23 SaaS Google Ads Examples to Be Inspired By
The SaaS industry is a tough one. There’s tough competition, and it can be incredibly difficult to get your foot in the door and make a name for yourself. Google Ads can be a major game changer because they allow you to show up at the top of the SERPs even when you’re struggling to gain traction organically.
And even better… you can even rank for your competitor’s keywords (we’ll talk about that soon).
Success all comes down to knowing which ad strategies you should leverage, and having a few solid examples to inspire you is a good place to start.
So that’s what we’re going to look at today! We’ll go over 7 different SaaS Google Ad examples in detail that feature different strategies and look at 23 examples in total to give you plenty of inspiration.
7 SaaS Google Ads Strategies & Examples to Copy
One of the most important parts of a great SaaS Google Ad is to have a solid strategy behind it. You also need great copywriting and a strong landing page, but a good strategy can make a huge impact on your campaigns’ success.
So, we’re going to look at seven different SaaS Google Ads strategies and seven different SaaS Google Ads examples that really show how those strategies can work.
Keep in mind that many of these strategies can be adapted in a number of different ways, so get creative when using them yourself!
1. Competitor Comparison Ads
One of the best SaaS Google Ad strategies that are an outstanding choice is comparison campaigns that leverage your competitors’ brand awareness against them.
Loomly is a social media scheduling tool that uses this strategy regularly. They target their competitor’s branded keywords, and may also target keywords like “[competitor name] alternative.” This strategy works so well because it puts you in front of people who are actively considering your competition but who aren’t quite sold on that competition yet.
You can see the ad below, which compares a competitor’s brand against their own while highlighting the value of their tool on its own merit.
And, one thing Loomly does that many brands don’t (but should!) is to link to a product comparison page as its landing page from this campaign. They talk about the benefits of their own tool and show pictures of the interface, but then have a comparison chart showing how they stand up against Buffer.
If you are interested in these kind of advertising, check out our full guide on Competitive Ads. Part of our Competitive Intelligence hub.
2. Driving Users to Demos
Our next Google Ad SaaS example is going to look at ads that successfully drive users to demos.
Demos are the gold standard for a lot of SaaS tools, especially those targeting large and enterprise-sized businesses. They can be more effective than singular free trials, as you can get an entire team of decision makers on board and effectively highlight what makes your software better than the competition.
Having ads that use Google Ads extensions to add links to different demos (and explain the benefits of each) is an outstanding strategy. You can see this in the example from Salesforce below. Make sure that you highlight what users can get in the sales calls and demos to increase the odds of them following through; the ad below mentions “40% savings” and “1:1 support and guidance.”
3. Using Extensions to Reach Users Throughout the Funnel
We’ve mentioned extensions above.
Let’s talk a little bit more about them.
Google Ad extensions (which have recently been rebranded as “assets,” but they’re still often called “extensions”) allow you to add snippets of additional information to your ad. This may include a phone number, small snippets of links, lead generation forms, and additional links with descriptions.
The latter is what we’re looking at here. You can add multiple different landing pages, which each come with their own heading and description. While there’s no guarantee Google will show your ad with this extension, they might; and it can increase your CTR significantly.
To most effectively reach users at all stages of their buyer’s journey, consider using extensions to send users to different key resources or product pages.
In the SaaS Google Ad example below, the brand sends users to their pricing page, a product page showcasing over 200 free templates, client testimonials, and a list of native integrations. These are core concerns that users may need to consider during their buying process, and this ad addresses all of them.
4. Promoting a Free Trial
Some businesses try to funnel users straight to a demo; many SaaS tools, however, focus on driving users to sign up for free trials. This is particularly true for SaaS companies targeting smaller companies, individuals, or even B2C consumers.
Use your ads to promote your free trial. While you do want to still make sure to emphasize the benefits of your SaaS software, stressing that there’s a free, no-risk trial that allows users to get a good idea of how your tool works is a great choice.
You can see an outstanding example from Semrush below:
5. Appealing to the Right Pain Points
When you’re running any kind of marketing campaign, you must have a good understanding of who your target audience is and what their motivations and pain points are.
What are the most significant pain points you ICP will have, and which are you most uniquely equipped to solve?
The SaaS Google Ad example from Gusto, for example, stresses that payroll and HR is easy to manage and that setup is simple and fast. Since they’re targeting small businesses— who may be overwhelmed with these processes— that’s more important to stress than advanced features that larger brands may be interested in.
6. Showcasing Your Core Value Offer
What’s your core value offer? What’s the thing that’s going to make users go “yes, I have to work with them.”
Is it scalability? Cost effectiveness compared to the competition? A specific feature, like a drag-and-drop interface or automation-heavy processes?
Know what your core value offer is, and make sure your Google Ad showcases it effectively
Let’s look at the ad from Homebase below. They know that having no employee limit and unlimited free shift scheduling is an important value proposition for their target audience, so that’s what they’re leading with.
7. Bidding on Your Competitor’s Keywords
This is a slightly simplified version of the very first strategy that we looked at, but it’s still effective.
Plenty of customers are going to seach for an SaaS tool that they’re already familiar with during the research process… and that’s you chance to snag some of their traffic.
Bid on a competitor’s keyword, and then really make sure you aggressively go after your USP, especially when it’s a pain point of the other solution.
Monday.com, for example, placed for their competitor’s keyword, and the first thing that they stress is that it’s intuitive and “actually easy to use.” The appeal of getting started in less than two minutes— and with readily-available pricing and plans— may make it an appealing choice for users who dislike Salesfoce’s pricing models or initial difficult set up.
See the ad here”
SaaS Google Ad Examples by Industry
Want a few more SaaS Google Ad examples to draw some inspiration from? Let’s look at a few popular SaaS categories and five more examples of ads for each that will successfully appeal to their target audiences.
B2C SaaS Tools
B2C SaaS Google Ads are typically going to focus heavily on appealing to individual users who are looking for niche solutions, like photo editing software or budget help. There’s not a big emphasis on booking demos or business propositions; instead, you’ll see lots of mentions of free trials and “get started” information.
8. Rocket Money
9. Adobe
10. Zillum
11. SmugMug
12. WeTransfer
Small Business / Self-Service SaaS Tools
Small business and self-service SaaS tools are designed to be accessible for smaller brands and tighter budgets. Letting brands know that you can help them— even if they aren’t an enterprise-sized brand— is important. All of the ads here do that.
13. RazorSync
14. Jasper AI
15. FreshBooks
16. Zapier
17. QuickBooks
Enterprise-Grade SaaS Tools
Enterprise-grade SaaS Google Ads need to make it abundantly clear that they can help businesses at scale. You’re going to see a big push for demos, references to “enterprise” or “large business,” and an emphasis on high-level features and automation.
18. Paycom
19. Accelo
20. Slack
21. Expedience Software
22. Intercom
Final Thoughts
Google Ads is an outstanding choice for promoting your SaaS brand, whether you’re already established or just starting out.
And when you’re getting started with Google Ads, remember to keep your core ideal customer profiles in mind, because this is what will help you create strong ads that will drive clicks. Combining a solid understanding of your audience with a strong ad strategy (and some inspiration!) is a good place to start.
Looking for more tips about how to grow our SaaS brand? Make sure you follow our blog here.
