Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads: Which Should You Use?
Google Ads vs. Facebook ads for small business: how search intent differs from social discovery, what each costs in 2025, when to use which, and why both often win.
The short answer
Google Ads captures demand that already exists. Facebook and Instagram ads create demand that doesn’t exist yet. Which one you need first depends on whether people already search for what you sell.
Google Ads: be there the moment someone searches
Someone types “truck driving school near me” or “beginner coding course.” They have a need and they want it solved now. Search ads put you at the top of that moment.
That intent shows up in the numbers. LocaliQ’s 2025 search advertising benchmarks, based on more than 16,000 campaigns, found an average click-through rate of 6.66%, $5.26 per click, a 7.52% conversion rate and $70.11 per lead. Costs vary hugely by industry, from about $28.50 per lead in auto repair to $131.63 in legal services.
Best for: services people actively search for (trades, schools, clinics, legal, local businesses), products with clear search demand, and high-intent keywords.
Facebook and Instagram ads: reach people before they search
Meta shows ads based on who people are and what they engage with, not what they type. They weren’t looking for you, so your ad has to stop the scroll and make the case on its own. Clicks are cheaper (WordStream and LocaliQ’s 2025 benchmarks put lead campaigns at $1.92 per click and $27.66 per lead), but your creative does the heavy lifting.
Best for: visual products, easy-to-say-yes prices, new offers people don’t know to search for yet, and building audiences to retarget later.
Side by side
| Google Ads | Facebook & Instagram | |
|---|---|---|
| Intent | Active: they’re searching | Passive: they’re scrolling |
| Cost per click (2025 benchmark) | $5.26 | $0.70–$1.92 |
| Cost per lead (2025 benchmark) | $70.11 | $27.66 |
| Strength | Captures existing demand | Creates new demand |
| Creative | Words first | Visuals first |
These benchmarks come from different datasets and campaign types, so treat the comparison as a rough guide rather than a head-to-head test.
Cheaper clicks don’t always mean cheaper customers
Meta’s lower cost per click looks like an easy win, but a lead from someone actively searching is often closer to buying. Compare cost per customer, not cost per click, and track which leads actually turn into sales on each platform.
The best answer is often both
The two platforms feed each other. Social ads introduce your brand, more people then search for you by name, Google ads and SEO catch them, and retargeting plus email bring back the ones who didn’t buy the first time.
For Pilos, an online store for educational products, we ran Google and Facebook ads together, with email following up, and site traffic grew 4.5x. For GC Truck Driving School, where students search for training, Google did the heavy lifting.
Where to start
- People already search for what you offer: start with Google.
- You sell something visual or new, or need to create demand: start with Facebook and Instagram.
- Your budget allows both: run them together and judge them on cost per customer.
Not sure which fits your business? Book a free call and we’ll look at it together.