Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: which should I use?
Use Google Ads when people are already searching for what you sell, and Facebook or Instagram ads when they are not. Google captures existing demand — someone typed the problem into a search bar, so intent is high and the sale is closer. Meta creates demand by interrupting people who were not looking, which costs less per click but takes more work to convert.
The difference is intent, and it decides everything
Google Ads meet demand that already exists. Someone types 'emergency plumber near me' or 'commercial roofing quote' and you appear at the moment they need you. You are not persuading anyone that they have a problem — they already know. That is why Google clicks cost more and convert faster: you are buying a person at the end of their decision, not the start of it.
Meta ads work in the opposite direction. Nobody opens Instagram to buy a water heater. You are interrupting a scroll, which means your ad has to create the demand — name a problem the person had not thought about today, and make acting on it feel worth the tap. Cheaper attention, colder audience, longer path to the sale.
When Google is the obvious first channel
If people search for your category when they need it, start with Google. Home services, legal, medical, emergency and repair work, B2B services with a defined name, anything urgent or replacement-driven — for all of these, demand already exists and your only question is whether you show up for it. Search ads are the fastest way to test whether paid traffic can turn into booked work at a price you can live with.
The trade-off is that Google is capped by how many people are searching. In a small market, you can only capture the demand that is there, and once you own it, spending more does not create more. That ceiling is a real constraint — and it is usually the point at which Meta starts to make sense.
When Meta is the better bet
Choose Meta when demand for what you sell is latent, visual, or impulse-driven, or when you have already exhausted search volume. Products people did not know existed, offers that photograph well, categories where the buyer needs to see the result before they want it, seasonal promotions, and retargeting people who visited your site and left — Meta is strong at all of these.
Meta is also where you build audiences. Search cannot show your ad to someone who was not searching. Meta can show it to everyone who watched half your video, visited your pricing page, or looks like your existing customers. That is how you grow past the size of your search market — but it demands better creative and a page that can do the persuading.
Do not run both until one works
Splitting a small budget across two channels is the fastest way to learn nothing on either. Each platform needs enough conversion volume to optimize and enough data for you to read. Halve the budget and you may end up below that threshold twice over.
Pick the channel that matches how people actually find what you sell, fund it properly, and get it to a cost per customer you are happy with. Then add the second channel with new money, not with money taken from the first. Paid media at Lasagna is scoped per engagement, and the ad budget is always paid directly to the platforms from accounts you own.
Key takeaways
- Google captures demand that exists; Meta creates demand that does not.
- Start with Google if people search for your category by name when they need it.
- Choose Meta for latent, visual, or impulse demand — and for retargeting.
- Google is capped by search volume; Meta is capped by your creative and your page.
- Run one channel properly before splitting a budget across two.
Frequently Asked
Which is cheaper, Google Ads or Facebook Ads?
Meta almost always has a lower cost per click, and Google almost always has a higher intent per click, so cheaper is the wrong comparison. The number that matters is cost per closed customer, and that depends on your close rate, your offer, and your website — not on the platform's click price. Compare the channels on what a booked job costs you, not on what a click costs you.
What about TikTok or other platforms?
TikTok behaves like Meta: it creates demand rather than capturing it, and it rewards native, fast, entertaining creative over polished ads. It can work well for visual, impulse-driven offers with a young audience. It is rarely the right first channel for a local service business, because search will usually reach a buyer who is closer to the decision.
Can I use both Google and Facebook together?
Yes, and it works well once each one is funded properly. The common pattern is Google to capture people already searching, and Meta to build awareness and retarget the people who visited but did not convert. Just do not start there — get one channel to a cost per customer you are happy with before adding the second.
More on paid media & performance
Paid Media & Performance
Full-funnel paid social and search, conversion rate optimization, and funnel architecture — for businesses ready to scale.