Google Ads and Facebook ads look like rivals, but they do different jobs. Google shows your ad to someone who has just searched for what you sell. Facebook and Instagram show your ad to someone who wasn't looking, based on who they are and what they do. The right first choice depends less on which platform is better and more on whether your customers are already searching for you.
- Start with Google Ads if people search for what you sell, especially when they need it soon.
- Start with Facebook and Instagram ads if you have to show people something before they know they want it.
- Leads are usually cheaper on Facebook, and usually closer to buying on Google. Compare cost per customer.
- With a small budget, run one platform well before adding the second.
How the two differ
| Google Ads | Facebook & Instagram ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees the ad | People searching for what you sell | People who match an audience, whether or not they're looking |
| What the ad has to do | Answer the search better than the others on the page | Stop someone scrolling and make them curious |
| Average cost per click, 2026 | $5.42 for search ads | $1.80 on lead campaigns, $0.60 on traffic campaigns |
| Average cost per lead, 2026 | $66.69 for search ads | $27.39 on lead campaigns |
| Average conversion rate, 2026 | 8.18% | 8.54% on lead campaigns |
| Minimum budget | No minimum spending commitment | Minimums set by Meta, varying by country and objective |
Benchmarks: LocaliQ search advertising benchmarks, 2026 (Google Ads and Microsoft Ads campaigns) and LocaliQ Facebook advertising benchmarks, 2026. Budgets: Google Ads Help and Meta Business Help, read November 2026.
The averages make Facebook look like the obvious winner: a lead for well under half the price. That comparison flatters it. A search lead has usually gone looking for a business like yours and chosen to get in touch. A Facebook lead was interrupted, and may have tapped a pre-filled form in a few seconds. Both can be good customers, but they rarely close at the same rate, and the averages hide huge differences between industries.
Start with Google Ads when...
- People search when they need you. A burst pipe, a toothache, a solicitor, a same-day repair. The search is the moment of decision, and the first few results get the call.
- You can name what people type. If customers describe your service in words they'd search, such as a service plus a town, there's demand to capture.
- Your service is hard to show in a picture. Accounting, legal work, B2B services: a scroll-stopping image is harder to make than a good answer to a search.
- You want buyers, not browsers. Search reaches people further along. Fewer leads, usually better ones.
Start with Facebook and Instagram when...
- Nobody searches for what you sell yet. A new product, a new kind of service, or a local offer people would want if they saw it.
- It sells on how it looks. Food, fitness, beauty, home improvement, events: things people decide on by seeing them.
- You know exactly who buys. Age, location, interests and life events let you reach the right people before a competitor's search ad does.
- You want volume to work with. Lower costs per lead mean more conversations for the same budget, as long as you answer them quickly.
A budget example, side by side
Say you have $1,500 a month for ad spend. At the 2026 averages, that buys about 22 leads from search ads at $66.69 each, or about 55 from Facebook lead campaigns at $27.39. If one in three search leads becomes a customer and one in eight Facebook leads does, both land at about seven customers a month. Those close rates are made up for the example; yours are the numbers that decide it. Track leads through to customers for a month on each platform, and the right answer for your business stops being a guess.
Two budget rules are worth knowing before you start. On Google, a campaign can spend up to 2 times its average daily budget on a given day, but you're never charged more than 30.4 times the daily budget in a month. On Meta, there's no published dollar minimum: Meta says minimum budgets may vary by country and objective and shows an alert in Ads Manager if yours is too low.
The mistakes that waste the test
- Judging after a week. Both platforms need time and data to learn, so give a test at least a month before deciding.
- Comparing cost per lead and stopping there. Count booked jobs, sales or signed clients from each.
- Sending ads to your homepage. Both platforms need a page built for the ad, or a well-built lead form.
- Splitting a small budget across both platforms from day one. Neither gets enough results to learn from.
- Letting leads wait. The cheapest lead in the world is wasted if nobody calls it back today.
When to run both
Once one platform is bringing customers at a cost you're happy with, the second usually adds to it rather than replacing it. The common pattern for small businesses: Facebook and Instagram create interest and fill the top, and Google catches people when they're ready to search, including people who saw your Facebook ad first and later searched your name. Retargeting on either platform then reminds visitors who didn't get in touch.
For more depth on each side, read Facebook ads for small business, are Facebook ads worth it and do Google Ads work for small businesses. If you sell coaching or consulting, there's a version of this question for you: Google Ads or Meta ads for coaches. We run both through our Google Ads management and Facebook ads management services.
Questions people ask
Is Google Ads or Facebook ads better for a small business?
Neither, in general. Google Ads suits businesses people already search for, especially when the need is urgent. Facebook and Instagram ads suit businesses that have to show people something they weren't looking for yet. Start with the one that matches how your customers buy.
Are leads cheaper on Facebook than on Google?
On average, yes. LocaliQ's 2026 benchmarks put the average cost per lead at $27.39 for Facebook lead campaigns and $66.69 for search ads. But a search lead has usually gone looking for you, so compare cost per customer, not cost per lead.
How much do I need to spend to start?
Google has no minimum spending commitment. Meta sets minimum budgets that vary by country and objective, and warns you in Ads Manager if you're below them. What matters more is spending enough to get a few dozen leads a month, so you can tell what's working.
Should a small business run both?
Eventually, often. With a small budget, start with one and make it work first. Split a small budget across two platforms and neither gets enough data to learn from.
Which is better for a local service business?
If people search when something breaks or when they're ready to book, start with Google. If the job is planned, visual or seasonal, such as a kitchen, a gym membership or a treatment, Facebook often brings cheaper first enquiries. Many local businesses end up running Google for urgent work and Facebook for planned work.
What about ecommerce?
Facebook and Instagram are usually where new customers first see a product, and Google Shopping catches people who already know what they want. Most stores need both once they're past their first few thousand a month in spend.
Can an agency run both for me?
Yes. Our ads management for Google, Facebook and Instagram runs $500-$2,000 a month, month-to-month, with ad spend paid straight to the platform. We'll tell you if one platform isn't worth it for your business.
Not sure which to start with? Book a strategy call and we'll look at how your customers search and buy, and tell you which platform we'd test first.
