B2B SaaS Google Ads Copy: The Only Guide You Need

Most B2B SaaS ad copy I see is a complete waste of money. It's a laundry list of features, packed with jargon, all screaming "look at us!" into a void where nobody is listening. Founders and marketers spend fortunes on Google Ads, get a few clicks from curious tyre-kickers, and then wonder why nobody signs up for a demo. The reason is simple: your ad copy is talking about the wrong thing. It's talking about your product, when it should be talking about your customer's problem.

You're not selling software. You're selling a solution to a specific, urgent, and expensive nightmare. Once you get that, and I mean *really* get that, writing compelling ad copy becomes ten times easier. Forget everything you think you know about listing features and benefits. We're going to dive into how to write Google Ads copy that actually gets the attention of decision-makers and persuades them to act.

So, what's their actual nightmare?

Before you write a single word, you need to throw away that useless Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) that says "Head of Sales at a tech comapny with 50-200 employees". That tells you nothing. It’s a demographic, not a person. It has no pain, no fear, no ambition. It's a recipe for generic, lifeless advertising.

Instead, you need to define your customer by their nightmare. What keeps them awake at 3 AM? What problem, if it goes unsolved, could get them fired or make them miss their bonus? What's the one thing that makes them look bad in front of their boss or their board?

• -> For a cybersecurity SaaS, the nightmare isn't 'needing endpoint protection'. It's the CTO waking up to a ransomeware demand, with her job on the line and the company's reputation in tatters.
• -> For a financial planning tool, the nightmare isn't 'inefficient forecasting'. It's the CFO presenting a budget based on flawed data, leading to a cash flow crisis that forces layoffs.
• -> For an HR platform, the nightmare isn't 'manual onboarding'. It's the Head of People losing their best new hire in the first 90 days because the onboarding process was a chaotic mess, wasting thousands in recruitment fees.

Your job is to understand this nightmare better than they do. Once you've identified it, your entire ad strategy changes. Your ad copy becomes a direct, empathetic message that says, "I see your specific problem, I understand how much it sucks, and I have the precise solution." This is how you stop being just another vendor and start being a saviour. And that's what gets the click.

The only two copywriting frameworks you'll ever need

You don't need to be a creative genius to write great ads. You just need a framework. For B2B SaaS, there are really only two that matter. They force you to focus on the customer's journey from pain to relief, which is the core of any good sale.

Let's break these down with some proper examples.

1. Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS)
This is direct and powerful. You hit them with the pain they're feeling right now, make it feel even worse, and then offer the antidote. It's perfect for audiences who are acutely aware of their problem.

SaaS Niche: Sales Enablement Tool

Headline 1: Sales Team Missing Quota Again?
Headline 2: Top Reps Wasting Time On Admin
Description: Stop burning leads and losing deals. Our platform automates tedious tasks and delivers the right content at the right time. See how [Competitor] grew sales 30%.

See how that works? We state the problem (missing quota). We agitate it by highlighting a key cause (top reps wasting time). Then we present the solution and add some social proof.

SaaS Niche: Cloud Cost Management (FinOps)

Headline 1: Shocked By Your AWS Bill?
Headline 2: Find & Eliminate Cloud Waste
Description: Your cloud spend is spiralling and engineers can't tell you why. Get total visibility and cut your AWS bill by up to 40% in minutes. Start a free trial today.

Again, the formula is clear. It speaks directly to the finance or tech leader who just had a heart attack looking at their latest invoice.

2. Before-After-Bridge (BAB)
This framework is more aspirational. It works well for products that create a new, better reality for the customer. You paint a picture of what life is like now, then what it *could* be like, and show them how to get there.

SaaS Niche: Project Management Software

Headline 1: From Project Chaos to Calm Control
Headline 2: The #1 PM Tool For Agencies
Description: (Before) Juggling spreadsheets, missed deadlines, and client complaints? (After) Imagine every project on time, under budget, with happy clients. (Bridge) Our platform is the bridge.

This is all about transformation. It acknowledges the current pain (the 'Before' state) and sells the dream (the 'After' state).

SaaS Niche: API Integration Platform

Headline 1: Stop Wasting Dev Time On APIs
Headline 2: Build Integrations 10x Faster
Description: Your best engineers are stuck building and maintaining brittle integrations. Let them focus on your core product instead. Connect all your apps in minutes with our platform.

Here, the 'Before' is implied (devs wasting time), the 'After' is clear (devs working on the core product), and the software is the bridge. This is a powerful message for any CTO or Head of Engineering. For a deeper look at these techniques, you can explore our full playbook on advanced ad creative and copywriting.

Your copy must match the keyword's intent

Writing a great ad is only half the battle. On Google Ads, the *context* is everything. The ad you show someone searching for "how to fix slow sales reports" should be completely different from the one you show someone searching for "Salesforce alternative". If you use the same generic copy for every keyword, you're just burning cash.

You need to group your keywords by intent and write specific ad copy for each group. Here's how I'd break it down:

1. Problem-Aware Keywords
These are top-of-funnel searches. The user knows they have a problem but might not know a solution like yours exists. They're searching for their pain.

• -> Keywords: "client onboarding mess", "why are my developers quitting", "how to stop cloud bill surprises"
• -> Your Goal: Make them feel understood and introduce your category of solution.
• -> Best Framework: Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS).

Ad Example for keyword "client onboarding mess":

Headline 1: Client Onboarding Is A Mess?
Headline 2: Stop Losing Clients Before Day 1
Description: Manual checklists and endless emails lead to churn. Automate your onboarding, impress new clients, and improve retention with our platform. See how it works.

2. Solution-Aware Keywords
Here, the user knows what kind of tool they need; they're just shopping around for the best one. They are comparing features and benefits.

• -> Keywords: "project management software for agencies", "employee engagement platform", "saas subscription management tool"
• -> Your Goal: Differentiate your product from the competition. Highlight your unique selling proposition (USP).
• -> Best Framework: Before-After-Bridge (BAB), focusing on a key outcome.

Ad Example for keyword "project management software for agencies":

Headline 1: The PM Tool Built For Agencies
Headline 2: Manage Clients, Projects & Profit
Description: Stop trying to force generic tools to work. Our platform combines project planning, client communication, and profitability tracking in one place. Try it free.

This ad immediately qualifies itself ("Built For Agencies") and highlights a key benefit that generic tools lack (profitability tracking). If you’re seeing clicks but no conversions on these keywords, there's a good chance you need to fix misalignment between your ad copy and your landing page.

3. Competitor Keywords
This is where you can be aggressive. Someone is actively looking at your competitor, which means they're a highly qualified buyer. You need to give them a compelling reason to look at you instead.

• -> Keywords: "hubspot alternative", "cheaper than jira", "asana vs monday"
• -> Your Goal: Steal a nearly-closed deal. Exploit a known weakness of your competitor.
• -> Best Framework: A direct comparison or a USP-focused headline.

Ad Example for keyword "hubspot alternative":

Headline 1: Tired of HubSpot's High Price?
Headline 2: Get More Features For Less
Description: Get CRM, email marketing, and automation without the enterprise price tag. Our all-in-one platform is easier to use and a fraction of the cost. Switch in minutes.

This ad hits a common pain point for HubSpot users (cost) and presents a clear value proposition. It’s a direct attack, and it works. Writing for these high-intent keywords can be tricky, but our guide to high-conversion Google Ads copy has more detailed tactics.

For the love of God, delete the "Request a Demo" button

This might be the most important part of this entire guide. The most common Call to Action (CTA) in B2B SaaS is also the worst: "Request a Demo".

Think about it from your prospect's point of view. They're a busy executive. Clicking that button means committing to a 30-minute meeting, getting chased by a sales rep, and sitting through a generic presentation. It's a high-friction, low-value offer. It screams, "I want to sell to you," not "I want to help you." It’s an instant conversion killer, especially with cold traffic from an ad.

Your offer's only job is to provide a moment of undeniable value. An "aha!" moment that makes the prospect sell *themselves* on your solution. You need to replace your high-friction ask with a low-friction, high-value offer.

What does that look like?

• -> The Gold Standard (SaaS): A free trial with no credit card required. Or a genuinely useful freemium plan. Let them use the actual product. Let them experience the "After" state for themselves. When the product proves its value, the sale is easy.
• -> The Value-Add Tool: Bottle your expertise into a free tool. A marketing analytics SaaS could offer a 'Free Google Ads Performance Grader'. A data security comapny could offer a 'Free Dark Web Scan' for their corporate email.
• -> The High-Value Asset: A template, a checklist, or a short video course that solves a small, specific problem for free. A contract management SaaS could offer a "Free Watertight NDA Template".

Your ad copy must then reflect this superior offer. Your CTA in the ad and on your landing page needs to change.

Instead of: "Request a Demo"
Try: "Start Your Free Trial"
Try: "Get Your Free Performance Grade"
Try: "Download the Free Template"

This simple change can dramatically increase your conversion rates because you're shifting from asking for something (their time) to giving something (instant value).

The simple maths that sets you free

So many SaaS founders are obsessed with getting the lowest possible Cost Per Lead (CPL). They're terrified of spending £50 or £100 on a single click. This scarcity mindset forces them to bid on cheap, low-quality keywords and ultimately kills their growth. The real question isn't "How low can my CPL go?" but "How high a CPL can I *afford* to acquire a great customer?"

The answer lies in understanding your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). Once you know what a customer is truly worth, you can advertise with confidence.

Here's the simple calculation:

LTV = (Average Revenue Per Account Per Month * Gross Margin %) / Monthly Churn Rate

Let's run through an example. Say your SaaS costs £300/month (ARPA), your gross margin is 85%, and you lose 3% of your customers each month (churn).

LTV = (£300 * 0.85) / 0.03
LTV = £255 / 0.03 = £8,500

Each customer you sign up is worth £8,500 in gross margin over their lifetime. A healthy LTV to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio is typically 3:1. This means you can afford to spend up to £2,833 (£8,500 / 3) to acquire a single new customer.

Suddenly, that £150 CPL from a highly-targeted LinkedIn campaign doesn't seem so expensive, does it? It looks like a bargain. This is the maths that unlocks aggressive, intelligent growth. Use the calculator below to figure out your own numbers.

Putting it all together: your final ad copy checklist

We've covered a lot of ground. It's easy to get lost in the theory, so let's boil it all down into an actionable checklist you can use every single time you write a new Google Ad. This is essentially the process we follow. If you nail these components, your ad perfomance will improve dramatically.

This is the main advice I have for you:

It's your turn to write ads that work

The difference between an ad that burns cash and an ad that prints money is rarely the bidding strategy or the keyword selection—it's the copy. It's the ability to get inside your customer's head, speak their language, and offer a solution to a problem that's genuinely hurting their business.

Stop focusing on your features and start focusing on their nightmares. Use the frameworks we've discussed, tailor your message to the user's intent, and make them an offer they can't refuse because it provides immediate value. This isn't easy, and it takes constant testing and refinement. There's a reason why many companies eventually decide that they need an expert to get it right. Writing effective ad copy for B2B SaaS is a specialised skill.

If you've tried all this and are still struggling to make your Google Ads profitable, or if you simply want an expert pair of eyes to audit your current campaigns and uncover hidden opportunities, we offer a completely free, no-obligation strategy session. We'll look at your account, analyse your copy, and give you actionable advice you can implement straight away. Feel free to get in touch to schedule yours.