B2B SaaS ads in North America
Google Ads first, then LinkedIn Ads, with Microsoft Ads as a real third channel. Google holds 85.46% of search in North America and Bing 9.84%, according to StatCounter for September 2026. That is the highest of the regional Bing figures on this site. LinkedIn counts more than 290 million members here. North America is also the best documented region: the main Google Ads waste audit behind this site's figures is 88% US accounts.
Google Ads first, LinkedIn Ads second, Microsoft Ads third. ChatGPT ads as a capped test.
Google 85.46%, Bing 9.84%, Yahoo 2.54%, DuckDuckGo 1.63% (September 2026).
The best documented region. US LinkedIn click $8.99. General B2B SaaS median SQL on Google Ads $800 to $2,500.
Waste. The average audited account lost 34.0% of spend, and 88% of those accounts were in the US.
Which ad channels work best for B2B SaaS in North America?
Search, then LinkedIn, then a second search engine. No study ranks channels by region for B2B SaaS, so this order follows from where buyers search and which platforms reach them.
| Channel | Role in North America | Regional evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | First channel wherever buyers search for the category | Google has 85.46% of search |
| LinkedIn Ads | Second, for contracts of about $15K a year and up | More than 290 million members in the region |
| Microsoft Ads | Third, once Google search is measured | Bing has 9.84% of search |
| ChatGPT ads | A small capped test | The United States was the first country, from February 9, 2026 |
| Meta Ads, review sites, programmatic | The same roles as on their channel pages | No regional evidence was found |
Microsoft Ads deserves more attention here than in Europe or across Asia as a whole. Roughly one search in ten runs on Bing, and Microsoft Ads can import Google Ads campaigns directly. The $15K line for LinkedIn comes from published 2026 campaign mixes, covered on the budget and channel mix page.
What do B2B SaaS ads cost in North America?
More is known here than for any other region. The table collects the figures that describe the US, beside the general B2B SaaS medians, which state no country split.
| Measure | Figure | Source and note |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads cost per click, non-brand | $8.50 to $14.00 median | SaaS Google Ads Benchmarks 2026 (GrowthSpree). No country split is given |
| Google Ads cost per SQL | $800 to $2,500 median | Same source |
| LinkedIn cost per click, United States | $8.99 | ZenABM, 211 B2B companies across 29 countries |
| LinkedIn cost per thousand impressions, United States | $62.67 | ZenABM |
| LinkedIn click-through rate, United States | 0.52% | ZenABM |
| LinkedIn cost per lead, North America | $200 to $250 | Listed by ZenABM. Its basis is not stated |
SQL stands for sales-qualified lead. The Google Ads benchmarks state no country split. The waste audit from the same publisher does: 88% of its 104 accounts were in the US. The full tables are on the paid ads benchmarks page.
Canada is cheaper on one directional measure. WordStream's country comparison puts Canada's estimated search click price 29% below the US average. That comparison covers all industries, uses Google Keyword Planner estimates and gives no collection date, so it shows direction and not a B2B SaaS price.
How do North American buyers differ?
US buyers decide with smaller groups and less procurement, on published ranges. B2B SaaS Buying Committee Size Benchmarks 2026 (GrowthSpree) uses the US as its baseline and gives no separate figure for Canada.
| Region | Stakeholders in a deal | Deals with procurement involved | Sales cycle against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 6 to 11 | 62% to 78% | Baseline |
| UK and Ireland | 7 to 12 | 72% to 85% | 8% to 14% longer |
| Europe, Middle East and Africa, excluding the UK | 7 to 13 | 78% to 88% | 12% to 22% longer |
| India | 9 to 15 | 85% to 94% | 22% to 38% longer |
That publication states no sample or method for the regional table, so these are published ranges and not study findings. Even at the baseline the sale is slow. The Google Ads waste audit cites a median sales cycle of 84 days.
How should campaigns be set up for North America?
By country, with location targeting tightened first. Four settings matter most.
- Change the location option to "Presence." Google Ads Help calls "Presence or interest" the "default and recommended option." It reaches people who have "shown interest in" a location as well as people in it. In the 2026 waste audit, 23% of clicks came from regions the advertiser did not serve.
- Split the US and Canada. Separate campaigns give each country its own budget, bids and cost per SQL.
- Plan for French in Canada. Google Ads Help says it uses "search term language, the user's language settings, and preferences" to decide which language a searcher knows. French-language searches call for French keywords, ads and pages.
- Exclude countries that are not served. Google excludes people "likely to be located in your excluded locations" by default.
Location leakage ranks seventh of seven causes in the audit, at 4% of all wasted spend. It is also a single setting, which makes it quick to check.
How much attention does Microsoft Ads deserve here?
More than in Europe, India or Asia as a whole, once Google search is working. Bing's 9.84% share compares with 5.34% in Europe and 1.92% in India. Japan is the one country-level exception, covered on the APAC page.
Microsoft Ads also lets search bids vary by who is searching. Its documentation lists company, industry, job function and job seniority as targets on search campaigns, with bids raised by up to 900% for a chosen group. For a B2B advertiser that joins what a person searched for with where they work.
No sourced cost benchmark was found for Microsoft Ads in B2B SaaS. The fair test is the same campaigns on both platforms, compared on cost per SQL over a quarter.
How should results be judged in North America?
On cost per SQL, against the published ranges. Those ranges state no country split, but the audit from the same publisher is 88% US accounts, so a US account is the likeliest match for them.
Two figures set the frame. The published median for a B2B SaaS Google Ads account is $800 to $2,500 per SQL. The average audited account wasted 34.0% of spend, and the quarter with the least waste lost 13.2%. Closing that gap takes measurement, which is covered on the conversion tracking and attribution page.
Results should be read by country. A blended US and Canada figure hides which market is paying back.
What are the limits of this data?
Four limits apply to this page.
- The audit is a convenience sample. Its accounts were ones the publisher had access to, and 88% were in the US.
- The LinkedIn figures are vendor data. They come from ZenABM's customers, and the regional cost per lead has no stated basis.
- The Canada comparison is directional. It is an undated estimate across all industries.
- StatCounter measures page views. Its shares are based on a global sample of more than 3 billion page views a month, across all devices and all kinds of search.
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Ads worth running in North America?
For an account whose Google Ads search already produces qualified leads, yes. Bing holds 9.84% of search in North America, according to StatCounter for September 2026, and Microsoft Ads can import Google Ads campaigns. It should be judged on cost per SQL against Google over a quarter.
Should the US and Canada share one campaign?
Separate campaigns are the cleaner setup. Each country gets its own budget, bids and reporting, so cost per SQL can be read for each. One directional comparison puts Canada's estimated search click price 29% below the US average, which a shared campaign would hide.
Do ChatGPT ads run in the United States?
Yes. OpenAI began testing ads in the United States on February 9, 2026. They appear below answers for users on the Free and Go plans. Canada is not named in the OpenAI announcements read for this page, so check OpenAI's own list before planning a Canadian test.
How much do LinkedIn Ads cost in the United States?
ZenABM's 2026 dataset of 211 B2B companies gives a US cost per click of $8.99 and a cost per thousand impressions of $62.67. A separate 2026 LinkedIn audit report gives $8 to $25 a click for B2B SaaS, depending on vertical, without a country split.
Are the published B2B SaaS benchmarks reliable for North America?
More than for other regions, with limits. In the main Google Ads waste audit, 88% of the 104 accounts were in the US. That makes its figures a fair reference for a US account. It is still a convenience sample of accounts one publisher could see.
Figures on this page come from published studies and platform documentation. Where the numbers come from
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