Quick answer
Use Google Ads when people already search for what you sell, such as local services, legal, dental and B2B. Use Meta Ads when your product is visual or people do not search for it yet. Google clicks cost more (about $5.42 vs $1.92) but leads are usually closer to buying. Most businesses get the best results using both.
When a client asks me whether they should spend their ad budget on Google or on Facebook and Instagram, my honest answer is usually “both, but not equally”. The two platforms work in completely different ways. Google catches people who are already searching for what you sell. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) puts your offer in front of people who were not looking yet. Once you understand that difference, the right split for your business becomes much clearer.
The core difference: intent vs. discovery
Google Ads is intent-based. Someone types “emergency plumber near me” or “accounting software for small business”, and your ad appears at the moment they need you. These leads are warm, which is why search clicks cost more.
Meta Ads are discovery-based. You choose an audience by interests, behaviors, location or similarity to your existing customers, and your ad appears in their feed while they scroll. Clicks are cheaper, but people are earlier in their decision, so your creative and offer have to do more of the work.
Google Ads vs. Meta Ads: the numbers
Benchmarks are averages across thousands of accounts, so treat them as a reference point, not a promise. Still, they show the trade-off clearly.
| Metric | Google Search Ads (2026) | Meta lead campaigns (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Average cost per click | $5.42 | $1.92 |
| Average click-through rate | 6.64% | 2.59% |
| Average conversion rate | 8.18% | 7.72% |
| Average cost per lead | $66.69 | $27.66 |
Google figures come from LocalIQ’s 2026 search advertising benchmarks; Meta figures are WordStream’s median results for lead campaigns run between April 2024 and June 2025.
On paper, Meta looks cheaper per lead. In practice, Google leads are often closer to buying, so they can be worth more. The number that matters is not cost per lead but cost per customer, and that varies by business.
When Google Ads is the better choice
- People already search for your service. Plumbers, lawyers, dentists, accountants, repair services and most B2B services.
- The need is urgent. Emergency and same-day services convert best on search.
- Your sale value is high. A $60 to $130 lead is excellent value if one customer is worth thousands.
- You want leads quickly. Search campaigns can bring enquiries in the first days of launch.
When Meta Ads is the better choice
- Your product is visual or impulse-friendly. Fashion, food, beauty, home decor, fitness and many ecommerce products.
- People do not search for it yet. New products and new categories need demand creation, not demand capture.
- You have a strong offer. Discounts, free trials, lead magnets and events perform well in the feed.
- You want to retarget. Meta is excellent at bringing back people who visited your website but did not buy.
Why most businesses should use both
The two platforms help each other. Meta builds awareness and fills the top of your funnel; Google captures the people who later search for your brand or service. Retargeting on Meta brings back Google visitors who did not convert the first time.
A simple starting split I often recommend:
| Business type | Google Ads | Meta Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Local service business | 70 to 80% | 20 to 30% (mostly retargeting) |
| B2B or professional services | 60 to 70% | 30 to 40% (or LinkedIn instead) |
| Ecommerce brand | 40 to 50% (Shopping and Search) | 50 to 60% |
| New product or category | 20 to 30% | 70 to 80% |
Start with a split like this, measure cost per customer for four to six weeks, then move budget toward whichever platform brings customers more cheaply.
How much should you spend to start?
You need enough budget for each platform to gather data. As a rule of thumb, plan for at least 20 to 30 conversions a month per campaign so the platforms’ algorithms can learn. If your expected cost per lead is $50, that means roughly $1,000 to $1,500 a month per campaign. With a smaller budget, start with one platform and one campaign instead of spreading thin.
Mistakes that waste ad budget on both platforms
- Broken or missing conversion tracking. If the platform cannot see your leads and sales, it cannot optimize for them.
- Sending ads to your homepage. A focused landing page that matches the ad almost always converts better.
- Too many campaigns on a small budget. Each one gets too little data to improve.
- Never refreshing creative. Meta ads especially wear out; new images and videos every few weeks keep costs down.
- Judging by clicks instead of customers. Cheap clicks that never buy are expensive.
What about LinkedIn, TikTok and Microsoft Ads?
Google and Meta take most small business ad budgets, but three other platforms are worth knowing about.
LinkedIn Ads are the most precise way to reach decision makers by job title, company size and industry. Clicks are expensive, so LinkedIn suits B2B companies with high-value contracts, where one new client can be worth tens of thousands of dollars. Lead gen forms that open inside LinkedIn usually convert better than sending people to a website.
TikTok Ads reach younger audiences at a low cost per view. They work best for consumer brands with products that can be shown in short, entertaining videos. The creative matters more here than anywhere else: ads that look like native TikTok content outperform polished commercials.
Microsoft Advertising (Bing) is often overlooked. It reaches fewer people than Google, but clicks are frequently cheaper and the audience skews toward older, higher-income and business users. Importing a working Google Search campaign is a low-effort way to test it.
Our advice: get one or two core platforms working profitably before adding a third. Every new platform needs its own budget, creative and attention to perform.
How to measure which platform is really working
Platforms report their own results, and each one tends to give itself credit for the same sale. To compare fairly, track every lead and sale in one place: Google Analytics 4 with consistent UTM tags, call tracking, and ideally your CRM, so you can see which platform each paying customer actually came from. Then compare cost per customer, not cost per click.
The bottom line
Choose Google Ads when people already search for what you sell, and Meta Ads when you need to create demand or sell visually. For most businesses, the best results come from using both, with a split based on your numbers rather than guesswork. If you want a second opinion on your current accounts, our paid ads team can review them as part of a free audit.
