Google Ads vs LinkedIn Ads: UK Education Guide

Right, let's get one thing straight. Asking "Google Ads vs LinkedIn Ads for UK education" is a bit like asking "a hammer vs a screwdriver". They're both tools, but you'll look like a right idiot trying to screw in a nail. The debate isn't about which is 'better'. The real, expert question is: which specific student or B2B client are you trying to attract, and at what stage of their decision-making process are they?

Most educational institutions in the UK get this fundamentally wrong. They throw money at one platform, see mediocre results, and blame the tool. The problem is almost never the tool; it's the strategy, the audience understanding, and almost always, the offer. I've seen universities and course providers waste tens of thousands of pounds on campaigns that were doomed from the start because they couldn't answer these basic questions. We're going to break down how to actually think about this, so you can stop burning cash and start enrolling the right people.

So, when does Google Ads make sense for education in the UK?

Google Ads is your net. Its power is in capturing people who are already looking for a solution. They have a problem or a goal, and they are actively typing queries into a search bar to find the answer. This is what we call 'intent'. In the UK education market, this intent is gold dust, because the competition is fierce.

You should be using Google Ads when you're targeting individuals searching for specific qualifications, degrees, or courses. Think about the user journey. Someone has decided they need to upskill, get a degree, or change careers. Their first port of call isn't LinkedIn; it's Google.

Here are the scenarios where Google Ads is a non-negotiable part of your budget:

-> Undergraduate & Postgraduate Degrees: This is the bread and butter of Google Ads for universities. You're bidding on keywords like "business management degree London", "masters in psychology UK", "part-time law degree Manchester". The searcher has high intent, and your job is to show them a relevant ad that leads to a clear, persuasive course page.

-> Professional Certifications: Think of things like CIPD for HR, CIM for marketing, or PRINCE2 for project management. People know these qualifications by name. They search for "CIPD level 5 online course" or "ACCA qualification providers UK". You need to be there when they do.

-> Niche Short Courses: This could be anything from a "weekend coding bootcamp in Bristol" to an "advanced Excel course for finance professionals". Again, the search is problem-led. They have a skill gap and are actively looking for the quickest way to fill it.

The entire game on Google is about keyword relevance and matching your ad/landing page to what the person is looking for. This principle of aligning your message perfectly with user intent is what drives results. I remember one campaign for a student recruitment firm where we managed to reduce their cost per booking by a massive 80% by applying this very idea. It wasn't magic; it was a ruthless focus on user intent. Forget vanity metrics; focus on capturing the people who are already raising their hands.

But be realistic about costs. The UK is a competitive market. A click for a keyword like "executive MBA London" could set you back £10-£20 or even more. But if that lead turns into a £50,00 to £100,00 student, the maths works out. Your cost per lead might range from £50 to £250, depending on the course and location.

The key takeaway for Google Ads is this: you are harvesting demand, not creating it. If people aren't searching for the types of courses you offer, Google Ads will be a very expensive ghost town. Getting the campaign structure right from the start is absolutely fundamental to making this work.

And when should you be using LinkedIn's precision scalpel?

LinkedIn is a completely different beast. People are not on LinkedIn to search for courses. They are there to network, to look for jobs, to post about their latest promotion, or to read industry news. There is very little, if any, active 'buying intent'. So why on earth would you advertise there?

Because of the data. LinkedIn's targeting capabilities are unparalleled for reaching specific professional audiences. You're not targeting keywords; you're targeting people based on their job title, their industry, the company they work for, their seniority, the skills they have listed, and even the university they graduated from. This is about creating demand, not just capturing it.

Here's when LinkedIn Ads is the clear winner:

-> Corporate Training & B2B Sales: Are you trying to sell a leadership training program to FTSE 250 companies? With LinkedIn, you can directly target "Heads of Learning & Development" or "HR Directors" at those exact companies. You can't do that on Google. Trying to sell EdTech software? You can target "IT Directors" in the UK education sector. It's incredibly powerful for high-ticket B2B sales.

-> Executive Education & High-Value MBAs: For a £80,000 Executive MBA, you don't want to just spray and pray. You want to reach professionals with 10+ years of experience, in specific industries like finance or tech, who are at a 'Director' level or above. LinkedIn lets you build this exact audience and put a compelling message in front of them.

-> Highly Specialised Postgraduate Courses: Imagine you offer a Masters in Financial Engineering. On Google, the search volume might be low. On LinkedIn, you can target individuals who are currently "Quantitative Analysts" at investment banks in the City of London. You can proactively reach your perfect student profile before they even think to search.

One B2B software client we worked with was struggling to find decision-makers. By moving their budget to LinkedIn, we were able to target the exact job titles they needed and get them leads for just $22 CPL. That's a tiny price to pay for a direct line to your ideal buyer. That said, it's a different game; you must earn their attention. Your ad creative can't just be "Enrol Now". It needs to be value-driven. Think thought leadership, insightful reports, free webinars, or short video case studies from alumni in their industry. We've explored the differences in approach for course creators in our LinkedIn vs Meta Ads guide, and the principles are the same here.

The bottom line for LinkedIn is this: it's a proactive tool for when you know exactly who your ideal student or client is professionally, but they don't yet know they need you. However, getting this right requires a sophisticated understanding of the platform, something many struggle with, which is why we created a specific guide for UK course providers on LinkedIn.

What's the real cost? A budget breakdown for the UK market

Let's talk brass tacks. How much should you actually be spending? The answer, frustratingly, is "it depends". But we can establish some realistic ballparks for the UK market.

On Google Ads, as mentioned, you're paying for intent. Clicks can range from £2 for less competitive long-tail keywords to over £20 for high-value terms like "MBA". A typical lead for a postgraduate course might cost you £80-£200. For a shorter, cheaper course, you might aim for a £20-£50 CPL.

On LinkedIn Ads, the cost per click is almost always higher. You'll rarely see a CPC below £5, and it's often in the £8-£15 range. But you're paying for precision. A lead might cost you £60-£250, but the quality of that lead, in theory, should be much higher. That £150 lead from the Head of L&D at Barclays is worth a hell of a lot more than a £50 lead from someone on Google who isn't actually qualified to take your course.

The mistake is looking at CPL in isolation. You need to look at the Cost Per Enrolment (CPE). If Google gets you leads at £50 but only 1 in 20 enrol, your CPE is £1000. If LinkedIn gets you leads at £150 but 1 in 5 enrol, your CPE is £750. LinkedIn is cheaper in the long run.

Use the calculator below to get a feel for what a realistic starting budget looks like. This isn't a promise, it's a reality check based on typical UK market rates.

The biggest mistake: your offer is the problem, not the platform

Here’s the part where I'm brutally honest. You could have the most perfectly structured Google Ads account and the most precisely targeted LinkedIn campaign in the world, but if your offer is rubbish, you will fail. You'll just fail more expensively.

The single biggest point of failure I see with education providers in the UK is an arrogant, low-value Call to Action (CTA). "Request a Prospectus". "Download Our Brochure". "Contact an Advisor".

Let me ask you this: who wakes up excited to download a PDF brochure? Nobody. It’s a chore. It’s a high-friction, low-reward action that screams "get ready to be hounded by our sales team". You are asking a busy professional to give you their precious contact details in exchange for a sales document. It's a terrible trade.

You MUST shift your thinking from "what can I get from them?" to "what can I give them?". Your offer's only job is to provide a moment of undeniable, upfront value that makes the prospect sell themselves on your course.

Here’s how to do it properly:

• Instead of "Download a Prospectus"... Offer an "Interactive Course ROI Calculator". Let them input their current salary and industry, and show them the potential uplift based on your alumni data. You've just given them a personalised, valuable insight.
• Instead of "Contact an Advisor"... Offer a "Free 15-Minute Career Strategy Session". Position your advisors as expert consultants, not salespeople. Help them solve a small problem for free to earn the right to solve the bigger one.
• Instead of "Learn More"... Offer a "Free Taster Module" or access to an exclusive webinar with a lead tutor. Let them experience the quality of your teaching directly. This de-risks the decision massively.

The creative and the offer are two sides of the same coin. Your ads need to reflect this value-first approach. We've seen first-hand how the right ad creatives can make or break a campaign for online courses. Your ad creative should promote your high-value offer, not just your course.

One of our most successful course sale campaigns, generating $115k in revenue in just over a month, was built entirely around a high-value lead magnet and a webinar. We weren't selling the course in the ad; we were selling the solution to an immediate problem, which then led them naturally towards the course as the ultimate solution.

So, what's the verdict for your UK education business?

It's not an 'either/or' decision. A truly mature marketing strategy for a UK education provider uses both platforms intelligently, as part of an integrated funnel. You might use LinkedIn to make senior professionals in the tech industry aware of your new AI in Business leadership course, then retarget those who engaged with your video ad on Google's display network, and finally capture them with a Search ad when they later google "best AI course for managers UK".

But if you're starting out or have a limited budget, you need to prioritise. I've broken down my main recommendations for you in the table below. Use it as your cheat sheet.

Why you might want to consider expert help

As you can see, this isn't as simple as just boosting a post or setting up a few keywords. The difference between wasting £10,000 and generating £100,000 in tuition fees lies in the nuance of strategy, targeting, creative, and offer. It's about understanding the complex interplay between platforms and knowing which levers to pull, and when.

Navigating the competitive UK education landscape requires more than just a basic understanding of ad platforms. It demands specialist expertise. Choosing the right partner can be difficult, which is why we've even written a guide on how to properly vet ad experts for the UK e-learning space. An experienced consultant or agency can help you avoid the costly mistakes most institutions make, build a strategy that actually works, and ensure your marketing budget is an investment, not an expense.

If you're looking to grow your enrolments and you're tired of campaigns that don't deliver, it might be time for a chat. We offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation where we can review your current strategy and provide actionable advice on how to get better results. Sometimes a fresh pair of expert eyes is all it takes to see the path forward.