This question comes up in nearly every strategy call we run. The honest answer is that it depends on where your customer is in their buying journey — and in most cases, the best-performing accounts we manage use both, just differently.
Google Ads: Capturing Existing Demand
Google Ads shows up when someone is already searching for a solution. It's the platform for capturing intent that already exists — ideal for high-consideration purchases, local services, and anything with clear commercial search volume.
Meta Ads: Creating Demand
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Ads work by interrupting a scroll with something visually compelling, reaching people who haven't started searching yet. It's the stronger platform for brand awareness, impulse or lower-consideration products, and visually driven categories like fashion and food.
Cost Comparison
Google Ads costs per click tend to be higher for competitive commercial keywords, but conversion rates are often stronger because of existing intent. Meta Ads typically has a lower cost per click, but requires stronger creative and more testing to reach comparable conversion rates.
Which to Choose, by Business Type
- Service businesses with strong local search volume — start with Google Ads.
- Visually appealing consumer products — start with Meta Ads.
- B2B with a longer sales cycle — Google Ads for capture, LinkedIn or Meta for nurture.
- New brand with low search volume for its category — Meta Ads to build initial demand and awareness.
The platforms aren't competitors — they solve different stages of the same customer journey.
Our Recommendation
If budget only allows for one platform, match it to where your customer already is: search intent favours Google, discovery and awareness favour Meta. As budget grows, running both in a coordinated funnel consistently outperforms either platform alone.
