One of the biggest challenges for B2B businesses when using paid search is you typically know very little about who is behind the search, other than the words they've put into Google.
Take this (simplified) example ... it's the sort of scenario I see day in, day out.
Let’s say you sell aluminium ladder systems for use in warehouses. Sturdy, industrial-grade equipment designed for stockroom/warehouse safety and efficiency.
It might seem logical to run ads for “ladders for sale.” Keyword tools tell you to go after this because there's more volume than a Van Halen concert. It makes logical sense in your mind.
But here’s the trap:
Most of those people are probably just looking for a step ladder at Bunnings or Mitre 10, not a commercial solution for a specific application.
Your solution is many times more expensive than some cheapie Bunnings ladder - something that type of customer is never going to purchase - and paying a few bucks out of a tight budget for a click that's never going to convert is both a waste of your budget and also a disappointing experience for whomever made the search and click.
Consumer intent tends to dominate broad, generic keywords ... but time and time again I see B2B businesses trying to "scrap it out" in this environment (paying too much to reach searchers who are never going to be a good fit).
You might try to narrow it down with more specific terms like:
“ladder system for warehouse”
“industrial warehouse access ladder”
These terms are far more aligned with your ideal customer…
But they will get way less volume, and Google’s algorithms don’t like that.
Google will nudge you to “go broad” (both in terms of keyword match type and also the general nature of the keywords you are targeting), and reward you with more impressions, more clicks, more activity.
It can feel like you’re making progress…
But if the audience isn’t qualified, it’s just noise. Expensive noise you are paying for.
Don't go chasing search volume/click volume if you have a B2B-focused solution with a narrow focus. In my experience the vast majority of searches that *could* be either B2B or B2C (where there is not some specific modifier that makes it obvious) fall on the consumer side.
At the most extreme end of the spectrum, what this can mean is some businesses simply do not lend themselves well to paid search. You may need to accept that you can only drive a very small amount of properly "qualified" traffic from paid search, by focusing on the best-fit keywords/terms and eschewing those that have too much mass consumer market appeal.