Six years of B2B PPC: £1m+ in lead value for Titus Learning

Titus Learning builds learning management systems on Moodle and Totara, the world's leading open-source learning platforms. From their base at Salts Mill in Saltaire, they work with education providers, government bodies, membership organisations, training providers, healthcare and non-profits to train employees, educate customers and engage partners.

We've managed Titus Learning's PPC for six years. In that time, a search-led, tightly controlled Google Ads account has generated over £1 million in lead value from 579 leads, at an average cost per lead of £122.

The challenge

B2B PPC works differently from consumer lead generation. Titus Learning sells a considered, high-value service: an LMS build, migration or hosting contract is a significant decision, usually made by a small group of people over several months.

That means search volume is low. There are only so many people searching for Moodle hosting, a Totara partner or a corporate LMS in any given month, and plenty of the clicks in this space come from students, job seekers, individual learners or people looking for a free download.

In a low-volume account, every wasted click matters. Broad, automated campaigns that work for high-volume advertisers don't have enough data to learn from, and can quickly spend budget on the wrong people. The challenge was to reach the right buyers, consistently, without paying for traffic that would never become a sales conversation.

The strategy

We built a search-first B2B PPC strategy where granularity and control come before scale.

Campaigns built around what buyers search for. The account is structured around Titus Learning's core propositions: Moodle Workplace, Moodle LMS, Totara, hosting, migration and integrations. Keeping these separate means each search is matched with relevant ad copy and the right landing page, and budget can be moved to the services the business wants to grow.

Tight keyword and search-term control. With volume this low, we review search terms closely and keep negative keyword lists sharp, filtering out students, job seekers, free-software searches and anything outside Titus Learning's target market. Keywords run on tight exact and phrase match, with target CPA (tCPA) bidding keeping cost per lead in check while Google's automation works within clear limits.

Measuring lead value, not just lead volume. In B2B, a cheap lead isn't automatically a good one. Conversions are tracked from high-value form submissions, and Titus Learning feeds back lead quality and value from their CRM. That lets us optimise towards the enquiries that turn into real opportunities.

Steady refinement over six years. A long-running partnership means the account has been shaped by years of data on which services, searches and messages produce the best enquiries. When we started, the account was built almost entirely around Moodle. When Titus Learning launched Totara, we adapted the strategy and restructured the account to give the new product its own campaigns, keywords and messaging, without diluting the Moodle activity that was already performing.

Results

Over six years, Titus Learning's Google Ads have generated:

• £1,000,000+ in lead value
• 579 leads
• £122 average cost per lead
• 2% conversion rate

“Matt has generated over £1,000,000 worth of pipeline opportunities. I would recommend Matt to anyone looking for a paid media consultant.”

Dec Connolly, Marketing Manager, Titus Learning

Just as important, the account has stayed efficient in a market where search volume is limited and every click counts. It's a clear example of how B2B PPC rewards precision over volume.

What other B2B businesses can take from this

• Low volume doesn't mean low value. A small number of well-qualified enquiries can be worth far more than a large number of cheap ones.
• Granularity matters more in B2B. When there's little data for automation to learn from, careful structure and search-term management do the heavy lifting.
• Measure what the business values. Optimise towards lead value and quality, not just cost per lead.
• Consistency compounds. Six years of steady refinement has built an account that knows exactly who it's for.