What a “Good Lead” Really Means in B2B Google Ads

And Why Most Accounts Get It Wrong

Many B2B companies come to Google Ads with the same expectation: launch campaigns, get leads, grow revenue.

When this does not happen, the conclusion is often simple: “Google Ads doesn’t work for B2B.” In reality, the issue is rarely the platform itself.

Most problems start much earlier, with how a lead is defined.

Table of Contents

1. How B2B Leads Differ from B2C Leads

2. The Most Common B2B Google Ads Mistake

3. What Google Ads Actually Learns from Your Account

4. What a “Good Lead” Means in B2B

5. What to Review Before Increasing Your Google Ads Budget

6. A More Sustainable Approach to B2B Google Ads

B2B leads are fundamentally different from B2C

In B2C, a lead is often a quick action:

• a purchase

• a booking

• a short form submission

  
  

In B2B, the situation is different:

• sales cycles are longer

• decisions involve multiple people

• products and services are complex

• volume is low, but value is high

  
  

This means that not every interaction should be treated as a lead. However, many B2B Google Ads accounts are still set up using B2C logic.

The most common B2B Google Ads mistake

The most common issue I see in B2B accounts is simple. Everything is counted as a conversion.

Examples:

• any form submission

• a visit to the contact page

• a click on an email address

  
  

From a business perspective, these actions are very different. From Google Ads perspective, they look identical unless you tell the system otherwise.

The result is predictable:

• Google optimises for volume

• not for quality

• not for commercial intent

  
  

Over time, this leads to more activity, but fewer real opportunities.

What Google Ads actually learns from your account

Google Ads does not understand your business model. It does not know who your ideal customer is. It only reacts to the signals you provide.

If low intent actions are marked as conversions, the system will:

• look for more similar users

• prioritise easier actions

• move away from complex, high value enquiries

  
  

When this happens, the platform is not broken. It is simply doing exactly what it was instructed to do.

What a “good lead” should mean in B2B

In B2B, a good lead is rarely defined by a single click.

A stronger definition usually includes:

• clear intent related to a specific service or product

• context that shows understanding of the offer

• actions that indicate a real business need

  
  

This does not require a complex CRM or heavy automation from day one. It requires clarity.

• which actions matter

• which actions are supporting signals

• which actions should not influence optimisation

  
  

Without this clarity, scaling budget only scales inefficiency.

What to review before increasing spend

Before investing more into Google Ads, B2B companies should review:

• how conversions are defined

• which actions are used for optimisation

• whether campaign structure reflects real services or solutions

• whether ads, landing pages and intent are aligned

• whether the website is clear not only for users, but also for search engines and AI systems

  
  

This review often answers a critical question early. Is Google Ads the right channel for this business at this stage?

A more sustainable approach

Google Ads can work very well for B2B. But only when it is treated as part of a broader visibility and decision support system, not as a standalone traffic source.

That is why I start with a Visibility and Advertising Readiness Review. It helps assess lead definitions, intent signals and overall setup before optimisation or scaling.

This approach helps avoid wasted spend and sets realistic expectations from the beginning.