The quiet channel beating Google in B2B SaaS vendor discovery
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In last year’s version of our B2B buying journey report, 54% of B2B marketers banked on Google searches to kick off their vendor search. Need new software? Hit Google, read top-10 lists, compare vendors and go from there.
This year, in our latest edition we discovered Google is no longer marketing leaders' first stop.
Learn what channel has taken over as the starting point and how to adapt to the trust-based era we're entering.
In last year’s version of our B2B buying journey report, 54% of B2B marketers banked on Google searches to kick off their vendor search. Need new software? Hit Google, read top-10 lists, compare vendors and go from there.
In 2025, Google isn’t the first place B2B SaaS buyers look anymore. The new king is “dark social”, those private Slack channels, WhatsApp groups, and niche communities where marketing leaders swap stories and share advice.
72% said their buying journey starts by asking peers in private groups, overtaking Google as the first stop. This is a huge shift in buyer behavior driven by one simple factor: trust.
"I talk to the other CMOs I know. I am in a few broad groups and then a WhatsApp group of similar-sized company CMOs in my vertical."
Why the big change? Marketing leaders are inundated with vendor promises and never-ending streams of content. They’re skeptical, they crave real-talk insights from people who’ve actually been in their situation and solved the same problem.
So instead of running to Google, they’re heading straight to their trusted peer networks for guidance. It’s like word-of-mouth but supercharged by the internet.
“Dark social” refers to the semi-invisible online spaces where people share information that isn’t easily tracked by marketers. Think: invite-only Slack communities, private LinkedIn or Facebook groups, texting and small forums. It’s anywhere buyers can talk candidly without a vendor’s gaze.
In these back-channel chats, marketing leaders get to hear the truth, both success stories and horror stories, from people they trust. No polished case studies, no sales pitches, just peers telling it like it is. That kind of unfiltered honesty meets a core need in the buying process: knowing they can believe and trust in your solution.
"I ask for recommendations… To select a product I would get multiple reviews from people I trust. To select a vendor who I need to engage with, I would do multiple reference checks. My number one problem is selecting a vendor that initially appears to solve all my problems and later delivers subpar results after I’m stuck in the relationship."
Before they even think about vendor websites or collateral, they want to hear from someone who’s already used the tool. Our findings showed three key factors driving this dark social trend:
Marketing leaders want to hear about real experiences (both wins and failures) from people who’ve actually used the software, not overly polished vendor testimonials. This genuine insight builds confidence like nothing else.
Professional peer groups (like the CMO Slack communities, executive forums, etc.) have matured into rich knowledge hubs. Marketing leaders openly discuss what works, what doesn't, and why. There’s a shared understanding that they'll help each other avoid mistakes. These community bonds have never been stronger.
In private spaces, marketing leaders swap stories about implementation nightmares, hidden costs, and workarounds that you’ll never find in public reviews or polished case studies. These anecdotes have become must-haves for buyers trying to avoid pitfalls.
Don’t get us wrong, Google isn’t dead in B2B buying. 51% of marketing leaders still use Google during their software search, but only 9% start by googling a software category now. Instead of being step one, Google has predominantly changed to a tool used for validation and deeper research rather than initial discovery.
“Google is a foundational tool that supports all other research – a way to quickly verify claims, gather independent perspectives, and fill in knowledge gaps.”
In practice, that means once a marketing leader has a few peer-recommended vendor names in hand, then they turn to Google to:
In other words, Google has shifted from discovery engine to fact-checker in the buyer’s journey. Rather than asking “Who sells marketing automation software?” buyers are asking “Is Vendor X legit? What’s everyone saying about them online?”
At its core, this trend is about human trust. When a fellow CMO says they tried a tool and it worked well for them it carries far more weight than the best Google ad or perfected marketing materials. This peer-first approach is essentially risk mitigation and in the process, marketing leaders gain credibility in their decision (easy to justify a choice that peers endorse) and reduce the fear of making a bad bet.
After years of being targeted by polished content this shift makes sense, leaders now crave authenticity and private communities give them exactly that. They can ask blunt questions and get honest answers. Marketing leaders trust these off-the-record conversations more than vendor webinars or search results, because there’s no agenda – just peers helping peers.
Key takeaway: Happy customers who recommend you in private groups have become crucial inroads to buyer’s consideration sets.
If you can’t directly see or influence these peer conversations, how do you ensure your product is in the mix when marketing leaders ask “what should I buy?” Here are some practical steps:
Cultivate customer advocates: Your current customers are your ticket into private peer networks. If they love your product, they’ll mention it to their CMO friends. Invest in customer success and relationships so that you earn genuine recommendations. Remember marketing leaders have confirmed personal referrals carry far more weight than any ad campaign ever will.
While you can’t barge into private chats, you can engage in broader industry communities. Join and contribute (not sell) in Slack groups, forums, and events where your audience hangs out. When people see your team providing value in those spaces (sharing knowledge, not just pitching), it builds the kind of credibility that gets your name dropped in later private talks.
Since buyers will verify with review sites (54%) and Google (51%), make sure what they find there reinforces trust. Encourage happy users to leave reviews on G2/TrustRadius, and maintain a solid presence on those platforms.
Similarly, have analyst reports, case studies, and thought leadership out there for the Googlers to discover. Think of it as ammo for your champions. When your name gets mentioned in dark social, buyers will go looking for proof and you need to make sure everything they find builds trust and ticks their boxes.
100% of marketing leaders told us they’ll visit a vendor’s website before purchasing. So even though they didn’t find you via search, when a peer mentions you, you can guarantee they’ll be visiting your site. You’ve got to make this moment count. Ensure your messaging is crystal clear about what problems you solve and why you’re unique. Don’t hide key information or drown it in jargon.
The goal is to earn a place in those trusted circles. That comes from building real credibility: a great product, happy customers, transparent communication, and thought leadership that genuinely helps your audience. If you focus on that, your brand will naturally permeate the dark social web that is now guiding buying decisions.
The way B2B SaaS gets bought has changed. It’s no longer about who ranks highest on Google, it’s about who buyers hear about from people they trust. Your edge isn’t louder marketing. It’s a product that works, customers who back you, and proof you deliver. If your name shows up in the right circles, and holds up under scrutiny, that's what gets you chosen.
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