The B2B Tech Founder's Guide to Google Ads (London)

Let's be honest. You're a B2B tech company in London, and you're drowning in a sea of PPC agencies that all sound identical. They promise "data-driven results" and "guaranteed ROI," but after a few months, all you have to show for it is a lighter bank account and a dashboard full of meaningless metrics like clicks and impressions. Your cost per lead might look okay on paper, but your sales team will tell you the leads are rubbish, and your CFO is starting to ask pointed questions about marketing spend.

The problem isn't that Google Ads doesn't work for B2B tech in a competitive market like London. It absolutely does. The problem is that you're hiring mechanics to perform brain surgery. Most agencies apply a consumer e-commerce playbook to a complex B2B sales cycle, and the result is always the same: wasted cash and frustration. They don't understand that acquiring a customer with a five-figure lifetime value is fundamentally different from selling a £50 pair of trainers.

This isn't another guide on "how to set up Google Ads." This is a framework for finding a partner who thinks like a co-founder, not just a media buyer. Someone who understands that the goal isn't cheap leads; it's acquiring profitable customers at a sustainable cost. It's time to stop getting pitched and start asking the right questions.

Why Does Every London PPC Agency Sound the Same?

The core issue is that most digital marketing agencies are generalists by design. They have to be, to keep their own client pipeline full. They'll run ads for a local plumber one day and a national fashion brand the next. While they might understand the technical levers inside Google Ads, they lack the one thing that actually drives results in your sector: deep, strategic context.

B2B technology, especially in a hyper-competitive hub like London with its Silicon Roundabout hopefuls and Canary Wharf FinTech giants, operates on a completely different plane:

• Long Sales Cycles: A click today might not turn into revenue for six months. A generalist agency, focused on 30-day performance, will optimise for the wrong signals, turning off campaigns that are actually building your pipeline because they don't show immediate ROI.
• Multiple Decision-Makers: You're not selling to one person. You need to convince the Head of Engineering, the CTO, the CFO, and maybe even the CEO. A campaign that only targets one job title is doomed to fail. It requires a multi-touch strategy that most agencies simply don't have the patience or expertise to build.
• High Customer Lifetime Value (LTV): Your customers might pay you thousands, or even tens of thousands of pounds over several years. This means you can, and should, be willing to pay a lot more to acquire them. Generalist agencies, used to e-commerce CPLs of a few quid, will get scared by a £200 lead and pause a potentially game-changing campaign prematurely.
• It's Not an Impulse Buy: No one impulsively buys a new accounting system or a data enrichment platform. Your prospects are conducting extensive research. They are problem-aware, not product-aware. Your ads need to intercept them with valuable content and insights, not just "Buy Now!" calls to action. It's a fundamental misunderstanding of user intent that costs businesses a fortune.

When you hire a generalist, you pay them to learn your industry on your dime. They spend the first three months testing obvious keywords, making basic mistakes, and learning the lessons a true specialist already knows. For a London tech startup where runway is everything, that's a mistake you simply can't afford to make. You need someone who already understands the landscape and can start delivering strategic value from day one. Finding that expert requires a different kind of B2B paid ads agency selection process.

Are You Asking About Cost Per Lead or Customer Acquisition Cost?

If the first metric a potential agency brings up is "Cost Per Lead" (CPL), it's a telling sign of their inexperience in your sector. A low CPL is the ultimate vanity metric in B2B tech. It's easy to get cheap leads; just run a vague ad with a "Download our free eBook" offer and watch the unqualified contacts roll in. Your CPL will look fantastic, but your sales team will hate you, and you'll have generated zero revenue.

The conversation needs to shift from tactics to business economics. The only two numbers that truly matter are your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). Understanding the relationship between these two is the foundation of any scalable growth strategy.

Lifetime Value (LTV): This is the total gross margin a typical customer will generate for your business over their entire relationship with you. It's the true measure of a customer's worth.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): This is the total cost of sales and marketing required to win a new customer. This includes ad spend, commissions, salaries—everything.

A healthy, sustainable SaaS or tech business typically aims for an LTV:CAC ratio of 3:1 or higher. This means for every £1 you spend to acquire a customer, you get at least £3 back in gross margin over their lifetime. This simple ratio changes everything. It tells you exactly how much you can afford to spend to win a customer.

Let's do the maths with a typical London SaaS company example:

• Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA): £1,000 per month
• Gross Margin %: 85% (common for software)
• Monthly Churn Rate: 3% (the percentage of customers you lose each month)

The calculation is: LTV = (ARPA * Gross Margin %) / Monthly Churn Rate

LTV = (£1,000 * 0.85) / 0.03
LTV = £850 / 0.03 = £28,333

In this scenario, each customer is worth over £28,000 to your business. With a healthy 3:1 ratio, you can afford to spend up to £9,444 to acquire a single customer. If your sales team closes 1 in 5 qualified demos, you can afford to pay up to £1,888 for that single demo. Suddenly that £250 CPL from Google Ads for a highly qualified decision-maker doesn't look so expensive, does it? It looks like an absolute bargain.

This is the level of conversation you need to be having. Any agency that can't have this discussion with you is not a strategic partner; they're just a button pusher. Use the calculator below to find your own numbers.

How Do You Spot a Real Expert from a Salesperson?

Once you're armed with your unit economics, the vetting process becomes much clearer. You're no longer looking for a cheap agency; you're looking for a partner who can help you invest intelligently in growth. Here are the five questions you must ask any potential Google Ads expert to separate the true specialists from the slick-talking salespeople.

1. "Walk me through a B2B tech campaign you've managed for another London-based company."

This question is designed to weed out the generalists immediately. Their answer will tell you everything.

What to listen for: Specificity. They should talk about targeting CTOs and Engineering Managers in the City of London and Thames Valley tech corridor. They should mention using keyword themes around specific problems, like "reducing cloud spend" or "SOC 2 compliance software," not just brand names. They should be able to discuss the landing page strategy, the offer (e.g., free trial vs. demo), and, crucially, the results in pounds (£). For instance, I remember one campaign we managed for a medical job matching SaaS, where we took their Cost Per User Acquisition from a crippling £100 down to a sustainable £7 by refining their audience and messaging. That's the kind of tangible, relevant result you're looking for.

Red flags: They immediately pivot to a US-based case study with results in dollars. They show you an e-commerce campaign for a fashion brand. Their answer is vague, full of jargon but lacking in actual strategy. If they can't show you direct, relevant experience in your backyard, they are not the right fit. It's a non-negotiable.

2. "How will you measure success beyond the conversions reported in Google Ads?"

This tests whether they think like a marketer or a business owner. A novice will talk about conversion rates and CPL within the Google Ads platform. An expert knows this is only the beginning of the story.

What to listen for: They should immediately ask about your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.). Their plan should involve passing tracking data through to the CRM so you can track a lead from the initial click all the way to a closed-won deal. They'll talk about metrics like Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs), Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), demo-to-close rate, and ultimately, the impact on your pipeline and Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR). They see Google Ads as the start of the journey, not the end.

Red flags: They look confused. They say, "We just focus on getting you conversions in Google Ads, what happens after that is up to your sales team." This siloed thinking is a recipe for disaster and is a clear sign they don't understand the complexities of a B2B sales funnel.

3. "What's your strategy for scaling a campaign once we find a winning formula?"

Scaling isn't just about pouring more money into what's working. That's how costs spiral out of control. An expert has a multi-faceted approach to intelligent scaling.

What to listen for: A structured plan. This should include expanding to adjacent keyword themes (from problem-focused to solution-focused), layering in new channels like LinkedIn Ads for hyper-specific job title targeting, or using Google's Display Network to retarget demo requesters with case study videos. They'll talk about segmenting campaigns by stages of the funnel and reallocating budget dynamically based on which channels are driving actual sales-qualified opportunities, not just cheap clicks. This is how you achieve sustainable growth for a London B2B SaaS business using Google Ads.

Red flags: Their only answer is, "We'll just increase the daily budget." This is the laziest and most dangerous approach. It shows a complete lack of strategic foresight and will quickly lead to diminishing returns as you saturate your initial audience.

4. "What's your opinion on using Broad Match keywords for B2B tech?"

This is a slightly technical question designed to test their nuanced understanding of the platform. For years, "Broad Match" was a dirty word in PPC, notorious for wasting budget on irrelevant clicks. However, Google's machine learning has changed the game.

What to listen for: A balanced, expert opinion. They should acknowledge the historical risks of Broad Match but explain how, when used correctly within a Performance Max campaign or paired with smart bidding strategies (like Target CPA or Target ROAS) and an extensive negative keyword list, it can be a powerful tool for uncovering new, high-intent search queries you would have never thought of. This demonstrates they are up-to-date with the platform's evolution and not just repeating outdated advice.

Red flags: "We never use Broad Match, it's terrible." This is an overly simplistic, dogmatic answer that shows a lack of sophisticated knowledge. It suggests they're still operating with a 2015 playbook.

5. "What do you need from *us* to make this partnership a success?"

Perhaps the most important question of all. The best agencies and consultants see their work as a partnership. Their success is intrinsically linked to yours, and they know they can't achieve it in a vacuum. The vetting process should feel like a two-way street.

What to listen for: They should have a list of questions for you. "What's your ideal customer's biggest pain point?" "Can we get access to your CRM to track lead quality?" "Can you give us regular feedback from the sales team on the leads we're generating?" "What's your average contract value and sales cycle length?" They should be hungry for business intelligence because they know that's what fuels a winning ad campaign.

Red flags: "Just give us access to the ad account and your credit card, and we'll handle the rest." This hands-off approach signals they plan to run your campaigns on autopilot using a generic template. It's a clear sign they're a vendor, not a partner, and you should run for the hills. Finding the right fit means choosing a team that wants to be deeply integrated with your business objectives, which is the core of any guide on how to find the right B2B Google Ads expert in London.

What Should My Campaign Actually Look Like?

Theory is useful, but it helps to see what a well-structured B2B tech campaign in London actually looks like in practice. It's not about having hundreds of ad groups. It's about segmenting your campaigns based on user intent and their stage in the buyer's journey. A high-value prospect researching competitor alternatives needs a very different message than someone who's just become aware they have a problem.

Below is a simplified flowchart of a structure we often implement for our B2B SaaS clients. It's designed to capture intent at every stage of the funnel, from initial problem awareness right through to the final decision.

Ad Copy That Speaks to Pain, Not Features

Your ad copy needs to enter the conversation already happening in your prospect's head. They aren't thinking about your features; they're thinking about their problems. Use the "Before-After-Bridge" framework.

• Before: Describe their current, painful reality.
• After: Paint a picture of the desired, pain-free future.
• Bridge: Position your product as the bridge to get them there.

Example for a hypothetical London-based FinTech that automates invoicing:
Headline 1: Chasing Invoices Again?
Headline 2: Get Paid 15 Days Faster | Automated Invoicing
Headline 3: Try [Your Brand Name] Free
Description: Stop wasting hours on manual follow-ups. Our platform automates your entire accounts receivable process, from invoice creation to payment reconciliation. See your cash flow improve in 30 days.

This ad doesn't lead with "AI-powered platform" or "best-in-class features." It leads with the pain (chasing invoices) and the desired outcome (getting paid faster). This is what earns the click from a busy decision-maker. Getting this right is a huge part of any succesful UK B2B Google Ads lead generation strategy.

Realistic Performance Benchmarks

It's also important to have realistic expectations for the London market. Competition is fierce, and clicks are not cheap. However, given the high LTV of B2B tech customers, the numbers are often very workable. The table below provides some realistic ballpark figures based on our experience running campaigns for B2B tech and SaaS clients in the UK.

As you can see, the leads aren't cheap. But if your LTV is £28,000 and your sales team can close 1 in 10 of these leads into a customer, a CPL of £250 is incredibly profitable. This is the maths that a true specialist will help you navigate.

Which 'Experts' Should I Avoid?

Just as important as knowing what to look for is knowing what to run from. The London market is full of agencies that are great at selling themselves but terrible at delivering results. Here are the most common red flags to watch out for.

• The "Guaranteed Results" Promise: This is the number one sign of an amateur or a scammer. No one can guarantee results in paid advertising. There are too many variables—market shifts, competitor actions, changes in your own sales process. A true professional will talk about a data-driven process of testing and optimisation, not make empty promises.
• The Long-Term Lock-in Contract: An agency confident in its ability to deliver results doesn't need to lock you into a 12-month contract from day one. Look for partners who offer a 3-month initial term or even a rolling monthly agreement after a trial period. They should be earning your business every single month.
• The "Black Box" Approach: If an agency is not willing to give you full, administrative access to your own Google Ads account, walk away immediately. It's your account and your data. A lack of transparency often means they're using automated software, hiding poor performance, or don't want you to see how little work they're actually doing.
• Reporting Focused on Vanity Metrics: If their monthly report is a colourful PDF filled with charts on clicks, impressions, and click-through rate (CTR) but has no mention of SQLs or pipeline impact, they're hiding. A good partner's report connects ad spend directly to business outcomes.
• They Don't Challenge You: A good consultant isn't afraid to tell you your landing page needs work or that your offer isn't compelling enough. They should be pushing you to improve every part of the funnel. If they just passively agree to everything you say, they're not a partner; they're a yes-man, and that's not what you're paying for. Getting expert advice on these matters is a core part of what you get when you hire a London Google Ads expert for your B2B SaaS.

Your Vetting Scorecard: The Final Check

Choosing the right Google Ads partner is one of the most important marketing decisions you'll make. It's the difference between burning cash and building a predictable engine for growth. To help you make the right choice, I've summarised the entire vetting process into a final scorecard. Use this during your calls with potential agencies.

This level of strategic depth and business acumen is what separates a top-tier B2B advertising partner from the rest of the pack. They don't just manage your ads; they help you build a more profitable business. This requires a completely different skillset than simply being "Google Ads certified."

If you're tired of the generalist agencies and want to have a strategic conversation about how to build a predictable customer acquisition machine for your B2B tech company, it might be time for a change. We offer a completely free, no-obligation strategy session where we'll audit your existing ad campaigns (or your plan for new ones) and provide actionable advice based on our experience scaling some of London's fastest-growing tech companies. We'll show you exactly what we'd do differently to drive real, measurable results for your business.