Google Ads vs LinkedIn Ads: The Ultimate Education Guide

I see this question pop up all the time. "Should our university use Google Ads or LinkedIn Ads?". It's framed like a choice between two different tools, like picking a hammer or a screwdriver. But that's the wrong way to think about it, and it's why so many educational institutions end up burning through their marketing budget with very little to show for it. You're not choosing a platform; you're choosing a strategy. One is about capturing existing demand, the other is about creating it. Get this wrong, and you're basically shouting into the void.

The truth is, the success of your campaign will have less to do with the platform's logo and more to do with whether you understand the mindset of your prospective student at the exact moment they see your ad. Are they in 'search mode' or 'discovery mode'? Answering that question is the first step to building a student acquisition machine instead of just another ad campaign.

So, is LinkedIn just for MBAs and Exec Ed?

This is the first myth we need to bust. The common wisdom is that LinkedIn is purely for high-ticket professional courses aimed at senior managers, while Google handles everything else. It's a neat little box to put things in, but it's dangerously oversimplified. Tbh, it's lazy thinking.

Yes, LinkedIn is brilliant for reaching a Director of Finance at a FTSE 100 company to promote your Executive MBA. Its targeting is second to none for that. You can layer on job title, seniority, industry, company size, and specific skills. It's incredibly powerful. But that power isn't about 'professional courses'; it's about targeting based on identity.

Google's power is different. It's based on intent. Google doesn't know if the person searching is a CEO or an undergraduate, not with the same certainty as LinkedIn anyway. But it knows, right now, that someone is actively looking for a "part-time law degree for working professionals". They have raised their hand and announced their immediate need to the world. That signal of intent is pure gold.

Thinking about it this way changes the game. The question isn't "Is my course professional?". The question is, "Is the best way to find my ideal student by what they do for a living, or by what they are looking for right now?". Sometimes the answer is both, which is when things get interesting. For a deeper look at this dynamic, it's worth understanding the core differences between Google and LinkedIn based on user intent.

When should I use Google Ads? When they're looking for you.

Let's make this simple. If there are people actively searching for the type of course you offer, you need to be on Google Ads. Full stop. Not being there is like having a shop on the high street but keeping the doors locked. You are willingly ignoring customers who are trying to give you money.

This is the lowest-hanging fruit in student recruitment. These are prospects at the bottom of the funnel. They've already done their research, they know what they want, and now they're comparing options. Your job is to show up with a compelling ad and a landing page that convinces them you're the best option.

The entire strategy here revolves around keywords. You need to get inside your prospect's head and bid on the phrases they are typing into the search bar. Think about the specifics:

• Undergraduate Courses: "best universities for psychology uk", "computer science degree entry requirements", "ucas clearing business courses london"
• Postgraduate Courses: "masters in finance online", "part-time phd education uk", "MSc artificial intelligence conversion course"
• Vocational & Short Courses: "level 3 plumbing course near me", "online digital marketing certificate", "weekend coding bootcamp"

Your goal is to match the intent of the search with a highly relevant ad that speaks directly to their query, sending them to a landing page that exclusively talks about that specific course. Don't send someone searching for a "part-time MBA" to your main business school page where they have to hunt for the information. That's how you waste money.

To help you decide, here's a very simple decision-making process I walk clients through.

And when is LinkedIn the better bet? When you need to find *them*.

LinkedIn is your tool when your ideal student isn't actively searching. They might be a perfect candidate, but the thought of doing a course hasn't crossed their mind yet. Or, they're too senior and busy to be doing broad Google searches; they rely on their network and trusted sources. This is 'outbound' marketing. You are interrupting their day with an offer so relevant to their professional life that they have to pay attention.

This is where identity-based targeting becomes your superpower. You're not guessing; you're finding the exact people you want. For instance:

• For a new FinTech MSc: You can target professionals with job titles like "Financial Analyst" or "Investment Manager", who work at specific banks or investment firms, and have skills listed like "Financial Modeling" or "Quantitative Analysis". This is hyper-specific and something Google could never acheive.
• For corporate training packages: Target "Head of People", "L&D Manager", or "HR Director" at companies with 500-5,000 employees in the tech sector. You are going straight to the budget holders.
• For a course on sustainable engineering: Target "Civil Engineers" or "Project Managers" working at major construction and engineering firms who are members of industry groups related to sustainability.

Because you are interrupting them, your ad creative and offer need to work much harder. You can't just say "MSc in FinTech". You need to hit a pain point. "Is manual data entry killing your team's productivity? Our MSc in FinTech automates the analysis, so you can focus on strategy." You're selling a solution to a problem they feel every day. This approach is fundamental, especially if you're an EdTech founder trying to break into the UK market with LinkedIn Ads.

The leads from LinkedIn are often more expensive, but they can be of much higher quality because you've pre-qualified them so precisely. The key is understanding what a realistic cost per lead (CPL) looks like. I've built a simple calculator below to give you a rough idea.

What's this actually going to cost me?

This is the million-dollar—or rather, thousand-pound—question. The honest answer is, it varies wildly. But based on my experience running these campaigns, I can give you some realistic ballpark figures. Anyone who gives you a fixed number without knowing your specific course, audience, and competition is just guessing.

On Google Ads, you pay per click (CPC). For education keywords in the UK, this can be anywhere from £1 for very niche, long-tail terms to over £15 for hyper-competitive terms like "MBA online". I'd say a realistic average CPC to budget for is around £3-£7. If your landing page converts at 5% (which is decent), your Cost Per Lead (CPL) would be between £60 (£3 / 0.05) and £140 (£7 / 0.05). For very popular undergraduate courses, you might get this lower, but for competitive postgraduate programs, it can easily be higher.

On LinkedIn Ads, the clicks are almost always more expensive. You'd be lucky to get CPCs under £5. It's more common to see them in the £6-£12 range. The platform is a premium environment, and you pay for the quality of the targeting data. However, the argument is that the lead quality is higher. If your landing page converts that £8 click at the same 5%, your CPL is £160. From our experience with B2B clients, we've seen CPLs around the $22 (£18) mark for software leads, but for high-value education, expecting something closer to £80-£200 is more realistic, especially when starting out.

The key takeaway is this: Don't chase the lowest CPC. Chase the lowest Cost Per Enrolled Student. A £150 lead from LinkedIn that has a 1 in 5 chance of enrolling is better value than a £50 lead from Google that has a 1 in 20 chance. You have to know your numbers all the way down the funnel. It's crucial to avoid common pitfalls that lead to wasted spend, which is a major reason why some institutions feel they need to stop wasting money on LinkedIn ads altogether.

Why are my ads getting clicks but no applications?

This is probably the most common and frustrating problem in paid advertising. You're spending money, people are clicking, your traffic numbers look great, but your applications or leads are flatlining. This is where most people blame the platform—"LinkedIn doesn't work!"—when in reality, the platform did its job. It delivered a qualified person to your digital doorstep. The problem is your doorstep is a mess.

The number one reason for this failure is your offer. The 'Request a Demo' button is the scourge of B2B SaaS, and its equivalent in education—'Apply Now' or 'Request Information'—is just as bad. It's a high-friction, low-value ask. You are asking for a huge commitment (filling out a long form or starting an application) in exchange for... what, exactly? The privilege of being sold to?

You have to deliver value first. Your offer's only job is to provide an "aha!" moment that makes the prospect want to learn more. For education, this means creating lower-commitment, higher-value conversion points:

• Download a Detailed Prospectus: This is a classic for a reason. It gives them something tangible to review in their own time. You get their email, they get valuable info.
• Book a 15-Min Chat with an Advisor: Frame it as a helpful, no-pressure conversation to see if the course is a good fit. Not a sales call.
• Attend a Virtual Open Day / Webinar: Show them the campus, introduce them to faculty, let them ask questions. It builds trust and connection.
• Access a Free Taster Module: For online courses, this is unbeatable. Let them experience the product. If it's good, it will sell itself.

The second failure point is your landing page. When someone clicks an ad for your "MSc in Data Analytics," they should land on a page that is 100% about the MSc in Data Analytics. No links to the main university homepage, no navigation to other departments, no news articles. Just a clear headline that matches the ad, compelling copy about the course outcomes (not just the features), glowing testimonials from past students, details about the faculty, and a single, clear call-to-action for your high-value offer. I remember one campaign we worked on for a recruitment software client; we reduced their cost per user acquisition from over £100 down to just £7 simply by fixing their funnel. The platform was never the real issue. For many, this is the core problem when they find ads aren't converting despite good traffic.

How should I structure my campaigns so I don't waste money?

A messy campaign structure is a guaranteed way to lose money. You can't compare performance, you can't allocate budget effectively, and you can't figure out what's working. A logical structure is non-negotiable.

For Google Ads, the best practice is to structure your account to mirror your website or your faculty structure. This keeps everything clean and logical.

• Campaign: By Course Type or Faculty (e.g., "Postgraduate Business School", "Undergraduate Engineering")
• Ad Group: By Specific Course or Keyword Theme (e.g., "MBA Part-Time", "MSc Finance", "Mechanical Engineering BEng")
• Keywords: Tightly themed keywords within each ad group (e.g., "part time mba london", "london part time mba cost" all go in the "MBA Part-Time" ad group).
• Ads: Write 2-3 ads for each ad group that are hyper-relevant to those specific keywords.

This tight structure ensures a high Quality Score, which Google rewards with lower CPCs and better ad positions. It's a foundational element, especially for something like designing an effective Google Ads campaign structure for education in London.

For LinkedIn Ads, the structure is driven by audience, not keywords.

• Campaign Group: By high-level objective (e.g., "Lead Generation Q4 2024")
• Campaign: By Persona or Course (e.g., "Executive MBA Recruitment", "Corporate Sales Training")
• Ad Set (Audience): This is where you test. Create separate ad sets for different targeting approaches (e.g., "Audience A: Job Title - Director+", "Audience B: Industry - Financial Services", "Audience C: Company Size 5000+").

By separating your audiences into different ad sets, you can clearly see which targeting method delivers the best results and allocate your budget accordingly. Don't lump them all together. Finally, always optimise for conversions (Leads, Applications), not vanity metrics like Reach or Clicks. You are paying the platform to find you people who will take action, not just people who will see your ad. That's the fastest way to find non-customers.

So, Google or LinkedIn? Here's my final advice.

As you've probably gathered, it's rarely a case of 'either/or'. It's 'both, but in the right order and for the right purpose'. You need to build a system where the platforms work together.

Start with Google Ads. This is your foundation. Capture the existing demand of people who are already looking for you. It's the most efficient way to get initial enrolments and prove the viability of your digital marketing. You can learn a huge amount from the search terms people are using, which can then inform your messaging on other platforms.

Layer on LinkedIn Ads to scale and create new demand. Once you've maxed out the search volume on Google, or if you're targeting a very specific professional niche that is hard to find through search, use LinkedIn to proactively go after your ideal student persona. Use it to fill the top of your funnel with highly-qualified prospects who you can then nurture over time.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you in the table below to make it as clear as possible.

When does it make sense to get expert help?

You can definately try all of this yourself. The platforms are designed to be self-service, after all. But the principles I've outlined—understanding intent vs identity, crafting high-value offers, structuring campaigns logically, and optimising funnels—are straightforward in theory but complex in execution. It's very easy to spend thousands of pounds learning these lessons the hard way.

Working with a specialist isn't about just outsourcing the button-pushing. It's about accelerating your learning curve and avoiding those costly mistakes. It's about having someone who has seen what works (and what doesn't) across dozens of campaigns in your sector and can apply those learnings to your institution from day one. It's the difference between tinkering with ads and building a predictable, scalable student acquisition system.

If you're serious about growing your enrolments and want a clear, no-nonsense strategy to get there, we offer a completely free, no-obligation consultation. We'll review your current campaigns (if you have them) or discuss a plan from scratch, giving you actionable advice you can implement immediately. It's a chance to get an expert pair of eyes on your specific challenges and see what's truly possible.