Solved: Is AdWords Worth It for Low Search Volume Keywords?

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! I saw your post and I’m happy to give you some of my initial thoughts and guidance based on what you've shared. It's an interesting challenge you've got, and one I've seen a few times with very niche B2B software clients.

You've hit on a classic paid advertising problem: you have a high-value product for a very specific, small audience. It's not like you're selling t-shirts where you can just target 'fashion' and hope for the best. Every click matters, and every lead is potentially worth a lot. Let's break it down a bit.

We'll need to look at whether Google Search is viable on its own...

First off, your instinct isn't silly at all. In fact, it's spot on. Capturing high-intent traffic, no matter how small the volume, can be incredibly powerful. These are the people actively looking for a solution to a problem they have right now. They're already half way to being sold. The question is, is 500 searches a month enough to build a campaign around? Tbh, it's on the low side, but that doesn't mean it's a non-starter.

Let's do some rough back-of-the-napkin maths. Let's be optimistic and say you get a 5% click-through rate (CTR) on your ads. That's 25 clicks a month (500 * 0.05). Now, how many of those clicks turn into a lead (like a demo request)? For a specialised B2B service like this, a landing page conversion rate of 5-10% would be decent. So, at 5%, you're looking at maybe 1-2 leads per month from Google Search. (25 * 0.05 = 1.25).

Is 1-2 leads a month worth it? That completely depends on your customer lifetime value (LTV). If one school district signs up and pays you £20,000 a year for your software and services, then spending a few hundred quid a month to get that one lead is an absolute bargain. If your service is a one-off £500 setup, then it's probably not going to work out.

The main thing with such low volume is that you have to be absolutly ruthless with your setup. You can't afford wasted clicks. This means:

-> Hyper-specific keywords: You need to focus almost exclusively on exact match and phrase match keywords. Forget broad match, it'll just burn your budget on irrelevant searches. Think about the precise terms a finance director at a school would type in. Things like "school district financial software", "public school accounting system", "K-12 budget management tool". You need to get inside their head.

-> A massive negative keyword list: This is almost more important than your actual keywords. You need to proactively block out anyone who isn't your target customer. Think about terms like "free", "jobs", "training", "university finance department", "private school", etc. Every time you see a search term in your reports that isn't a perfect fit, you add it to your negative list. This is a constant process of refinement.

So, to answer your original question: yes, it can be worth testing AdWords. But you have to go in with the mindset of a sniper, not a machine gunner. You're aiming for a tiny target, and you need precision. Don't expect a flood of leads. This is a slow, steady channel for capturing those rare, high-value hand-raisers. The data will come in very slowly, so you need to be patient and not make rash decisions after a week of no conversions. This is a long-term play, not a quick win.

I'd say you need to nail your offer and landing page first...

This is where most B2B campaigns fall down, especially with ads. You can have the best targeting in the world, but if you send that precious, expensive click to a page that doesn't resonate or build trust, you've just wasted your money. Given your audience, this is even more critical.

Think about it from their perspective. A finance person in a public school system is, by nature, risk-averse. They're dealing with public money, procurement processes, and a whole heap of bureaucracy. They can't just whip out a credit card and buy a new peice of software. It's a huge decision with lots of stakeholders.

I remember one B2B SaaS client we worked with who sold accounting software. Their situation was very similar. We realised quickly that asking for a "sale" or even a "free trial" straight away was too big of a jump. It's a massive effort for a business to even consider changing a core system like that. They only do it when the pain of their current system is unbearable.

So your website and landing page can't just be a sales pitch. It needs to be a resource that builds confidence and addresses their specific pains and concerns. A few thoughts on this:

-> Your Call-to-Action (CTA): What are you actually asking them to do? "Buy Now" is out of the question. "Start Free Trial" might be too much commitment initially. The best CTA for this audience is probably a lower-friction one. Something like "Schedule a 15-Minute Demo", "Download the Case Study", or "Get a Customised Quote". A demo is often the best because it gets them on a call with you. This is your chance to understand their specific needs and build a relationship.

-> Trust and Credibility: Your landing page needs to scream "we understand public school finance". This means using the right language, showing testimonials or logos of other school districts you work with (if you have any), and highlighting features that solve their specific problems (e.g., compliance with state reporting standards, grant management, seamless integration with other government systems). Privacy and security are big, but they're table stakes. The real selling point is how you make their incredibly complex job easier.

-> Persuasive Copy: This is not the place for generic marketing fluff. You need sharp, professional copy that speaks directly to their pains. We often bring in a specialist copywriter for our SaaS clients because it makes such a difference. For example, instead of a headline like "The Best Financial Software", you might test something like "Finally, a Budgeting Tool Built for [Your State]'s School Districts". It's specific and shows you get it.

Here’s a quick example of what a landing page structure could look like, just to get the ideas flowing:

Before you spend a single pound on ads, you need to have this peice of the puzzle sorted. Otherwise, you're just pouring water into a leaky bucket.

You probably should look beyond Google Search...

Okay, so we've established that Google Search is a good channel for capturing the few people who are actively searching. But what about the other 49,950 people in your target audience who aren't searching today, but who might have a problem your software can solve? This is where you need to be proactive.

For your specific niche, there is one platform that stands head and shoulders above the rest for proactive targeting: LinkedIn Ads.

Google is about searching for things. LinkedIn is about targeting people. With your well-defined audience, LinkedIn is practically built for you. You aren't guessing with keywords; you are directly targeting the exact people you want to talk to based on their job titles and employers. This is a far more direct approach.

I remember a campaign where we targeted specific B2B decision makers on LinkedIn which brought in leads for just $22 each, which for their high-ticket software service was a massive success. It's more expensive per click than Google, for sure, but the quality of the lead is often much higher because you know you're reaching the right person.

Here’s how you could approach it:

-> Targeting by Job Title and Industry: You can tell LinkedIn to show your ads to people with job titles like "Finance Director", "Comptroller", "Business Manager", "Director of Accounting" and so on. Then, you layer on an industry filter for "Education Management" or "Public Administration". This immediatly narrows the audience down to the right kind of professionals.

-> Targeting by Company List: This is the real power move. You mentioned there are about 15,000 school districts. You can get a list of these districts and upload it to LinkedIn as a "Company List". Then you can run a campaign that targets the job titles we just mentioned, but only at the companies (school districts) on your list. This is about as precise as you can possibly get. You're showing your ads directly to the 3-4 key individuals at every single one of your target accounts.

-> Ad Formats: On LinkedIn, you'd likely want to test a couple of things. A standard Sponsored Content ad (an image or short video in the feed) that points to your high-converting landing page is a good start. But I'd also strongly recommend testing LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms. When a user clicks the ad, a form pops up pre-filled with their LinkedIn profile information (name, email, job title, company). All they have to do is click "Submit". This removes a ton of friction and can get you a lot more leads. The trade-off is that these leads can sometimes be less qualified than those who took the time to visit your site, but it’s definately something you'd want to test.

The beauty of this is that you're not waiting for them to come to you. You're putting your solution in front of them, building awareness, and positioning yourself as the go-to expert. When their current system finally becomes too much of a headache, you'll be the first name they think of.

You'll need a structured plan to test this effectively...

So, where does this leave us? It's not a case of Google or LinkedIn. For a sophisticated B2B strategy, it should be Google and LinkedIn, working together.

I wouldn't advise going all-in on day one. You need a controlled, structured test to see what works without breaking the bank. If I were in your shoes, I'd set aside a modest starting budget, say £1,000-£2,000 a month, and allocate it strategically.

Here's a potential plan:

1. The Foundation (Month 0): Before anything else, get that landing page built. Write the copy, get the design looking professional and trustworthy, and make sure your demo request form is working perfectly.

2. The Two-Pronged Attack (Months 1-3):

-> Google Search Campaign (30% of budget): This is your "intent capture" campaign. Build it out with the tight keyword lists and negative lists we discussed. The budget is lower because the volume is lower. Your goal here isn't volume, it's efficiency. The key metric to watch is Cost Per Lead. Don't worry too much about a high Cost Per Click (CPC) if the leads it generates are gold.

-> LinkedIn Ads Campaign (70% of budget): This is your "demand generation" campaign. The budget is higher because you have a much larger audience to reach (your 50k potential leads). Build two ad sets: one testing a standard ad to your landing page, and another testing a Lead Gen Form. Target your company list of school districts and the relevant job titles. The key metrics here are Cost Per Lead and, just as important, the quality of those leads.

3. The Retargeting Net (Ongoing): This is crucial. Set up retargeting on both platforms. Anyone who visits your landing page from either a Google or LinkedIn ad (but doesn't convert) gets added to a retargeting audience. You then show them a different set of ads. These could be case studies, testimonials, or an invitation to a webinar. It often takes multiple touchpoints to convince a B2B buyer, and retargeting keeps you top of mind.

After 3 months, you'll have some real data. You'll know which channel is driving the most cost-effective leads, what messaging resonates, and you can start to optimise your budget, shifting more spend to what's working best. It’s a methodical process, not a magic wand.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

This is the main advice I have for you, laid out as a high-level strategic plan. It's a starting point for you to build on.

As you can probably tell, this isn't just a case of setting up a few ads and hoping for the best. For a niche B2B product, every detail matters, from the keyword match type to the exact wording on your landing page. Getting it wrong can mean wasting a lot of money with nothing to show for it, while getting it right can unlock a steady stream of highly valuable customers.

This is where working with a specialist can make a huge difference. An experienced hand can help you avoid common pitfalls, structure your campaigns correctly from day one, and interpret the data to make smart optimisation decisions. We've helped numerous B2B SaaS companies, including those in tricky recruitment and medical fields, navigate these exact challenges and significantly reduce their acquisition costs. For example, we reduced the cost per user acquisition from £100 to £7 for a medical job matching SaaS by optimising their Meta and Google Ads campaigns.

I hope this detailed breakdown has been genuinely helpful and gives you a much clearer path forward. If you'd like to chat through your specific situation in more detail, we offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation where we can take a closer look at your goals and map out a bespoke strategy for you.

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh