I get asked this a lot, usually by someone who’s been told by one person that Facebook is where it’s at and by someone else that only Google works. They’re both right, for different businesses. They just do different jobs.
The one-line difference
Google catches people who are already looking. Someone types “electrician near me” or “skin clinic Southampton” and your ad appears at the moment they want what you do.
Facebook and Instagram find people who aren’t looking yet. They’re scrolling, your ad catches their eye, and you plant the idea.
One harvests demand that already exists. The other creates it.
When Google is the better first step
For most local service businesses, I’d start with Google. Around 91% of searches in the UK go through it, so if people search for what you do, that’s where they are. Google tends to win when:
- People search for your service by name (plumber, accountant, gutter cleaning, lash lift)
- The need is urgent or has a clear trigger (something’s broken, a deadline is coming)
- Customers compare a few options before choosing
When Facebook and Instagram make more sense
- What you do is visual and looks good in a photo or a short video
- People don’t really search for it, but they want it when they see it
- It’s seasonal, an event, or a new offer you need people to hear about
- You’re building a local name over time
Restaurants, photographers, salons, events and anything a bit of an impulse buy often do well here.
Five questions to decide
- Do people search for what you do? If yes, lean Google.
- Is it urgent? Urgent needs get searched. Lean Google.
- Is it visual? If the photos sell it, lean Meta.
- How big is the budget? Small budgets should pick one platform and learn from it, not split across two.
- Is your website ready? Both platforms send people to your site. If it doesn’t turn visitors into enquiries, the ads won’t fix that.
Don’t do both at once on a small budget
This is the most common mistake I see. A small budget spread across two platforms means neither gets enough clicks to learn anything. Pick one, give it a proper run of two or three months, see what it brings in, then add the other.
There’s also Microsoft Ads (Bing) to think about later. Around one in five UK desktop searches happen there, clicks are often cheaper, and it’s worth adding once Google is working.
If you want a hand
I run Google and Meta ads for local businesses: three months, set up and run properly, £1,000 paid upfront, with your ad spend going straight to the platform. On our first call I’ll tell you which one I’d start with, and if neither makes sense yet, I’ll tell you that too. Here’s how it works.
If you’ve already got ads running and they’re not bringing in work, start with why ads get clicks but no calls.
