Running Google Ads When Your Buyer Takes Six Months to Decide
B2B industrial campaigns fail when they are measured like e-commerce ones. How to structure accounts, keywords and reporting around a long, committee-driven buying cycle.
An industrial enquiry might take six months and four stakeholders to turn into a purchase order. Optimising that account for last-click conversions will systematically starve the campaigns doing the real work.
Separate intent, then budget it separately
Split "manufacturer", "supplier" and "price" searches from research terms like "how to select" or "specification". They deserve different landing pages, different offers and different expectations.
Use negative keywords aggressively
In industrial categories, half of early spend typically goes to students, job seekers and DIY searches. Build the negative list in week one and revisit the search terms report weekly for the first month.
Track the right conversion
Form fills are a leading indicator, not the outcome. Push enquiries into your CRM with the campaign attached, and report on cost per qualified enquiry and eventually cost per order. Anything less flatters the channels that happen to touch the buyer last.
Give it a fair window
Judging a six-month sales cycle on thirty days of data is the most common reason good industrial campaigns get switched off. Set the review period to match the cycle before you spend the first rupee.
