India Ad Spend Shift: Why Google Still Wins for B2B in India
Globally, Meta is overtaking Google. In India B2B, the opposite is happening.
Local market behavior diverges from global. Indian B2B buyers research on Google, validate on LinkedIn, ignore Meta ads entirely.
Why India behaves differently
Indian B2B is highly relationship-driven and research-heavy. Buyers Google extensively before any vendor contact. LinkedIn is the validation layer, they check your company page, your team, your client logos. Meta is for awareness/B2C in India, not B2B.
Where to put paid budget for India B2B
Google Search ads on commercial intent terms ("best CRM for India", "GST software pricing"). LinkedIn for awareness + retargeting (cheaper CPMs than US). YouTube pre-roll on industry-specific channels. Avoid: Meta CBO campaigns for B2B (waste budget), Google PMax without strict negative keywords.
Indian B2B paid ads playbook
Phase 1: Search capture for high-intent terms. Phase 2: LinkedIn awareness layer. Phase 3: Retargeting on YouTube + LinkedIn. Phase 4: Direct outreach via verified leads. Budget split: 40% search, 30% LinkedIn, 20% YouTube, 10% retargeting.
What B2C brands should do differently
For India B2C, Meta is still the dominant channel (Reels especially work). Google Shopping for product discovery. WhatsApp for retention. India tier 2/3 markets respond to vernacular content (Hindi, Tamil, Marathi). Don't copy US playbook.