For UK B2B lead generation, LinkedIn Ads and Google Ads each have advocates who will tell you their platform is the obvious choice. Both are partly right. Here's the head-to-head from a UK agency running both at scale: real numbers on CAC, lead quality, funnel-stage fit, and the 90-day test programme to find out which platform works for your business.

The 60-second verdict

Google Ads wins when your buyer is actively searching for a solution (high-intent, late-funnel). LinkedIn Ads wins when you need to reach a defined job-title audience who isn't yet searching (mid-funnel demand creation). Most UK B2B companies should run both, with budget split favouring whichever channel matches their current funnel weakness.

Cost per lead: real UK numbers

Across our UK B2B portfolio in Q1 2026 (anonymised aggregate):

  • Google Ads CPL: £45-£180 depending on industry and competition. B2B SaaS: ~£75. Professional services: ~£120. Enterprise IT: ~£250+.
  • LinkedIn Ads CPL: £100-£350. B2B SaaS: ~£140. Professional services: ~£200. Enterprise IT: ~£450+.

Headline read: Google is cheaper. Real story: lead quality differs materially.

Lead quality scoring: a head-to-head

Same UK portfolio. Lead quality scored 1-10 by sales teams 30 days after acquisition:

  • Google Ads: average quality score 6.2. Good quality on transactional searches; lower on broader informational keywords.
  • LinkedIn Ads: average quality score 7.8. Tighter audience targeting means fewer leads, but higher fit.

Cost-per-qualified-lead (CPQL — CPL adjusted for quality) often runs closer between the platforms than headline CPL suggests. Sometimes LinkedIn is materially cheaper on this basis.

Funnel stage fit: which platform for which intent

  • Top of funnel — demand creation: LinkedIn wins. Google has no good way to reach people who don't know they need your solution.
  • Middle of funnel — content consumption, comparison: Both work. LinkedIn for thought leadership; Google for "X vs Y" search queries.
  • Bottom of funnel — high-intent commercial searches: Google wins decisively. The buyer is typing "best [solution] for [problem]" — be there.

The optimal split

Defaults that work for most UK B2B businesses:

  • Established brand with weak lead-gen pipeline: 70% Google Search, 30% LinkedIn
  • New brand or new category-create play: 40% LinkedIn (demand creation), 40% Google, 20% display retargeting
  • Mature programme: 50/50 with the LinkedIn budget weighted to retargeting of Google clickers

Running both with proper attribution (server-side tracking, CRM integration) lets you measure cross-channel assists. Many "Google-attributed" closed deals had a LinkedIn touchpoint earlier. See our 2026 UK guide to server-side tracking with GA4 and GTM for the implementation.

Creative requirements: what each platform demands

Google Ads:

  • Strong headlines (15 variations minimum per ad group)
  • Multiple descriptions matching different angles
  • Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets — all the extensions
  • Landing pages dedicated to each ad group's intent

LinkedIn Ads:

  • High-quality images — LinkedIn audiences judge production value
  • Single-image and document ads outperform video for most B2B
  • Conversational tone in copy; corporate-speak tanks engagement
  • Lead Gen Forms — use them; landing-page conversion is 50% worse

The 90-day B2B test programme

Days 1-30 — Establish baselines: £3k Google + £3k LinkedIn. Different campaigns, same target audience. Measure CPL, conversion-to-MQL, sales-accepted-lead rate.

Days 31-60 — Optimise winners: pause underperforming ads. Concentrate budget on top performers. Add second creative wave.

Days 61-90 — Cross-channel attribution: enable server-side tracking + CRM revenue feed-back. Measure not just CPL but cost-per-closed-deal across both channels. Decide ongoing split.

If your tracking foundation isn't solid before starting, see why most agencies show you the wrong KPIs for the metrics that actually predict revenue.

Use our free 2-minute budget planner quiz to model out what a balanced LinkedIn + Google budget should look like for your AOV and growth target.

Frequently asked questions

Is LinkedIn really 3x more expensive than Google?

Headline CPL: roughly yes. CPQL (cost per qualified lead): often within 50%. Cost per closed deal: frequently lower on LinkedIn for high-AOV B2B.

Should I start with one channel or both?

If budget is under £3k/month total, start with one (Google if intent exists, LinkedIn if it doesn't). Above £5k/month, run both.

Can I use the same creative on both platforms?

Image creative might travel. Copy almost never. LinkedIn audiences respond to peer-conversation tone; Google audiences respond to direct solution claims.

How long until I should expect results?

30 days to see optimised CPL. 60-90 days to assess lead quality. 6 months to see revenue impact for B2B with longer sales cycles.

What's the biggest mistake B2B advertisers make on these platforms?

Measuring only the top-of-funnel metric (CPL or click). The platform optimises for whatever you measure; if you measure clicks, you get clicks. Measure revenue.

Where to go next

Running both platforms well requires senior strategy + execution capacity. Our PPC and paid marketing services manage both end-to-end with revenue attribution baked in. Or and we'll design your 90-day test programme.