Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: Which Is Better for Your Business?

Google Ads vs Facebook ads is one of the most common questions small business owners ask us. Both platforms can bring in customers. Both can waste a lot of money. And they work in fundamentally different ways, which is why the right answer depends on what you sell, who buys it and how they make decisions.

In this guide, we’ll compare the two on intent, targeting, cost, lead quality, creative and effort. Then we’ll walk through which platform tends to suit different types of businesses, and how to use both together.

The key difference: intent vs interest

The biggest difference is how people find your ads.

Google Ads mostly shows ads to people who are actively searching. Someone types “boiler repair Enfield” and sees your ad. They have a problem right now and they’re looking for someone to solve it. This is often called paid search, and it captures existing demand.

Facebook ads (which also run on Instagram) show ads to people based on who they are and what they’re interested in. They’re scrolling their feed, not looking for you. This is paid social, and it’s better at creating demand: introducing your product or service to people who might want it but aren’t searching yet.

That single difference shapes almost everything else.

Google Ads vs Facebook ads at a glance

• Intent: Google is high intent; Facebook is lower intent but broader reach.
• Cost per click: Google is usually higher; Facebook is usually lower.
• Lead quality: Google leads are often more ready to buy; Facebook leads may need more nurturing.
• Targeting: Google targets keywords and locations; Facebook targets audiences, interests and behaviours.
• Creative: Google search ads are mainly text; Facebook relies on images and video.
• Best for: Google suits urgent and high-intent services; Facebook suits visual products, offers and building awareness.

Cost: which is cheaper?

Facebook clicks are usually cheaper. UK benchmarks often put average Facebook CPCs at under £1, while Google Ads clicks average around £2.50 across industries and can be much higher in competitive sectors like legal or finance. One UK analysis of Google Ads costs also notes that central London clicks often cost 20 to 40 percent more than the national average.

But cheaper clicks don’t always mean cheaper customers. Because Google users are actively searching, a higher share of them convert. A £4 Google click that converts at 10 percent costs £40 per lead. A £0.60 Facebook click that converts at 2 percent costs £30 per lead. Close, and the Google lead might be more likely to buy.

The only way to know which is cheaper for your business is to test both and measure cost per customer, not cost per click.

When Google Ads is usually the better choice

• Urgent services: locksmiths, emergency plumbers, drain unblocking, boiler repairs.
• High-intent professional services: accountants, solicitors, IT support, clinics.
• Products people search for by name or type: specific parts, equipment, branded goods.
• B2B services with clear search demand: “payroll outsourcing”, “commercial cleaning London”.
• Local services where people compare options: dentists, driving instructors, removals.

If people already search for what you sell, paid search lets you appear at exactly the right moment.

When Facebook ads is usually the better choice

• Visual products: fashion, interiors, beauty, food, gifts.
• New or unusual products that people don’t know to search for.
• Offers and events: restaurant deals, open days, workshops, seasonal promotions.
• Lifestyle services: gyms, salons, wellness, experiences.
• Building an audience for retargeting and future campaigns.

If your challenge is getting noticed rather than being found, paid social is usually the stronger starting point.

Targeting compared

How you reach people is where the two platforms differ most in practice, and it shapes the kind of campaigns that work on each.

Google targets keywords, locations, devices, times of day and, increasingly, audiences. The keyword is the main signal: you choose which searches trigger your ads.

Facebook targets people: location, age, interests, behaviours, lookalikes of your customers, and people who’ve engaged with your content or visited your website. Meta’s algorithm is now very good at finding responsive people on its own if you give it clear conversion data.

Creative: words vs visuals

The kind of ads you make is very different on each platform.

Google search ads are text-based. Success depends on matching the search, writing a compelling headline and using extensions like sitelinks and call buttons.

Facebook ads are visual. Success depends on stopping the scroll with strong images or short videos, then delivering a clear message and offer. If you don’t have decent photos or video, Facebook will be harder, though phone footage often works surprisingly well.

Effort and management

Both platforms reward steady attention. Here is what ongoing management usually involves.

Google Ads needs ongoing keyword management, especially reviewing search terms and adding negative keywords to stop wasted spend. Facebook ads need a steady supply of fresh creative, because ads tire quickly. Both need good tracking. Neither is truly “set and forget”.

Using Google Ads and Facebook ads together

For many businesses, the best answer isn’t either/or. The two platforms complement each other:

1. Facebook builds awareness. People see your brand, your work and your offers in their feed.
2. Google captures demand. When they’re ready, they search, recognise your name and click your ad or organic listing.
3. Retargeting closes the loop. Visitors from either platform see follow-up ads reminding them to enquire or buy.

A common approach is to start with the platform that best fits your business, prove it works, then add the other to grow.

Worked examples: which platform would we choose?

An emergency locksmith in south London

People only look for a locksmith when they need one, usually urgently. They search, call the first credible result, and the job is done. Google Ads is the obvious choice, with call-focused ads, tight location targeting and ads scheduled for the hours the business can respond. Facebook ads would be a poor fit: nobody scrolling Instagram is thinking about locks.

An independent homeware brand

Beautiful products, but few people search for the brand by name. Facebook ads and Instagram are ideal for showing products to people with matching interests, then retargeting those who visit the shop. Google Shopping can capture product searches once the brand grows. We’d usually start with paid social and add Google later.

A private dental clinic

Both work. Google Ads captures people searching for specific treatments like implants, Invisalign or emergency appointments. Facebook ads work well for awareness and offers such as whitening or new patient check-ups. A combined approach often gives the best results, with Google for high-value treatments and Facebook for building the patient base.

A B2B software company

Google Ads captures searches for the problem the software solves and comparisons with competitors. Facebook ads tend to be less effective for B2B targeting, though retargeting website visitors can work well. LinkedIn may be worth considering too. Here, paid search usually leads, with paid social playing a supporting role.

A restaurant in Shoreditch

Facebook and Instagram are natural fits: food is visual, offers drive bookings, and local targeting reaches nearby workers and residents. Google Ads can help with searches like “restaurants near me” or “private dining Shoreditch”, but most budget would go to paid social.

How to split your budget between them

If you’re running both, there’s no fixed rule, but a sensible approach is:

• Put most of your budget on the platform that best fits your business, often 60 to 80 percent.
• Use the rest to test the other platform and run retargeting.
• Review monthly, comparing cost per lead and cost per customer.
• Gradually shift money towards whichever is delivering better results.

Avoid splitting a small budget evenly across both from day one. Neither will get enough data to perform well.

Tracking and attribution

Comparing Google Ads vs Facebook ads fairly depends on good tracking. Each platform reports its own results and tends to take credit generously. Someone might see a Facebook ad on Monday, search your name on Google on Thursday, and click a Google ad before calling. Both platforms may claim the conversion.

To get a clearer picture:

• Use Google Analytics with UTM-tagged links on all your ads.
• Track calls and form submissions as conversions on both platforms.
• Record the source of each lead in your CRM, and ask customers how they found you.
• Look at overall enquiries and sales, not just platform reports.

Make sure tracking respects consent rules under UK GDPR, with a proper cookie banner on your website.

Common mistakes on each platform

Google Ads mistakes

• Using broad match keywords without negative keywords.
• Sending all traffic to the homepage.
• Not tracking phone calls.
• Bidding on keywords that attract job seekers or DIYers.
• Accepting every automated recommendation without checking it.

Facebook ads mistakes

• Relying on the Boost button instead of Ads Manager.
• Targeting audiences that are too narrow.
• Running the same ads for months.
• Judging results on likes and cheap clicks.
• Slow follow-up on leads from instant forms.

What about YouTube, Performance Max and Instagram?

Google’s Performance Max campaigns run across Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail and Maps, so they blur the line a little. YouTube ads behave more like paid social: they reach people based on interests rather than active searches. Instagram is part of Meta’s platform, so Instagram ads are essentially Facebook ads in a different placement. When comparing Google Ads vs Facebook ads, think about intent first, and these variations become easier to place.

Your landing page matters on both platforms

Whichever platform you choose, the page people land on has a huge effect on results. A fast, focused page that matches the ad, explains the offer clearly, shows proof and makes it easy to get in touch can double the number of enquiries from the same budget. A slow, generic homepage can make even a well-run campaign look like a failure.

For search campaigns, the page should answer the exact query: if someone searched “kitchen fitters in Barnet”, the page should talk about kitchen fitting in Barnet. For social campaigns, the page should continue the story the ad started, with the same offer, imagery and tone.

Lead quality and follow-up

Leads from search often arrive ready to talk, because they were already looking. Leads from social media sometimes need more warming up, as they may have enquired on impulse. That doesn’t make them worse, just different. Fast follow-up, a friendly first call and a short nurture sequence can turn a lukewarm lead into a customer.

Whatever the source, speed matters. Leads contacted within minutes are far more likely to convert than those left until the next day.

Seasonality and timing

Both platforms get more expensive when competition rises. Retail costs spike around Black Friday and Christmas. Home improvement searches often rise in spring. Plan your spend around your own busy periods, and consider building awareness ahead of peak season so you’re not paying the highest prices to reach completely cold audiences.

A simple 90-day testing plan

1. Days 1 to 14: set up tracking properly, build one focused campaign on your chosen platform, and create a matching landing page.
2. Days 15 to 45: let the campaign gather data. Make small, regular improvements rather than big daily changes.
3. Days 46 to 60: review cost per lead and lead quality. Keep what works, cut what doesn’t.
4. Days 61 to 90: if results are good, scale gradually and add a small test on the other platform, plus retargeting.

After three months you’ll have real numbers rather than guesses, and a clear idea of where your money works hardest.

Doing it yourself or hiring help

Both platforms are open to anyone, and plenty of small businesses run their own campaigns successfully. The learning curve is real, though, and mistakes can be expensive. Hiring a specialist makes sense when your time is limited, when results have stalled, or when your budget is large enough that small improvements save meaningful money. If you do hire help, make sure you own the ad accounts and can see exactly where your money goes.

How to decide where to start

1. Check search demand. Use Google’s Keyword Planner or a tool like Ubersuggest. If plenty of people search for your service, Google is a strong start.
2. Consider your product. Is it visual, impulse-friendly or new? Facebook may suit better.
3. Look at your budget. In high-CPC sectors, small budgets can struggle on Google. Facebook may give more data for the money.
4. Think about urgency. Urgent needs favour Google.
5. Test. Run a small, well-tracked test on one platform for a month before deciding.

Questions to ask yourself before choosing

• Do people already search for what I sell? How often, and in which areas?
• Is my product or service easy to show in a photo or short video?
• How urgent is the need when customers come to me?
• What is a new customer worth, and how much can I afford per lead?
• Do I have time to create fresh ads every few weeks?
• Is my website ready to convert the traffic I send to it?

Answering these honestly usually points clearly towards one platform as the starting point. If the answers are mixed, that’s often a sign that both could work, and a small test of each will settle it.

A note on organic alternatives

Paid advertising isn’t the only option. SEO is the organic equivalent of search ads: it helps you appear when people search, without paying per click, though it takes longer to build. Organic social media is the unpaid side of Facebook and Instagram, building trust and familiarity over time. Many businesses combine paid and organic, using ads for immediate results while organic channels grow. If long-term visibility matters to you, our guide to local SEO in London is a useful next read.

The bottom line

Google Ads is usually the better bet when people already search for what you offer, especially when the need is urgent. Facebook ads is usually the better bet when you need to put something in front of people who aren’t looking yet, especially if it’s visual or offer-led. Many businesses end up using both, with each doing the job it’s best at. Start with the one that fits, measure carefully, and let the numbers guide what you do next.

Above all, judge both platforms on the same yardstick: the cost of winning a customer, not the cost of a click. That single habit will save you more money than any clever campaign setting.

Need help?

We manage both Google Ads and Meta ads for businesses in London and across the UK. If you’re not sure which suits you, ask for a free audit and we’ll give you an honest recommendation.

Google Ads vs Facebook ads FAQs