The short answer
Start with Google Ads if people already search for what you sell: plumbers, lawyers, software categories, most B2B services. Start with Facebook and Instagram if your product is new, visual or an impulse buy, or if nobody searches for it yet. Once one channel is profitable, adding the other usually lowers your overall cost per customer.
Google Ads vs Facebook Ads at a glance
| Google Ads | Facebook & Instagram Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| How it reaches people | Shows ads to people searching specific keywords | Shows ads in feeds, Stories and Reels to people likely to respond |
| Buyer intent | High: they're actively looking | Low to medium: they're scrolling |
| Typical cost per click (US) | $2-$10+, far more in legal and finance | $0.50-$2.50 |
| Typical cost per lead | Higher per lead, usually better quality | Lower per lead, more qualifying needed |
| Targeting | Keywords, location, audiences | Mostly broad, driven by creative and the algorithm |
| Creative needs | Text ads, some images and video | Constant fresh images and video |
| Speed to results | Days for high-intent searches | A few weeks of creative testing |
| Best for | Services, urgent needs, B2B, high-ticket searches | Ecommerce, consumer products, local offers, new categories |
The core difference: intent vs interruption
Someone typing "emergency electrician near me" into Google has a problem right now and wants it fixed. Your ad is an answer to their question. That's why Google Ads leads tend to convert well, and why Google clicks cost more.
Someone scrolling Instagram isn't looking for anything. Your ad has to interrupt them, make them care and persuade them to act. That's harder, so lead quality is usually lower and more people drop out. But Meta can put your product in front of thousands of the right people for a few dollars, including people who would never have thought to search for it.
Neither is better in general. The question is whether demand for what you sell already exists (Google captures it) or needs creating (Meta creates it).
Choose Google Ads first if…
Google Ads first
- People search for your service when they need it (trades, legal, healthcare, B2B services)
- Your customers have an urgent problem
- You sell something people compare before buying, and they search to compare
- Your offer is hard to explain in a three-second video
Facebook & Instagram first
- Your product is new and nobody searches for it yet
- It's visual, giftable or an impulse purchase
- Your audience is defined by interests or life stage rather than a search
- You can produce a steady stream of creative
Cost: cheaper clicks don't mean cheaper customers
Facebook clicks are much cheaper than Google clicks almost everywhere. That comparison misleads a lot of people. Because Google searchers already want what you sell, they convert at higher rates and close more often. Facebook leads are cheaper to get and harder to turn into customers.
The only fair comparison is cost per customer, or better, profit per customer. It's quite possible for a business to pay $40 per lead on Facebook and $120 per lead on Google, and still find the Google leads cheaper per sale once close rates are counted. The reverse happens too. Measure it; don't assume it.
For a breakdown of each platform's numbers, see Google Ads cost and Facebook ads cost.
How to use both together
Most businesses that scale paid advertising end up using both, with each doing the job it's best at.
- 1
Capture demand on Google
Search campaigns for the people already looking. This is usually your most efficient spend.
- 2
Create demand on Meta
Reach new audiences with video and creative that explains the problem you solve.
- 3
Retarget across both
Meta is a cheap place to follow up with Google visitors; Google catches Meta viewers when they later search your name.
- 4
Measure blended results
Look at total revenue against total ad spend and cost per customer across both. Platform-reported numbers will each claim credit for the same sales.