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Google Ads or Meta Ads: which suits you.

It isn't a question of which is better, but of where your customer is when they need you. On Google they search for you; on Instagram and Facebook they come across you without searching. We explain how to choose depending on what you sell and when it makes sense to use both.

Published
Reading time
3 minutes
By
The Big Plum team

In short

  • Google Ads works when people are already searching for what you sell.
  • Meta Ads works when what you sell catches the eye or people don't yet know they need it.
  • Start with one, measure the enquiries and expand once you know what works.
  • Without a page that converts, both platforms lose money.
In this note
  1. 01The underlying difference: searching or coming across
  2. 02When Google Ads wins
  3. 03When Meta Ads wins
  4. 04One question to decide
  5. 05When to use both
  6. 06What decides whether it works (on both)
  7. 07Where to start

01The underlying difference: searching or coming across

On Google, the person types what they need. They have a problem and look for someone to solve it. Your ad appears right at that moment.

On Instagram and Facebook nobody is looking for anything: they're looking at photos, videos and their friends. Your ad appears in the middle and has to earn attention.

Everything else follows from that. Google captures demand that already exists; Meta can create it.

02When Google Ads wins

Google Ads is usually the best first choice when:

  • The need is urgent. Nobody waits to see a plumbing ad on Instagram when they have a leak: they search for one.
  • The customer compares before deciding. Professional services, renovations, clinics or suppliers to businesses.
  • You work in a specific area. You can show up only for people searching near you.

You pay for every click, so the key is choosing the right searches and excluding the ones you don't want. A campaign that shows up for “free” or “course” when you sell a professional service is throwing money away.

03When Meta Ads wins

Meta Ads (Instagram and Facebook) works best when:

  • What you sell catches the eye. Fashion, interiors, restaurants, experiences, products that photograph well.
  • It's something new that people don't know how to search for. If nobody types your product into Google, you have to put it in front of them.
  • You can define your audience well by area, age or interests.

Here the creative is almost everything: the image or video that stops the thumb. And it usually takes more than one impression: many people see the ad, do nothing and come back days later.

04One question to decide

If you have to start with one, ask yourself this: when your customer has the problem, do they search for it?

  • If they search, start with Google. A dental clinic with emergency appointments, an accountancy firm or a repair service.
  • If they don't search, but would buy it on seeing it, start with Meta. A pottery workshop, a clothing brand or a new restaurant.
  • If both happen, as with renovations (some search and others look for inspiration), they can be combined from the start.

05When to use both

The two platforms complement each other well: Google picks up those already searching and Meta reaches those who aren't yet. And there's a third use that works very well: showing yourself again to people who visited your website and didn't get in touch (remarketing), always with their consent to advertising cookies.

Google picks up the demand that exists. Meta sparks the demand that doesn't yet. Remarketing reminds those who already passed your door.

06What decides whether it works (on both)

Whatever the platform, these four things weigh more than the choice.

  1. The landing page. It has to deliver what the ad promised and have a clear next step.
  2. Measure enquiries, not clicks. A cheap click that doesn't convert is expensive. You need to know how many forms, calls or purchases each campaign brings.
  3. Budget and time to learn. The first weeks are for finding out what works. Judging a campaign after three days is judging it blind.
  4. The accounts, in your name. Ask for the ad account to belong to your company: if you ever change agency, the history and what's been learned are still yours.

07Where to start

If you're not sure where to start, we'll help you decide with data: what your customers search for, what your competitors do and what budget would make sense. You can start with the free diagnosis or see how we run campaigns in digital advertising.

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