Facebook ads vs Google Ads

The difference between Facebook ads and Google Ads comes down to intent. Google Ads shows your ad to people who are searching for what you sell right now: "roof leak repair Halifax" or "accountant for small business Calgary". Facebook and Instagram ads show your ad to people who match a profile but are not looking for you at that moment. Google captures existing demand; Meta creates or nudges demand. Which one you need first depends on whether your customers already search for your product or service.

If they do, and especially if the need is urgent, start with Google. If they do not search much, because your product is new, visual, impulse-driven or something people do not realize they need, start with Meta. Many businesses eventually use both, each for what it does best.

The core difference in one table

When Google Ads should come first

• Urgent or problem-driven services: plumbing, HVAC, locksmiths, towing, emergency dental care, appliance repair.
• Considered services people research: lawyers, accountants, renovation, home builders, clinics.
• B2B services with clear search terms: "industrial cleaning Hamilton", "commercial HVAC maintenance".
• Products people search by name or type, where Shopping ads can show price and photo.

Here, the customer already has the need; your job is to be there when they type it. My Google Ads page explains how I set this up, and how much Google Ads costs in Canada covers budgets.

When Facebook and Instagram should come first

• Visual and lifestyle products: jewellery, fashion, cosmetics, home décor, food.
• Local experiences: restaurants, salons, gyms, studios, events.
• New products or services people do not know to search for yet.
• Offers with a time element: seasonal services, launches, open days.
• Remarketing: bringing back website visitors, which Meta often does cheaply.

Here, the job is to make people want something, or remind them at the right moment. See Facebook and Instagram advertising for how I approach it, and what Facebook ads cost in Canada for the pricing mechanics.

Ten business types and where I would start

These are starting points, not rules. Your market, offer and budget can change the answer.

Using both together

The channels support each other. A common pattern: someone sees your Instagram ad, does nothing, then a week later searches your service on Google, sees your name and clicks. Or someone visits your site from Google, does not enquire, and comes back through a Facebook remarketing ad. Measured channel by channel, each looks weaker than it is; measured together, the picture is clearer.

That is why I offer Google and Meta as one service: setup is $1,200 and management is $1,200/month, compared with $650 setup each and from $750/month for Google or from $700/month for Meta on their own. Prices are in Canadian dollars; the full list is on the advertising prices page.

For Boreal Kitchens & Cabinetry in Edmonton, ads ran alongside a new website, bots, a CRM and SEO, built as one system rather than separate pieces. The SEO side reached 200 keywords on page one of Google in Canada. You can read the Boreal Kitchens case study.

A quick test of search demand

If you are unsure whether people search for what you sell, check before you decide. Open Google Keyword Planner inside a free Google Ads account and type the words your customers would use, with your city or province. Look at the rough monthly search ranges. Then type the same searches into Google yourself and see whether competitors advertise there. Plenty of searches and several advertisers suggest real demand worth capturing. Very few searches suggest you need Meta, or another way to create interest first. It is not a perfect method, but it turns a guess into a decision based on evidence, and it takes about twenty minutes.

Common mistakes when choosing

• Choosing on cost per click. Cheap clicks with no intent are not a bargain.
• Judging Meta by last-click reports. It often starts journeys that end on Google.
• Running Google with no search demand. If almost nobody searches for your product, Google has little to show your ad against.
• Running Meta with no creative. Without decent photos or video, Meta has little to work with.
• Splitting a small budget too early so neither channel learns. How to divide money is covered in splitting a small ad budget between channels.

What about SEO?

Paid ads are fast, but they stop when the budget stops. SEO builds slowly and keeps working. For a broader view of how paid search compares with organic, read SEO or Google Ads: where to start. For most local businesses the long-term answer is a mix, with ads filling the gap while organic visibility grows.

If you are still unsure which channel fits, the first 30-minute consultation is free, and it is usually enough to make the call.