When Google Ads is the Right Next Step

If you landed in the 7–12 range on our diagnostic quiz, you’re in a unique position. You’ve got some maturity in your digital marketing — leads are coming in, you’ve defined your audience, maybe even dabbled in automation. But something’s missing: you’re not fully capitalising on existing high-intent demand.

That’s where Google Ads becomes the right next step. Want to learn more? Book a strategy session  here 

Why High-Intent Keywords Matter

Google Ads isn’t about casting a wide net, it’s about precision. Unlike Meta, which is fantastic for building awareness and targeting cold audiences, Google captures people actively searching for your service or product.

• They’re already in the market.
• They’re already problem-aware.
• They’re already looking for a solution.

When someone types “best B2B CRM for IT teams” or “best CRM Software for IT teams,” they’re not browsing, they’re buying. High-intent search traffic is the fastest way to plug into demand that already exists.

Why Meta Isn’t Enough

Meta ads are powerful for volume, reach, and education. But if your business has a clear ICP and a measurable sales cycle, relying only on Meta often means:

• You pay to educate people who aren’t ready to buy.
• You build audiences but don’t capture bottom-funnel demand.
• Your sales pipeline remains unpredictable.

Meta drives the top, Google locks in the bottom. Ignoring Google Ads leaves money on the table.

Why In-House Google Ads Struggle

A lot of businesses try to “just run some ads in-house.” And it almost always underdelivers. Why?

• Lack of Technical Skill – Managing campaigns, negative keyword lists, bidding strategies, and campaign structures isn’t intuitive.
• No Conversion Analysis – Many teams don’t track where drop-offs occur (ad click → landing page → form fill → sale). A good campaign doesn’t just drive traffic, it optimises every step.
• Targeting Gaps – Without deep keyword research and segmentation, you either overspend on broad terms or miss profitable niches.
• Data Blindness – Even with tracking in place, most in-house setups fail to extract insights from conversion data. They see clicks, not ROI.

This isn’t a matter of trying harder. It’s about experience. Running one set of campaigns in one industry doesn’t build the technical depth needed to compete against seasoned advertisers.

Our Expertise

At D&H Marketing, we’ve built and optimised systems for brands ranging from global consumer names like SodaStream, to innovative tech leaders such as Axiom Holographics, SaaS growth companies like Improfy, and enterprise service providers including Mobile Mentor.

Our focus is simple: results. We specialise in turning wasted spend into qualified demand, aligning campaigns with real buyer intent, and creating predictable lead flow that supports long-term growth. We don’t just run ads, we engineer systems that convert traffic into measurable revenue.

Case Study: High-Intent Mismatch

A recent audit for a $30M tech client uncovered a critical flaw in their advertising strategy. Their Google Ads campaigns were built almost exclusively around product names, not buyer search intent. This meant that while they were attracting large volumes of traffic, 95% of visitors were irrelevant. The business was still ROI positive thanks to strong conversions from the remaining 5%, but this masked the inefficiency and the scale of opportunity being missed.

The real damage came from their heavy spend on retargeting junk traffic, which compounded confusion in the funnel, created noise in reporting, and left the sales team chasing the wrong leads. Without a clear Ideal Customer Profile, marketing was amplifying the problem rather than solving it, and sales were paying the price.

When we modelled intent-driven targeting, the picture shifted dramatically. By realigning campaigns around high-intent search terms, the kinds of queries decision-makers actually type when they’re ready to buy, and pairing that with optimised landing pages, we showed they could eliminate 30–40% of wasted ad spend immediately while capturing far more qualified leads.

Instead of paying to re-educate uninterested audiences, they began meeting prospects at the bottom of the funnel, where competitors were already visible. For businesses sitting in the 7–12 range on our diagnostic quiz, this case highlights the tipping point: you’ve got the basics in place, but until you connect with high-intent demand, you’re leaving significant growth untapped.

The Next Step

If your score fell in the 7–12 range, it’s time to stop leaving demand untapped. Google Ads is your next growth lever — but only if it’s done right.

Request a strategy session here. We’ll audit your current campaigns, highlight exactly where conversions are leaking, and show you how to capture more of the high-intent demand that’s already out there searching for you.

Because every day you’re not visible in search, a competitor is.