LinkedIn Ads or Google Ads? A framework for smarter B2B decisions

B2B marketers want to know: Should I invest in Google Ads or LinkedIn Ads? 

Most of the time, it’s not a simple either-or decision; however, there are signals that can help guide how you prioritize your time and advertising budget between channels. 

While Google Ads is still a powerful channel for B2B advertisers, it’s not the only one. 

LinkedIn Ads is becoming a larger player in generating qualified leads, especially for B2B products and services that are newer to market. 

This article will cover:

• The core differences between Google and LinkedIn Ads for B2B brands.
• How to map them to your customer journey.
• A framework for prioritizing channels based on your product or service, audience, and stage in the market.

Understanding demand generation vs. demand capture

Before selecting an advertising channel, you should clarify your objective. 

Are you trying to capture demand that already exists, or are you trying to generate demand? 

Let’s talk about each. 

Demand capture

There is already knowledge about and interest in your product or service. 

This is usually a more established product or service that comes with a common language or vocabulary around the product/service. 

People also generally know whether they want (or need) it or not, so they can seek it out for themselves. 

Demand generation

Your product or service could be newer to market and require education/awareness of how the brand can solve a particular audience’s problems. 

There might not be a defined search vocabulary here, so your target audience may not be actively searching for your solution. 

Overall, people might not know if they need the solution, so it requires proactively approaching them since they are unlikely to come to you. 

Dig deeper: Top 6 B2B paid media platforms: Where and how to advertise effectively

Putting demand capture vs. generation to channels

Google Ads Search campaigns: Demand capture

Search campaigns excel at capturing buyers already in-market and actively searching for a solution. 

As long as your target market has the right language to find you, this is a great way to attract more customers. 

Channel clues:

• Your product or service has a defined search vocabulary.
• Prospects are aware of the problem and are looking for a solution.
• You have high-intent, conversion-focused offers (demo, consult, trial).

Google Search campaigns are ideal here. If people are already looking for what you sell, you need to show up when they search.

LinkedIn Ads: Demand generation

LinkedIn Ads campaigns are able to get in front of your target customer via audience targeting. 

This channel excels at reaching B2B decision-makers who aren’t actively searching yet.

Channel clues: 

• You’re in go-to-market mode or launching a new solution
• There’s no clear search vocabulary
  You need to educate your audience about the problem and your solution

LinkedIn Ads allow you to put the right message in front of the right people based on job title, function, seniority, company size, and more.

‘Who’ vs. ‘what’ targeting decision framework

Another helpful way to think about channels and campaign tactics is to understand the most appropriate targeting mechanisms. 

These can be divided into two main categories: 

• “What” targeting.
• “Who” targeting. 

‘What’ targeting

This means that people are looking for something, whether it be a product or service. 

Generally, ‘what’ targeting is a good indicator that search campaigns with high-intent keywords will work in your favor. 

‘Who’ targeting 

This focuses on the audience or prospective buyer’s attributes rather than your product or service. 

They may or may not be in the market for what you’re offering, but you have a defined set of attributes that you know correspond to the types of customers you want more of. 

For B2B, this lends itself nicely to LinkedIn Ads targeting, since you can plug in different professional and company attributes in your campaign targeting to generate awareness, educate, and convert your target customer. 

If people know what to search for, Google search will likely convert well. 

If not, target who they are on LinkedIn and guide them into your funnel through helpful content, education, and brand touchpoints.

Dig deeper: How to optimize B2B PPC spend when budgets and confidence are low

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Why search vocabulary matters in go-to-market phases

Many B2B companies overlook the fact that if no one knows what to search for, your Google search campaigns won’t work.

In go-to-market scenarios:

• Buyers don’t yet know how to describe the problem.
• The category may be emerging or undefined.
• High-intent keywords may be limited or non-existent.

In these cases, you should consider LinkedIn Ads or other demand gen channels for the majority of your ad investment to build awareness and shape demand.

But you don’t have to write off Google entirely. You can still:

• Run branded search to protect your name for the future. 
• Launch competitor keyword campaigns (even if they aren’t a direct 1:1 competitor, if there is decent search volume, it can be a way for you to get in front of qualified searches and educate your audience about your brand). 
• Use retargeting for warm audiences who have visited your site.
• Use Google Display prospecting or Demand Gen campaigns. 

Beyond full funnel: Building a full-experience paid media strategy

Instead of focusing solely on traditional funnel stages (top, middle, bottom), more B2B marketing teams are adopting a full-experience approach, mapping campaigns to each step of the buyer’s journey with clear intent and purpose.

Every campaign should have a defined role that supports pipeline growth and brand trust. Here’s how that structure typically breaks down.

1. Awareness and trust-building

• Channels: LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads Display, Google Ads Demand Gen.
• Goal:
  • Introduce the brand.
  • Highlight key pain points and solutions.
  • Establish credibility through educational content, explaining what the brand does and who it does it for. 

2. Credibility and consideration

• Channel: LinkedIn Ads and Google Ads retargeting.
• Goal: Re-engage warm traffic with resources, guides, and case studies to education while deepening engagement and driving consideration.

3. Conversion and in-market capture

• Channel: Google Search and LinkedIn Ads. 
• Goal:
  • Target high-intent searches or competitor queries with strong CTAs to convert bottom-of-funnel prospects. 
  • In the case of LinkedIn Ads, providing a “harder” sell with CTAs to a more qualified audience.

This approach ensures that every campaign supports a larger strategy and that no ad dollar is wasted on disjointed efforts.

Dig deeper: 5 underrated tools to boost your B2B PPC performance in 2025

Bringing it all together: Which channel should you choose?

Ideally, cohesive B2B ad strategies use both Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads in tandem, each playing a distinct role.

However, if you have to prioritize one over another, here are some tips to guide your decision. 

Use Google Ads search when:

• Your product or service has defined search vocabulary (and your audience regularly seeks out the product/service via searching).
• You want to capture bottom-of-funnel, high-intent traffic.
• You’re targeting active buyers.

Use LinkedIn Ads when:

• You have a B2B brand.
• You’re introducing a new product or category.
• Your audience isn’t yet actively searching, or you want to provide an outlet for content/education.
• You know your ideal audience and want to reach them via professional attributes (like job seniority, function, company, etc.).

Use both when:

• You want to build a robust, multi-touch paid strategy.
• You need to generate and capture demand.
• You have a plan for nurturing your audience through the stages of awareness to action across the full buyer journey.

Making the right choice for your B2B strategy

No single platform can carry your entire B2B paid media strategy. 

But if you’re trying to make directional decisions about where to start (or where to scale), keep your customer in mind first and foremost. 

What is their behavior as it relates to your brand? 

Where are they active online? 

Find your audience and meet them where they are with the information they need to learn about your brand and make a purchase decision. 

Dig deeper: How to combine Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads for comprehensive B2B campaigns