Should I Do Google Ads or Facebook Ads for My Business?

Written By Dan Raaf

One of the most common questions I get from business owners is whether they should spend money on Google Ads or Facebook Ads.

The answer depends on your industry, budget, competition, and where your customers are in the buying process.

Most of the time, especially for local businesses, I recommend starting with Google. Here's why.

Why I (Almost) Always Recommend Google First

I do a lot of strategy calls for people who want to start out in digital marketing and aren’t sure where to go. For context, I specialize in social media marketing. I’ve been doing this for well over a decade and work across all different types of marketing from influencers to paid ads to organic content and everything in between.

I say all that to say this: 80%+ of the time I'm telling people to start with Google.

A platform I don't even touch.

Why is that?

Because I'm a consultant first, and it's usually the best advice, especially if you're just getting started.

Google Business Profile Is Free

Google drives higher quality traffic. Local businesses can start marketing on Google for free through a Google Business Profile.

All you need to do is set up the profile properly and either ask AI to help you or watch a 15-minute YouTube video. Then start collecting legitimate customer reviews and replying to those reviews.

Now you have an established Google Business Profile.

This is how you rank locally whether you're a restaurant, plastic surgeon, accountant, thrift store, law firm, roofer, HVAC company, dentist, home service business, or pretty much any other local business. The price of what you're selling doesn't matter.

What matters is that you're findable, accessible, and have a good reputation online.

And again, that's free.

You can (and should) start today.

Why Google Traffic Converts Better

Let's say you've already done that, but now it's time to scale. You want more leads, more traffic, and more customers.

Once again: go with Google.

People go to Google when they're actively looking for something.

If someone searches for "plastic surgeon near me" or "roof repair Las Vegas" or "best accountant for small business," they're showing intent. They're further down the marketing funnel.

Understanding the Marketing Funnel

Marketing Funnel 101.

You'll see this in just about every marketing textbook - with variations that get more obmoxious.

The acronym is AIDA:

  • Attention

  • Interest

  • Desire

  • Action

The further down the funnel someone gets, the closer they are to becoming a customer.

Social media typically lives near the top of the funnel. That's where attention happens.

Good social media marketing can absolutely create interest, desire, and action, but when someone is already searching Google for a solution, they're often somewhere between Interest and Desire already.

You've jumped an entire step.

Now, if you're in a highly competitive industry like plastic surgery, personal injury law, roofing, HVAC, or cosmetic dentistry, you may end up in a bidding war.

This is where somebody like me comes in.

I know how to capture attention in interesting and creative ways. The goal is to get people to stop scrolling, click, and give you their information so you can put them into your sales pipeline, CRM, spreadsheet, sticky note collection, or whatever system you're using.

Personally, I use a spreadsheet (which is not recommended).

When Google Ads Make Sense

If this were an actual strategy call, the first thing I'd ask is how much you're comfortable spending every month.

If your budget is somewhere between $0 and $100 per month, neither I nor any of my friends are going to be much help.

That's where Google Business Profile optimization comes in.

It's free.

That's your starting point.

Now let's say you're a little more established and want to spend some money.

The first thing I'd still look at is your Google Business Profile.

Let's say you have a profile with negative reviews.

Before you spend money on advertising, I'd want to fix that first.

That could mean improving operations, correcting past mistakes, improving customer service, responding to reviews, and encouraging happy customers to leave honest feedback.

What you should not do is buy reviews.

You also shouldn't bribe people for positive reviews.

The FTC has gotten much more aggressive about fake reviews and deceptive review practices.

You're probably not going to jail, but you can absolutely get yourself into a regulatory headache and potentially some expensive fines.

So let's assume your Google Business Profile is solid and you're ready to scale.

Before we go any further, let's clarify something because people lump all of this together and call it "Google Ads."

There are really three levels.

First, you have your Google Business Profile. That's free. Everybody should do it.

Second, you have Local Services Ads. These are the ads that usually show up at the very top with the Google Guaranteed badge. In most industries you're paying per lead instead of per click.

If you're a DIY type of person, don't want to work with an agency, and you're okay paying a premium price per lead, this can be a great place to start.

You turn it on, set your service area, answer the phone, and let Google do most of the heavy lifting.

Third, you have traditional Google Search Ads. These are the text ads that appear when somebody searches for a specific service. Here you're generally paying per click whether that person becomes a customer or not.

Depending on your industry, leads can cost anywhere from a few dollars to several hundred dollars each.

That's normal.

If you're spending a few hundred dollars a month and want something simple, Local Services Ads are a great place to start.

If you're spending several thousand dollars a month and want more control over your lead flow, service areas, messaging, and long-term growth strategy, that's where a good agency and a properly managed Search campaign start to make a lot more sense.

With Search Ads, an agency can actively manage bidding, optimize campaigns, improve conversion rates, test landing pages, expand into additional service areas, and scale your lead generation strategy over time. You're not just waiting for Google to send leads. You're actively building a system designed to generate them.

One company I personally recommend is Site Smart. I work alongside them with multiple clients. Their rates are reasonable, their team is excellent, they're based right down the road from me in Las Vegas, and they're significantly more professional than I am.

The biggest difference is control.

Local Services Ads are simple.

Search Ads are scalable.

Does Social Media Make Sense?

Now let's say your Google Business Profile is humming along.

Your Google Ads are working.

Leads are coming in.

The business is growing.

Then somebody asks:

"What about social media?"

That's when social media comes into the picture.

There are billions of people on social media.

Go anywhere and you'll see find habitually situational unaware people doomscrolling on their phone whe they should be paying attention to whatever task is at hand.

They’re likely on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube…

Depending on age and demographics, most people in the primary buying audience are still spending a significant amount of time on Meta platforms, meaning Facebook and Instagram.

The difference is intent.

On Google, people are searching. (Interest, Desire)

On social media, people are discovering. (Attention)

Social media allows you to create demand instead of simply capturing it. Maybe people didn’t know they needed something…this is where we create that interest and demand.

It's also where you build trust, authority, familiarity, and brand awareness over time.

This is what we do.

So Should You Do Google Ads or Facebook Ads?

If you're just starting out, get your Google Business Profile dialed in first.

If you have some budget and people are actively searching for your service, start with Google Ads.

If your Google presence is already established and you want to create additional demand, build trust, expand your audience, and scale further, then it's time to add social media marketing.

The answer usually isn't Google or Facebook.

Eventually it's both.

The question is which one should come first.

Most of the time, the answer is Google.

If you'd like me to take a look at your Google Business Profile and point you in the right direction, feel free to reach out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Ads better than Facebook Ads?

For most local businesses, Google Ads is usually the better starting point because users are actively searching for a solution rather than passively scrolling through content.

Should I run Google Ads and Facebook Ads together?

Eventually, yes. Google captures existing demand while Facebook and Instagram help create demand and build brand awareness.

Do I need a Google Business Profile before running ads?

You don’t For most local businesses, absolutely. It's one of the first marketing assets you should establish before spending significant money on advertising.

Are Google Ads more expensive than Facebook Ads?

Usually, yes. But higher costs often come with higher intent. A person searching for a service is often closer to becoming a customer than someone scrolling social media.

Book a Strategy Call

Sources

Dan Raaf
Next

Should I Hire a Social Media Manager for My Business?