Google Ads vs Meta Ads: which should your business use?

The short answer

Use Google Ads when people are already searching for what you sell. Use Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) when people do not yet know they want it and you need to put it in front of the right audience. Many businesses end up using both: Google to capture demand and Meta to create it.

How they differ

• Intent. Google shows your ad to someone who has just typed what they need. Meta shows it to someone scrolling, chosen by interests and behaviour.
• Format. Google search ads are mostly text. Meta is images and video, so creative quality matters far more.
• Speed. Search campaigns can bring enquiries in days. Social campaigns usually need a few weeks of testing creative and audiences.
• Cost. Clicks on competitive search terms can be expensive but are closer to a sale. Social clicks are usually cheaper but earlier in the decision.

Which suits your business

• Local and urgent services (trades, clinics, legal, repairs): start with Google.
• Visual products and e-commerce (fashion, food, home, beauty): start with Meta, add Google Shopping.
• B2B services with long sales cycles: Google search for intent, plus retargeting on Meta or LinkedIn.
• New product nobody is searching for yet: Meta first, to build awareness.

Splitting a first budget

A sensible first test is to put most of the budget where intent is highest for your type of business, keep a smaller share for the other platform and for retargeting people who visited your site, and run it for at least a month before judging. Change one thing at a time so you know what worked.

The numbers that matter

• Cost per enquiry or sale, not cost per click.
• Conversion rate of the page the ad sends people to. A weak landing page wastes good traffic.
• Return on ad spend for e-commerce.
• Lead quality, checked against what actually turned into revenue.

Quick answers