"Should I run Google Ads or Facebook Ads?" is the question we get most often from small business owners. The honest answer is: it depends on whether your customers already know they need you. That's the whole framework. Let's break it down.
The one-line answer
Google Ads captures demand. Facebook Ads creates it. If people are searching for what you sell — emergency plumber, divorce lawyer, dental implants — start with Google. If they don't know they want it yet — meal kits, lead magnets, new product categories — start with Facebook. Most small businesses should eventually run both.
Intent vs. interruption
The two platforms are fundamentally different products dressed up in the same label of "ads".
| Google Ads | Facebook (Meta) Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer state | Actively searching | Scrolling, not looking |
| Targeting | Keywords + location | Demographics, interests, lookalikes |
| Best for | High-intent, time-sensitive needs | Visual products, awareness, retargeting |
| Lead quality | Higher (they asked) | Lower (they were interrupted) |
| Cost per click | $3 – $15+ | $0.40 – $2 |
| Typical CPL (local) | $25 – $90 | $15 – $60 |
| Min. viable budget | ~$500/mo | ~$1,000/mo |
Real cost-per-lead benchmarks
Here's what we actually see across our client base in Mississauga and the GTA — your numbers will vary, but use these as a sanity check.
- Plumbing / HVAC / emergency services — Google: $35-65 CPL. Facebook: rarely worth it.
- Roofing / renovations — Google: $80-150 CPL. Facebook: $40-90 CPL with strong creative.
- Dental / cosmetic / clinics — Google: $40-90 CPL. Facebook: $25-60 CPL.
- Legal (family, personal injury) — Google: $80-300 CPL. Facebook: $40-120 CPL.
- E-commerce — Google Shopping: 3-5x ROAS. Facebook: 2-4x ROAS, much higher scale potential.
- B2B / coaching — Google: $60-200 CPL. Facebook: $25-80 CPL with good lead magnet.
When to choose Google Ads
Pick Google Ads first if any of these are true:
- Customers Google your service (use Google Trends to check).
- Your service is urgent (plumbing leak, locksmith, towing).
- Your service is high-consideration but well-known (dentist, lawyer, accountant).
- You sell a product people search for by name.
- Budget is under $1,500/month.
Google Ads gives you the highest-intent leads on the internet. The downside is the click costs — which is why proper conversion tracking and negative keyword discipline matter more than they do on Facebook. See our Google Ads management page for how we approach this.
When to choose Facebook Ads
Pick Facebook (Meta) Ads first if any of these are true:
- Your product is visual (food, fashion, home goods, before/after services).
- You sell something customers don't know they need yet.
- You have strong organic content / social proof to repurpose.
- Your offer benefits from storytelling.
- You want to retarget warm visitors who didn't convert.
- You can commit to $1,000+/mo for at least 90 days.
Facebook is unmatched for warming up audiences and building a long-term retargeting list. The downside is patience: the algorithm needs 7-14 days of data to optimize, and creative gets fatigued faster than on Google. We cover the playbook on our Facebook Ads management page.
How to combine them for compounding returns
Once you cross about $3,000/month in total ad spend, running both platforms together produces compounding returns instead of additive ones. The reason: Facebook generates branded search demand that Google then captures cheaply.
The integrated funnel looks like this:
- Facebook — top of funnel. Educational and social-proof creative. Goal: video views, clicks, and brand recall.
- Facebook retargeting — mid funnel. Reviews, comparisons, offers. Goal: get them to consider you specifically.
- Google branded search — bottom funnel. They Google your name. CPC drops to $0.30-1, and intent is sky high.
- Google non-branded search — secondary capture for people who searched the category instead of your brand.
How much should you actually spend?
A simple rule that has held up for years across every industry we've worked in:
Spend at least 5x your acceptable cost-per-lead per month, per platform. Below that, you don't have enough data to optimize.
If your acceptable CPL is $50, you need at least $250-500/mo per channel to get any signal at all. Below that, you're guessing — not running ads.
FAQ
Can I run both Google and Facebook Ads at the same time?
Yes — and once you cross about $3,000/month in total spend, you should. They feed each other. Google Ads catches high-intent demand. Facebook Ads creates demand and warms up cold audiences who later search for you on Google.
Which platform has cheaper clicks in 2026?
Facebook Ads still has cheaper clicks (typically $0.40-$2 CPC for most local industries vs. $3-$15 for Google). But cost-per-lead — the only metric that matters — is much closer. Google's higher click costs are usually offset by much higher intent.
Do I need a big budget to start?
No. We have local clients running profitably on $500/mo on Google Ads alone. The minimum viable budget for Facebook is closer to $1,000/mo because of how the algorithm needs data to optimize. Below that, Google is the safer bet.
What about TikTok or LinkedIn Ads?
TikTok works for visual, low-ticket consumer products. LinkedIn works for B2B with deal sizes above ~$5K. For 90% of local Mississauga and GTA service businesses, Google + Meta covers everything you need.
We manage both platforms for $100/week each, no contract, with full transparency on what's working. If you want a free audit of your current Google or Meta account, book a 15-minute call.