B2B buying journey benchmarks
B2B buying journey benchmarks from 6sense and Dreamdata: cycle length, when buyers contact sellers, shortlist win rates, touchpoints and stakeholders, with what to do about them.
B2B marketing benchmarks for 2026, sourced and explained
In short
PlanConversion, a Montreal-based B2B demand generation agency, collects B2B marketing benchmarks from named, linked research by 6sense, Dreamdata, LocaliQ, Forrester, Seer Interactive and Unbounce. Each page labels vendor research as such, notes where a source contradicts itself, and ends with what we would do about it.
We did not produce this research, and we only publish a benchmark when a primary source supports it.
Last updated
Headline figures
One number from each benchmark
| Benchmark | Headline figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| B2B buying journey benchmarks | Average B2B buying cycle: 10.3 months | 6sense via MarTech Edge |
| LinkedIn Ads benchmarks for B2B | ROAS, all customers: LinkedIn 121%, Google Search 67%, Meta 51% | Dreamdata |
| Google Ads benchmarks for B2B | Average CPC, all industries: $5.26 (up 12.88%) | LocaliQ via Search Engine Land |
| AI search benchmarks for B2B | Business buyers using AI in the buying process: 94% (up from 89%) | Forrester |
| Landing page conversion benchmarks for B2B | Median SaaS landing page conversion rate: 3.8% | Unbounce |
Figures were checked against the linked sources on the date shown on each page. Read the caveats on each page before quoting a number; several datasets cover mostly B2B SaaS or mostly small advertisers. Our own CRM-based research program is described on the research page.
LinkedIn Ads benchmarks for B2B
B2B LinkedIn Ads benchmarks from Dreamdata's 2026 report: ROAS versus Google and Meta, contact-level CPC, cost per company influenced and time to revenue, with our recommendations.
Google Ads benchmarks for B2B
Google Ads benchmarks for B2B teams: LocaliQ's all-industry CPC, CTR, conversion rate and cost per lead, business services CPL, and Dreamdata's non-branded search trends.
AI search benchmarks for B2B
How B2B buyers use AI assistants and how AI Overviews change clicks: Forrester, 6sense and Seer Interactive data, and what to do about generative engine optimization.
Landing page conversion benchmarks for B2B
Landing page conversion benchmarks for B2B and SaaS from Unbounce: SaaS median, all-industry median, reading level, page length and traffic source, with our CRO recommendations.
Before you quote a figure
How to read a B2B benchmark
Who is in the sample
A benchmark built mostly from small advertisers or from B2B SaaS will not describe an industrial or enterprise program. Check the sample before comparing your numbers with it.
How the metric is defined
Conversion can mean a form fill, a meeting or an opportunity, and ROAS can use first-touch, last-touch or influenced revenue. Compare only like with like.
Which attribution window applies
Long B2B cycles mean a 30-day window understates paid media and a multi-touch model can overstate it. Note the window before reading a return figure.
When it was measured
Costs and AI search behaviour change within a year. Prefer the newest edition and treat older figures as direction, not a target.
Your own baseline
Four numbers worth more than any benchmark
Published benchmarks tell you whether something is badly off. Your CRM tells you what to change. These are the four baselines we set up first in a new program.
Cost per qualified opportunity by channel
Spend divided by opportunities your sales team accepted, per channel, from your CRM.
Pipeline and revenue by source
Opportunity value by first and last touch, so you can see where pipeline starts and where it closes.
Stage conversion and time between stages
Meeting to opportunity to closed won, with the median days between each stage.
Share of answer in AI assistants
How often your company is named for your category questions in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude, tracked over time.
Related: RevOps and attribution and generative engine optimization.
Questions
About these benchmarks
Where do these B2B marketing benchmarks come from?
From published research by 6sense, Dreamdata, LocaliQ (as reported by Search Engine Land), Forrester, Seer Interactive and Unbounce. Each figure links to its source, and vendor research is labelled as vendor research. PlanConversion did not produce this research.
Are these benchmarks specific to B2B?
Some are and some are not. Dreamdata and 6sense data come from B2B companies and buyers, mostly in software. LocaliQ covers all industries and mostly small and mid-sized advertisers, and Unbounce covers pages hosted on its platform. Each page states these limits under Caveats.
Should we use benchmarks as targets?
Use them to spot obvious problems and to set expectations with leadership, not as targets. Our recommendation is to benchmark against your own CRM: cost per qualified opportunity, pipeline by channel and time from first touch to revenue.
How often are the benchmarks updated?
When a source publishes a new edition. Every page shows the date its figures were last checked against the linked sources.
