Intent-First Strategy

Google's job in B2B is to capture demand that already exists, not create it. Someone typing "outbound sales software" has a problem right now. Be there, prove the economics, then expand. This is the opposite of paid social, where you interrupt people who weren't looking.

The intent ladder

Spend in this order. Each rung only opens after the one below it proves it converts.

Tier	Intent	Example queries	Expectation
1. Brand	They want you	"[your brand]", "[brand] pricing", "[brand] login"	Cheapest CPL, highest conversion. Always run it.
2. High-intent non-brand	Ready to buy a solution	"cold email software", "ABM platform", "best CRM for agencies"	Your core profit center. Most budget goes here.
3. Competitor	Evaluating alternatives	"[competitor] alternative", "[competitor] vs"	Higher CPC, lower CVR, valuable pipeline. Run selectively.
4. Problem-aware	Have the problem, not shopping yet	"how to scale outbound", "reduce sales cycle"	Higher funnel, longer payback. Expand here only after 1-2 work.
5. Demand-gen / awareness	Don't know they need you	broad terms, Display, YouTube	Last. Only with budget to spare and patience for the data.

Why this order

• Brand is non-negotiable. If you don't bid on your brand, competitors will, and you pay in lost deals. The exception: you're the only bidder and organic owns the SERP - then test pausing and watch total brand conversions, not just paid.
• Tier 2 is where you win or lose. Prove a high-intent cluster converts to pipeline before touching anything broader. One clean, profitable Search campaign beats five half-built ones.
• Don't skip rungs. Teams that jump to broad/awareness before proving high-intent burn budget on traffic that never converts, then blame "Google doesn't work for B2B." It works. They ran it backwards.

Capture before you create

Search captures existing demand. Demand creation (teaching the market it has a problem) belongs on LinkedIn, Meta, and YouTube, not Search. Use Search to harvest the demand those channels create. If your category has near-zero search volume, Search is a small play and your budget belongs upstream - say so honestly instead of forcing keywords no one types.

B2B realities to price in

• Long sales cycles. A click today closes in 60-180 days. Optimizing to last-click "conversions" inside the platform will mislead you. Feed real pipeline/SQL signals back (offline conversion import) or you optimize for form-fills, not revenue.
• Low volume, high value. B2B keywords often have tiny volume. You're not chasing scale, you're chasing the right 40 clicks. Tight targeting beats broad reach.
• Junk is expensive. Students, job seekers, and free-tool hunters click B2B ads constantly. Negative keywords and audience signals are not optional.

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By Ivan Falco - Frontal