SaaS Google Ads | Free-Trial Focused
In SaaS products, the ad’s goal is almost always a free trial signup or demo request — not a direct sale. That means the bidding strategy and the whole campaign structure need to be built around that intermediate step.
Competitor comparison searches are valuable
Searches like “[competitor product] alternative” or “what to use instead of [competitor]” come from someone already using a solution but considering a switch — a high-intent segment. Dedicated ad groups catching these searches are worth building.
LinkedIn reaches the decision-maker
In B2B SaaS the purchase decision usually involves multiple people. While Google Ads catches existing demand, LinkedIn ads complement it by reaching the decision-maker in a business context.
Trial-to-paid conversion needs to be measured
Measuring signup count alone can mislead; what matters is how many signups convert to a paid subscription. Without feeding that data back, the bidding strategy can end up optimising toward the wrong audience.
How do we start? First we discuss your product and your competitor landscape. You can reach me from the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I target free trial or free demo?
If your product is easy to try on its own, trial; if it’s complex and needs setup, a demo request is a more realistic first step.
Should I bid on a competitor’s brand name?
Targeting the keyword is possible, but using the brand in ad copy can create policy problems; leaning on general “alternative” language is safer.
What should the real target conversion be for SaaS?
Long-term, conversion to paid subscription; signup count can be tracked short-term but real revenue is what to optimise for.
How do I work?
Work-hour packages
Tell me about your website and what you need on WhatsApp or by phone; we agree on a work block of somewhere between 5 and 40 hours and I start doing what is needed. What you get is not a calendar window — it is net working hours spent directly on your business. I can use 40 hours working three days straight, or deliberately spread it out and finish it over a year — whatever the work calls for. I do not spend my time estimating how long something will take, I spend it doing the work; every hour I spend has a lasting result on your site. We keep going for as long as you find it useful.
Why not monthly?
Is 40 hours a week?
On a fixed monthly fee both sides are watching the wrong thing: you watch a fixed cost, the other side watches how many more contracts like this they can line up. Working by the hour puts us both in front of the same thing — the real value of the work that got done. I know not having an upfront answer to "how much will this cost in total?" is the natural cost of this model. But instead of paying a fixed fee for months to a setup that is not producing results, you only pay for the qualified time spent on your work — and you see exactly where that time went, start to finish. That is why my clients keep coming back.