Solved: Ad Campaigns Yielding High-Quality Leads, Zero Conversions

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch. Happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on what you've shared and the metrics you sent over. It sounds like you're just getting started with paid ads for your B2B service, trying to figure out where to focus your efforts.

From the data you provided – just a week's worth, 66.49€ on Google, 37.09€ on Meta, and 29.82€ on LinkedIn – it's really, really early days. Honestly, one week is barely enough time for the platforms to even start learning, let alone for you to see meaningful results or make definitive decisions, especially in B2B. Sales cycles can be long, and conversions don't happen overnight. Any judgements you make now are based on a tiny, tiny sample size, almost like flipping a coin.

I'd say you need to give it more time...

Seriously, a week is nothing in the world of paid advertising, particularly when you're selling a B2B service. Think about it, decision makers in businesses don't typically see an ad, click, and buy a complex service within seven days. It takes time for them to research, evaluate options, maybe talk to sales, get internal buy-in, all that stuff. So, getting conversions in teh first week would be quite unusual unless your service is super low-cost or impulse-buy (which most B2B services aren't). We've run plenty of B2B SaaS campaigns that took several months to become properly profitable. Sometimes you see results quickly, like that B2B decision makers campaign we ran on LinkedIn which got a $22 CPL fairly sharpish, but thats not typical. Most campaigns need a good 3-4 weeks minimum to gather enough data for any kind of proper optimisation.

So, whilst it feels like you're "throwing money down the drain" by letting them run, in reality, you're just gathering the necessary data to *eventually* not throw money down the drain. Stopping now means that small investment was wasted. Continuing means you might actually learn something useful.

We'll need to look at traffic quality and your website...

Okay, let's look at what you're seeing. Google Search ads seem to be bringing in higher quality traffic. This makes perfect sense. With Search ads, you're reaching people who are actively typing queries into Google related to the services you offer. They have intent. They're looking for a solution, and your ad is showing up as a potential answer. That's gold compared to showing an ad to someone scrolling through their social feed who wasn't even thinking about your type of service two seconds ago.

You mentioned that people are using your website a lot from Google clicks but aren't converting. This is a classic sign that the traffic quality is good, but your website isn't doing its job. Think of your website, especially the landing page your ads point to, as your digital salesperson. If that salesperson isn't persuasive, clear, and trustworthy, people will leave without taking the desired action (like filling out a form or booking a call).

I had a quick look at the website link you shared. For a B2B service, especially when you're trying to generate leads directly from paid traffic, the website is absolutely critical. If the site isn't set up to convert, you're just paying for clicks that go nowhere. This is the *most* important thing to fix right now based on your description of the Google traffic.

Here are some things that usually need looking at for B2B service websites and landing pages:

• Clarity and Value Proposition: Is it immediately clear what you do and who you do it for? What is the single biggest benefit your service provides to your ideal customer? This needs to hit them within seconds of landing on the page. Avoid jargon. Speak their language.
• Persuasive Copy: You need sales copy that addresses your target audience's pain points, explains how you solve them, builds trust, and overcomes objections. A professional copywriter who understands B2B and direct response marketing can make a massive difference here. It's not just about describing your service; it's about selling the *outcome* and *value*.
• Clear Call to Action (CTA): What exactly do you want people to do? "Contact Us"? "Request a Demo"? "Get a Free Consultation"? Make it crystal clear. Use prominent buttons. Tell people *why* they should take that step (e.g., "Request a Free Consultation to See How We Can Streamline Your Operations"). If your B2B service requires a conversation, the primary goal of the landing page should be to get them to book that call or fill out a detailed enquiry form.
• Trust Signals: Especially if you're a newer or smaller business, you need to build trust quickly. This could include testimonials, case studies, logos of clients you've worked with, industry awards, security badges, a clear privacy policy, and professional design. People won't fill out a form or reach out if they don't feel comfortable or confident in your business.
• Offer: What are you offering in exchange for their contact information or time? A free consultation is a good start. Sometimes a free audit, a valuable resource download, or a free trial (if applicable, maybe for an associated software tool or a limited version of the service) can lower the barrier to entry compared to asking for a paid commitment upfront. For SaaS clients, we often see free trials converting much better than demos for getting people in the door initially.
• Mobile Responsiveness & Speed: Make sure the site loads quickly and looks perfect on all devices. Slow or broken sites immediately erode trust.

Honestly, fixing the website *before* spending significantly more on ads is crucial. Otherwise, you're pouring water into a bucket with holes in it. The good traffic you're seeing from Google suggests the ad channel itself is viable, but the conversion rate needs to improve drastically on site.

What about LinkedIn and Meta?

You're right, LinkedIn *is* expensive per click compared to other platforms. But it's often the best place for very specific B2B targeting because you can reach people based on job title, industry, company size, etc., which is incredibly valuable if you know exactly who your decision makers are. A $4.26 average CPC isn't surprising for B2B on LinkedIn. However, if users aren't even scrolling or staying on the site for more than a second, that suggests either the targeting is still off (are you reaching the *right* decision makers?), or the ad creative/copy isn't compelling enough for that audience, or again, the landing page they hit is immediately confusing or irrelevant to what the ad promised.

You could try different LinkedIn ad formats. Sponsored content ads with Lead Gen Forms often get lower CPLs because the user doesn't even leave LinkedIn, making it a smoother experience. Or test video ads to convey more information upfront. The key with LinkedIn is often having a very specific offer for a very specific, narrowly targeted audience.

Meta (Facebook/Instagram) *can* work for B2B, but as you suspected, it's typically harder and less direct than Google Search or LinkedIn. Meta excels at audience targeting based on interests, demographics, and behaviour, but their B2B specific targeting is more limited. It's usually better for top-of-funnel activities like brand awareness or promoting valuable content (like webinars or whitepapers) rather than getting direct service leads, unless you're using very clever targeting like targeting admins of relevant Facebook groups or pages, or maybe lookalike audiences based on your existing customer list (if you have one). The low CPC is typical for Meta, but if the lead quality is poor and engagement is low, it's not effective. Without strong B2B targeting options, you often end up paying for clicks from people who will never be your customer.

Putting it all together

Based on your initial (very limited) data, the fact that Google is sending you higher quality traffic is the most promising signal. This tells you there is demand and people are searching for what you offer. Your absolute top priority needs to be fixing whatever is happening *after* the click – i.e., on your website. Spending more on ads without a compelling, high-converting landing page is just burning budget.

I'd suggest pausing or significantly reducing spend on LinkedIn and Meta for a couple of weeks whilst you focus intensely on improving the Google Search landing page and your offer. Get some really strong, persuasive copy written, make the call to action crystal clear, and build trust elements into the page. Once that page is converting well from Google traffic, then you can think about potentially revisiting LinkedIn with lessons learned from your Google campaign (like what keywords/messaging resonated) and maybe testing different approaches there.

Here’s a quick overview of what I’d recommend:

Making these changes to your website takes effort, and figuring out the right messaging for B2B audiences and optimising ad campaigns requires specific expertise and experience. It's often why businesses bringing in experts in B2B paid media see results faster – we know what typically works and what doesn't for getting B2B leads and converting them on site.

If you'd like a more in-depth look at your specific situation and a tailored plan for fixing the website and relaunching ads effectively, we're happy to jump on a free consultation call to discuss it further. Just let us know.

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh