"Should we be on Google or Facebook?" is one of the first questions we get asked about advertising. The honest answer is that they do different jobs, and the right one depends on how your customers decide to buy.
The short version
Google Ads shows your ad to people who are already searching for what you sell. They have a need right now, and they're looking for someone to solve it.
Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) shows your ad to people who match a profile you choose, while they're scrolling. Most of them weren't looking for you. Your ad has to make them want something.
One catches demand that already exists. The other creates it.
When Google Ads is usually the better start
Google works best when people know they need something and go looking for it. Think:
- Urgent services: plumbers, locksmiths, towing, emergency repairs
- Things people compare before buying: builders, accountants, lawyers, car finance
- Specific products people search for by name
- Anything people describe in a search, like "sell my car Auckland" or "commercial cleaners near me"
If you can list the words your customers type when they need you, Google is a strong place to start. You pay when someone clicks, and the people clicking have already told you what they want.
NZ Cash For Cars is a good example. People who want to sell a car search for it, often wanting it sorted fast. Running Google Ads around those searches brought them 42% more leads in the first month. Read the case study.
When Meta Ads is usually the better start
Meta works best when people don't search for what you sell, but buy it when they see it. Think:
- Products people buy on impulse or because they look good
- New products or ideas people don't know to search for yet
- Local services people need but put off, like cleaning, gardening or a health check
- Anything that sells well with a photo or a short video
Meta is also strong for reaching people again. Someone who visited your site but didn't buy can see your ad on Instagram the next day.
Coatlab started with no online presence at all. A new website and Meta and TikTok ads grew their sales by 38%. Read the case study.
Questions that help you decide
Do people search for what you sell? Type what a customer would type into Google. If there are plenty of ads and results for it, there's demand to catch. If there's almost nothing, people probably aren't searching, and Meta may suit you better.
Is it urgent? The more urgent the need, the more Google wins. Nobody scrolls Instagram hoping to find a locksmith.
Does it look good? If your product or result photographs well, Meta gives you room to show it.
How much is a customer worth? Clicks on competitive Google searches can be expensive. That's fine if a customer is worth thousands, and hard to justify if they're worth fifty dollars. Meta can reach people more cheaply, but they take more convincing.
When to run both
Many businesses end up using both, because they work well together. A common pattern:
- Google Ads catches people searching right now.
- Meta Ads builds awareness with people who will need you later.
- Meta then reminds everyone who visited your site and didn't enquire.
We'd usually start with one, prove it works, then add the second. Splitting a small budget across both from day one often means neither gets enough to learn what works.
What matters more than the platform
The platform is rarely the reason ads fail. In our experience, these matter more:
- The landing page. If the page people land on is slow, vague or hard to enquire from, it doesn't matter how good the ad was. We build the page with the ads for exactly this reason.
- Tracking. If you can't see which ads bring in enquiries and sales, you can't move money toward what works. Measure enquiries, not clicks.
- Following up. A lead that waits a day for a reply has often gone elsewhere. Fast follow-up, or filtering out people who aren't ready, changes the cost per customer a lot.
Where to start
If people search for what you sell, start with Google. If they don't, or if what you sell is visual, start with Meta. Either way, get the landing page and tracking right first.
If you're not sure which fits your business, we'll tell you on a free 15-minute call, along with roughly what we'd expect it to take. See how we run digital marketing.