Online Lead Generation with Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)

Pay Per Click
Home » Blog » Online Lead Generation with Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)
Free Web Marketing Consultations

Helping B2B Technology Companies Increase Their Lead Volume.
Serving: IT, MSP, Cybersecurity, Software Dev, SaaS, ISV, VARs & More.

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    Online Lead Generation

    There are a lot of business owners and executives out there who don’t understand the importance of online lead generation. In person networking is great way to generate leads and close new business, but it is not scalable.  While highly effective, you are essentially trading time for money and your growth is limited by the time invested.  As soon as you stop networking, the leads stop trickling in and referrals stop coming your way.  Individual contributor level employees also aren’t typically driving in leads since their compensation structures aren’t aligned with the success of the company, at least not to an extent that they are personally motivated to sell.  That’s why for organizations to continue growing they need to build an online lead generation funnel.  One of the best ways to do this for new and seasoned digital advertisers alike is with pay per click advertising campaigns.

    Pay Per Click Advertising

    Pay per click advertising is an effective and cost efficient method of bringing inbound leads.  When you search on a search engine like Google or Bing, pay per click advertisements are the search results with a tiny little word, “Ad” next to them at the top.

    These are ads are a way for smaller businesses to jump to the top of the results page for a given term so that they can compete with other paid advertisers and the organic, or unpaid, results. The cost of a click can range from anywhere between a few cents for low competition low deal size keywords to well over $100 for highly contested high deal size keywords.  Keywords are the words users type into the search engine to find a product or service, “tennis shoes” or “realtor” for example.  With pay per click advertising, you swap from trading time for money to money for time. For business managers and owners it’s not uncommon for their time to be valued $100 and hour or more.  When you consider this value, outbound sales and working the network for leads becomes a very expensive endeavor. $100 of pay per click advertising can go a long way depending on the product or service.  A business owner that manages a roofing company may decide to canvas a neighborhood for new leads. They have to choose a neighborhood, drive to it, walk around each house inspecting it for replacement, knock on peoples doors (if they are home), speak to them about the roofing services and try to sell them a new roof, drive home, and document any deals closed or leads qualified.  This could easily be a 4-6 hour process, or $400-$600 of time.  Alternatively they can spend $500 of advertising on pay per click at an average of $20 per click, convert 1 out of every 5 visitors that click into a lead, and have a chance to close 5 deals. By doing this they also retain their ability to oversee production and continue to build the business.  There is initial setup of an ad campaign, but once a campaign is configured it can be re-used by pausing and un-pausing the campaign as needed with only the cost of additional ad spend.

    Scalability and Online Lead Generation

    One of the great things about using tools like pay per click advertising as part of an overall online lead generation strategy is how easy it is to scale up and scale down investment. Hiring, firing, on-boarding, and training employees like outside salesmen can’t get very expensive and investment comes in chunks. I like to think of these chunks are “hiring units”.  There are times when you would like to increase the number of leads you are generating but don’t have revenues to support hiring new full time employees.  You may have a website or other digital investments in place so naturally paid advertising in pay per click campaigns is a great way to scale up your online lead generation efforts.  Many businesses typically have a monthly ad spend budget with a daily spending target.  In the event of a down turn or reaching full capacity, it’s also very easy to scale down online lead generation.  You simply stop spending or spend less to generate fewer leads.  It makes your business more elastic and is a great tool for smoothing demand and bringing predictability in workload.

    How Much Do Companies Spend On Pay Per Click Lead Gen?

    The short answer is that companies are spending a lot of money on digital advertising. Below are advertising revenues for select platforms in 2020.

    Google Ads: 183 Billion
    Facebook Ads: 84 Billion
    LinkedIn Ads: 3 Billion

    Companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on pay per click advertising and the share of advertising budgets that are going to digital media has risen sharply over the past decade to over 50% of advertising spend. Furthermore that spend share is projected to rise to more than 70% of advertising budgets in the future. It’s pretty clear that mastering online advertising is a critical part of online lead generation and company growth.

    See: Google Ads Case Study For A SaaS Company

    Launch Your Pay Per Click Campaign For Lead Generation

    We’ve managed monthly ad budgets ranging from small starting budgets of $1,000 a month up to 5 figure sums and helped our clients earn millions in revenue through the power of pay per click advertising. We can help you do the same. Ready to launch your pay per click campaign for lead generation? Reach out to us today for a free consultation and add one of the most important channels to your digital marketing mix.

    Share This Article
    Posted in: ,

    Hunter Nelson

    Hunter is the founder and president of Tortoise and Hare Software, a digital marketing agency for the technology sector and other lead generation oriented businesses. Hunter has more than 10 years’ experience building web applications and crafting digital strategies for companies ranging from scrappy startups to Fortune 50 household names. When not on the clock, you'll find him spending time with his family and pups, relaxing on the beach, or playing competitive online video games. See for more.

    Leave a Comment





    Recent Blog Posts

    Aesopians E8 – How SaaS Companies Are Maintaining Brand Integrity and Operationalizing Growth with HubSpot Ft. Mohamed Hamad Of Third Wunder Agency

    SaaS companies move fast—but if your branding and systems can’t keep up, growth can actually become a liability. In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, host Hunter Nelson is joined…

    The Ultimate Guide To ChatGPT SEO

    Most SEO professionals are racing to understand how AI tools are reshaping visibility. But the biggest shift isn’t coming from Google—it’s coming from ChatGPT. As organic search volumes and conversions…

    MSP Google Ads Costs and Pricing

    You’ve heard Google Ads can generate leads quickly, but you’re not sure how much to budget, what kind of results to expect, or whether it’s really worth the spend. Many…

    Aesopians E7 – Joining The Feel Good MSP Sales Training Program Ft. Brian Gillette

    In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, we sit down with Brian Gillette, founder of Feel-Good MSP and creator of the “Feel-Good Close.” If you’re an MSP leader who’s tired…

    MSP Advertising Strategy: 3 Fundamental Approaches to Drive Real Growth

    Is your MSP making effective use of your advertising budget, or are you weighed down too much by bottom of funnel advertising tactics that leave you in a perpetual cycle…

    How We Save Thousands With Negative Keywords For MSP Google Ad Campaigns

    Google Ads is one of the most powerful inbound lead generation channels available to managed service providers. There are few better moments to introduce your brand than when someone is…

    Aesopians E5: From Tech To Rep: Year 1 In MSP Sales Ft. Ashton Fortuna

    Most MSPs hesitate to move technicians into sales—worried they’ll lack the polish, confidence, or killer instinct to close deals. Sales is a different game. Techs solve problems with systems; sales…

    SEO Not Working: Here’s Why

    Lately I’ve been getting on more and more calls lately with people saying something along the lines of “we’ve been doing SEO or inbound for 6 months, 12 months, or…

    Why SEO Investments Help Your MSP Weather a Recession and Keep the Door Open for New Opportunities

    What happens to your pipeline when the phones go quiet, inboxes stay cold, and paid ads stop converting? That’s not a hypothetical. It’s what happens in a recession. Budgets freeze.…

    MSP Marketing – How to Build a Strategy That Works

    Let’s be honest—most MSP marketing doesn’t work.Not because the tactics are bad, but because they’re unaligned. What looks like a marketing problem is often a strategy problem in disguise. Most…

    The 10 Best MSP SEO Agencies To Help You Grow Organic Traffic

    If you’re searching for SEO agencies for MSPs, the list of generalists can feel endless—and underwhelming. Most SEO providers don’t understand the managed services space, much less the buyer behavior,…

    Why Your MSP’s Online Marketing Efforts Are Failing

    If you’re leading an MSP and investing in online marketing, you’re probably feeling a growing sense of frustration. You’ve put money into websites, content, ads—even hired an agency or two…

    What Makes a Great MSP Website? 5 Examples You Should Follow

    Your MSP website is more than just an online brochure—it’s a powerful tool for attracting and converting potential clients. But what makes a website truly effective in the competitive managed…

    Case Study: Cold Start To 2-5 Leads Per Month Via Local SEO For MSP In Canada

    Client Background A Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) in British Columbia, Canada engaged us to establish a professional online presence and generate a steady flow of inbound leads. Before working…

    Aesopians Episode 4: Leading with Cybersecurity To Spark MSP Sales Conversations – Featuring Michael Bakaic Of Iceberg Cyber

    In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson sits down with Michael Bakaic from Iceberg Cyber to discuss how MSPs can use cybersecurity as a conversation starter to attract…

    WordPress Out OF Memory Exceptions

    Recently I’ve been dabbling in programmatic SEO. I got an idea of rolling out a landing page to attract search engine traffic from every major city in the United States…

    Aesopians Episode 3 – Cold Email Marketing For MSPs Featuring Jeffrey Newton Of Cyft.AI

    In this episode of The Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson sits down with Jeffrey Newton, Co-founder of Cyft and former MSP sales and marketing leader, to discuss the realities of running…

    Case Study: Sourcing 30+ Email Opt-Ins Per Month For Cybersecurity SaaS Startup Via Google Ads

    In this case study we’ll share how we helped a Cybersecurity SaaS startup source roughly 30 email opt-ins per month via Google Ads to help fuel their email marketing efforts…

    Aesopian’s Episode 2 – Streamlining SEO Content Production Featuring Raj Khera Of Make Media

    In this episode of the “Aesopians” podcast, we’re joined by Raj Khera, a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Make Media, to discuss how small businesses can transform their approach…

    Aesopians Episode 1 – Azure Cloud For MSPs

    In the debut episode of Aesopian’s Podcast, host Hunter Nelson sits down with Matt Hache, an infrastructure consultant at PAX8 and founder of Neon Cobra, to explore how Managed Service…

    Related Blog Posts

    Aesopians E8 – How SaaS Companies Are Maintaining Brand Integrity and Operationalizing Growth with HubSpot Ft. Mohamed Hamad Of Third Wunder Agency

    SaaS companies move fast—but if your branding and systems can’t keep up, growth can actually become a liability. In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, host Hunter Nelson is joined…

    The Ultimate Guide To ChatGPT SEO

    Most SEO professionals are racing to understand how AI tools are reshaping visibility. But the biggest shift isn’t coming from Google—it’s coming from ChatGPT. As organic search volumes and conversions…

    MSP Google Ads Costs and Pricing

    You’ve heard Google Ads can generate leads quickly, but you’re not sure how much to budget, what kind of results to expect, or whether it’s really worth the spend. Many…

    Aesopians E7 – Joining The Feel Good MSP Sales Training Program Ft. Brian Gillette

    In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, we sit down with Brian Gillette, founder of Feel-Good MSP and creator of the “Feel-Good Close.” If you’re an MSP leader who’s tired…

    MSP Advertising Strategy: 3 Fundamental Approaches to Drive Real Growth

    Is your MSP making effective use of your advertising budget, or are you weighed down too much by bottom of funnel advertising tactics that leave you in a perpetual cycle…

    SEO Not Working: Here’s Why

    Lately I’ve been getting on more and more calls lately with people saying something along the lines of “we’ve been doing SEO or inbound for 6 months, 12 months, or…

    Why SEO Investments Help Your MSP Weather a Recession and Keep the Door Open for New Opportunities

    What happens to your pipeline when the phones go quiet, inboxes stay cold, and paid ads stop converting? That’s not a hypothetical. It’s what happens in a recession. Budgets freeze.…

    MSP Marketing – How to Build a Strategy That Works

    Let’s be honest—most MSP marketing doesn’t work.Not because the tactics are bad, but because they’re unaligned. What looks like a marketing problem is often a strategy problem in disguise. Most…

    Why Your MSP’s Online Marketing Efforts Are Failing

    If you’re leading an MSP and investing in online marketing, you’re probably feeling a growing sense of frustration. You’ve put money into websites, content, ads—even hired an agency or two…

    Case Study: Cold Start To 2-5 Leads Per Month Via Local SEO For MSP In Canada

    Client Background A Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) in British Columbia, Canada engaged us to establish a professional online presence and generate a steady flow of inbound leads. Before working…

    Case Study: Sourcing 30+ Email Opt-Ins Per Month For Cybersecurity SaaS Startup Via Google Ads

    In this case study we’ll share how we helped a Cybersecurity SaaS startup source roughly 30 email opt-ins per month via Google Ads to help fuel their email marketing efforts…

    9 Ways To Leverage AI To Deliver Better ROI On Your Marketing Spend

    At Tortoise and Hare, we understand the challenges mid-market technology businesses face when it comes to generating leads and maximizing marketing budgets. That’s why we’ve embraced cutting-edge AI tools to…

    Case Study: TNHS Generates 30 Leads In 6 Months For DC Metro MSP

    In July of 2024 a Washington D.C. metro based MSP reached out to Tortoise and Hare Software for help with some of their advertising campaigns. This MSP was working with…

    Microsoft Loop Presents Marketing Opportunity For MSPs

    Introduction Microsoft Loop, a recent addition to the Microsoft 365 suite, is already creating buzz in the tech community, and for a good reason. With its native integration into widely…

    Granting Access To Google Search Console

    In this post we’ll show a brief overview of how to grant access to Google Search Console to a 3rd party marketing provider. What Is Google Search Console? Google Search…

    Granting Access To Google Tag Manager

    In this post we provide you with a brief overview of Google Tag Manager and show you how to grant us access to the platform as a 3rd party marketing…

    Granting Access To GA4

    In this post we will provide a brief overview of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and show you how to grant access to a 3rd party marketing partner. What Is Google…

    5 SEO Strategies for MSPs to Turbocharge Revenue Growth

    Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. For managed service providers (MSPs), developing a strong SEO strategy can mean the difference between…

    Top MSP White Label Content Providers

    Are you struggling to keep your content pipeline filled with high-quality material that truly resonates with your target audience? You’re not alone. Managed IT service providers (MSPs) often face the…

    The Ultimate Guide To MSP Website Optimization

    A well-optimized website is essential for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) looking to scale their business, attract more leads, and achieve a lucrative exit. A lot of MSPs check a few…

    Top Blog Content

    The Ultimate Guide to Hiring an MSP Marketing Agency

    Are you one of the many MSPs struggling to attract new clients consistently? According to research conducted by MSP Dojo, a leading MSP sales consulting firm, approximately 85% of MSPs…

    The Ultimate Guide To MSP Website Optimization

    A well-optimized website is essential for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) looking to scale their business, attract more leads, and achieve a lucrative exit. A lot of MSPs check a few…

    The Ultimate Guide To Paid Search On Google Ads For Managed Service Providers

    Generating leads for your MSP can be a challenge. You spend so much time managing employees, making sure customer support tickets are answered, procuring hardware, and defending against cyber threats,…

    The Ultimate Guide To MSP SEO

    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important ways to attract new business for mid-market managed service providers (MSP). If you look at MSPs that have achieved any…

    The Ultimate Guide To Setting A Marketing Budget For IT Companies

    Many IT companies get their start as a one-man operation and rely almost exclusively on word of mouth, referrals, and other organic offline means to get past their initial growth…

    Featured Review of Tortoise and Hare

    ryan drake president nettech consultants
    R.D.
    President Florida Based MSP

    Tortoise and Hare has been a key partner in our MSP's growth. Over the year's we've worked together they've helped our MSP dramatically increase our website traffic, and build a steady stream of leads sourced from our website and advertising efforts. Over that time, we've been able to raise our base customer size, build economies of scale to more efficiently service customers, and expand into new markets.