"Should we run Meta or Google?" is the most common first question I get from founders — and it's answerable with one better question: do people already search for what you sell? Everything else is detail.
The core difference: capture vs creation
- Google Ads captures demand. Someone types "emergency plumber dhaka" or "crm for small business" — intent exists, you intercept it. Highest conversion rates in advertising; volume capped by how many people search.
- Meta Ads creates demand. Nobody searches for a product they've never heard of. Meta interrupts the scroll and manufactures interest. Lower intent per click, but essentially unlimited volume and unbeatable for visual, impulse and new-category products.
Where your first dollar goes, by situation
- Existing search demand + clear intent keywords → Google first. Services, B2B software, repairs, anything "problem-aware." Capturing a searcher costs less than creating a believer.
- Visual product, impulse price point, new category → Meta first. Fashion, beauty, gadgets, DTC food. The product demos well in a feed and nobody's searching for it by name yet.
- Local business → Google first (Search + Maps), Meta second for community presence.
- App or game → honestly, both are secondary to store optimization; then Meta/Google App campaigns by whichever CPI wins in a two-week test.
Rough heuristic: if a stranger can want it in 3 seconds of seeing it, start with Meta. If they need to be already looking for it, start with Google.
Cost differences that actually matter
- Meta CPMs are cheaper; Google clicks convert better. Comparing CPCs across them is meaningless — compare cost per qualified outcome.
- Meta punishes weak creative with rising costs; its auction rewards engagement. Budget for continuous creative production or watch CPAs climb monthly.
- Google punishes weak structure; poor keyword/negative discipline burns budget invisibly. See the audit checklist.
- Both platforms' reported numbers flatter themselves. One measurement layer above both — GA4 done properly — or you'll double-count every win.
The sequence that works for most businesses
- Stage 1: Win your best channel alone. Prove unit economics on one platform before splitting attention and budget.
- Stage 2: Add retargeting on the other platform — cheapest possible entry. Meta retargeting for your Google traffic, or RLSA/PMax for your Meta traffic.
- Stage 3: Full second channel once the first is impression-share-capped or CPA-saturated. Meta fills the funnel; Google catches the search demand Meta creates. Watch brand searches rise as Meta spend rises — that's the flywheel working.
The trap to avoid
Splitting a small budget across both platforms "to test" gives each too little data to exit learning phases, so both underperform and you conclude ads don't work. Under ~$2–3K/month: one platform, one goal, three months. Focus beats hedging at small scale — diversification is a luxury you earn.