The Challenge
A B2B SaaS product with strong traction in Europe was entering the UAE and KSA markets for the first time. The team had no brand presence in the region, no conversion data, and no understanding of how local search behaviour differed from their existing markets. They had allocated a fixed 90-day budget to test viability before committing to a longer regional expansion.
The core problem was structural: with zero brand awareness, no search volume for their brand name, and high CPCs on generic category terms, the standard playbook of launching a broad brand and non-brand campaign mix would burn the test budget before generating statistically meaningful data. The team needed a disciplined, intent-first approach that could produce reliable CAC data within a compressed timeline.
The Approach
We started by mapping regional search behaviour across UAE and KSA, identifying the specific job titles, use cases, and pain-point queries that were generating search volume in Arabic and English. The keyword strategy was built entirely around commercial and transactional intent, avoiding broad informational terms that would attract traffic with no purchase intent.
The campaign structure separated UAE and KSA into distinct campaigns with independent budgets, recognising that CPC levels, conversion rates, and audience behaviour differed between the two markets. Within each market, we created tightly themed ad groups by use case rather than product feature, each pointing to a dedicated landing page built around the local buyer's language and context.
Landing pages were rebuilt from scratch for the MENA market. The European versions carried case study references, testimonials, and pricing signals that had no relevance or credibility in the region. We replaced them with locally relevant social proof, Arabic-language trust signals, and a frictionless trial signup flow optimised for mobile, which accounted for over 70% of regional traffic.
Bidding started on Manual CPC to accumulate conversion data before transitioning to Target CPA once sufficient signal had built. We tracked trial signups as the primary conversion and activation milestone completion as a secondary conversion, giving the algorithm a quality signal rather than just volume.
The Results
The campaign generated 200 qualified trial signups within the first 60 days, with a CAC 34% below the team's initial target. KSA outperformed UAE on trial-to-paid conversion rate by a significant margin, which led to a budget reallocation toward KSA in week six. The use-case-specific landing pages converted at 2.3x the rate of the original European pages.
By the end of the 90-day test period, the brand had measurable share of voice on its core category terms in both markets, a validated CAC baseline, and enough conversion data to support smart bidding at scale. The team used the results to secure internal approval for a full regional expansion budget in Q2.
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