Google Ads vs Meta Ads:
Which Should You Run?
The honest answer is that they do different jobs. Google captures demand that already exists. Meta creates demand that does not. Which you should start with depends on whether people are already searching for what you sell.
Start with Google if people search for you. Start with Meta if they do not
If someone with a burst pipe types "emergency plumber near me", that is existing demand and Google will capture it. Start there.
If you sell something people do not know they want — a new product, a lifestyle brand, a service nobody searches by name — there is no search volume to capture. Meta puts it in front of the right audience and creates the demand. Start there.
Most established businesses eventually run both, because capturing existing demand has a hard ceiling: you can only win so much of a fixed number of searches.
Intent is the real difference
On Google, the user tells you what they want. That intent is why Google traffic usually converts at a higher rate and costs more per click.
On Meta, you interrupt someone who was not looking for you. Cheaper clicks, lower conversion rate, and creative does most of the heavy lifting. A Meta campaign lives or dies on the ad itself in a way a search campaign does not.
Cost
Clicks are generally cheaper on Meta, but that is not the useful comparison. Cost per acquired customer is, and on that measure the two are often much closer than the click prices suggest.
Our management fees are identical across both — $990, $1,990 or $3,490 per month — so the choice should be driven by where the opportunity is, not by our pricing. See Google Ads packages and Meta Ads packages.
Targeting
Google targets intent through keywords: you choose the searches you want to appear for. Simple, and constrained by search volume.
Meta targets people through interests, behaviours, lookalike audiences and its own optimisation. Much broader reach, and increasingly the platform decides who sees your ad based on your creative and conversion signal rather than the audience you picked.
Measurement
Google attribution is relatively clean — a click, a session, a conversion. Meta attribution is harder, because it often influences a purchase that later completes through a direct visit or a branded Google search, and iOS privacy changes cut a lot of the signal.
This matters practically: if you judge Meta purely on last-click attribution in Google Analytics, you will almost always undercount it and conclude it does not work. Server-side tracking through the Conversions API recovers a meaningful part of that.
When to run both
Running both gives you a full funnel: Meta builds awareness and demand, Google captures it when it converts into a search. The clearest sign it is working is branded search volume rising after a Meta campaign launches.
The main argument against starting with both is budget. Splitting a small budget across two platforms often means neither gets enough conversion data to optimise. If you are working with less than about $3,000 per month in total ad spend, pick one, prove it, then expand. We do offer bundled pricing for clients running both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Meta usually has a lower cost per click, but that is not the number that matters. Compare cost per acquired customer — on that measure the two platforms are often much closer, and which comes out ahead depends on your industry and how good your creative is.
Eventually, yes — they complement each other. But if your total ad spend is under roughly $3,000 per month, splitting it usually means neither platform gets enough conversion data to optimise well. Prove one first, then expand.
Usually Google, because people actively search for local services at the moment they need them. Meta works well as a support channel for staying visible between purchases, and for services people do not think to search for.
Typically both, with the split depending on the product. Google Shopping captures people already looking for a product like yours; Meta is where most new customer discovery happens for consumer brands. See our e-commerce marketing page.
Yes. We offer bundled pricing for clients running Google and Meta together. Get in touch and we will put a combined quote together.
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