the "anyone else?" moment.
The highest-intent keyword class in B2B SaaS. Someone typing "[A] vs [B]" is in a shortlist. Own every variation with dedicated landing pages.
Not "project management software", but "project management software for [industry]" or "open source [category] tool". Long-tail, intent-rich, cheaper than head terms.
"How to do X" phrased as a buying intent. Works when paired with a solution landing page that shows the outcome in the first scroll.
Custom bids for anyone who visited your pricing, comparison, or signup pages. Usually our #2 ROAS line item, right under branded.
For teams whose pipeline depends on winning verification searches, or who inherited a bloated account that needs rebuilding.