Meta Ads or Google Ads: where should a growing brand start?
Both platforms can work. They do very different jobs. A plain-language guide to choosing where your first paid media budget should go.
It's one of the most common questions we hear: should we advertise on Google or on Facebook and Instagram? The honest answer is that it depends on whether people already search for what you sell.
Capturing demand versus creating it
Google Ads shows your ad to people who are actively searching. If someone types a specific product or service into Google, they already have a need. Your job is to be the most relevant answer.
Meta Ads shows your ad to people based on who they are and how they behave, not what they're searching for right now. It's better at introducing something people didn't know they wanted, which makes creative quality critical.
When Google usually makes sense first
- People already search for your product or service by name
- Your offer is a considered purchase, such as a service, B2B product or high-value item
- You can identify clear, specific keywords with buying intent
- Your website has relevant landing pages for those searches
When Meta usually makes sense first
- Your product is visual and benefits from being seen
- It's new, or people don't yet know to search for it
- You can produce a steady supply of creative to test
- Your audience can be described clearly by interests, location or life stage
Why most brands end up using both
Meta builds awareness and interest. Google captures people when that interest turns into a search. Retargeting on both platforms follows up with people who visited but didn't act. Over time, the channels support each other.
Before you spend anything
Whichever platform you choose, three things matter more than the choice itself: a landing page that matches the ad, conversion tracking that counts real enquiries or sales, and a target cost per result based on what a customer is worth to you. Without those, it's impossible to tell whether either platform is working.
