Which is cheaper, Facebook Ads or Google Ads?

Facebook/Instagram ad costs are often lower per click than competitive local Google Ads keywords, but that comparison alone is misleading — Facebook traffic typically has lower buying intent, so a lower cost per click doesn't automatically mean a lower cost per customer.

Can I use the same ad creative for both platforms?

Not effectively. Google Ads for Search is primarily text-based and triggered by a search query, while Facebook and Instagram are visual, image- or video-first platforms shown to people scrolling rather than searching — the creative and messaging approach needs to match the platform.

Which platform is better for a brand-new local business with no reviews yet?

Neither platform substitutes for reviews and reputation, but Google Ads searchers are often comparing options directly on the search page including reviews, which can work against a business with few reviews — Facebook ads focused on visual proof of work can sometimes build initial trust before a business has a strong review base.

Should a local business run both platforms at once?

Many mature local businesses eventually do, using Google Ads to capture active searchers and Facebook/Instagram to stay visible to past customers and build awareness for services people don't search for by name — but a business just starting with paid ads is usually better off mastering one platform before splitting budget across two.

Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads for Local Business

Quick Answer

Google Ads reaches people actively searching for a service right now, making it strong for high-intent, immediate-need categories. Facebook and Instagram ads reach people based on demographics, interests, and behavior rather than an active search, making them better suited to visual, awareness-building campaigns and retargeting past visitors or customers.

Intent Is the Core Difference

AEO Mini-Block: Google Ads targets demand that already exists — someone typed a search because they have a need right now — while Facebook and Instagram ads have to create interest in front of someone who wasn’t necessarily thinking about that service at that moment.

This single difference explains most of the practical gap between the two platforms. A homeowner searching “AC not cooling repair” on Google has a problem today and is actively looking for a solution — the ad just has to be the answer they find. A homeowner scrolling Instagram sees an ad for the same AC company without having searched for anything; the ad has to stop the scroll and create enough interest to act, which is a fundamentally harder job for the ad creative to do. This is why immediate-need, emergency, and repair-type services tend to perform better on Google, while services that benefit from visual storytelling — remodels, landscaping transformations, before/after work — often perform well on Facebook and Instagram even without an active search behind them.

Where Each Platform Naturally Fits

AEO Mini-Block: Google Ads fits emergency and high-intent services best; Facebook and Instagram fit visually demonstrable services, brand awareness, and staying in front of past customers and leads who haven’t converted yet.

Business Type	Better Starting Platform	Why
Emergency plumbing, HVAC, locksmith	Google Ads	Searchers have an urgent, specific need right now
Remodeling, landscaping, painting	Facebook/Instagram	Visual before/after work builds interest and trust
Legal, financial, professional services	Google Ads	High-intent research-driven searches
Local retail, restaurants, events	Facebook/Instagram	Awareness and visual appeal drive impulse decisions
Retargeting past website visitors	Facebook/Instagram	Strong at re-engaging people already familiar with the brand

Retargeting: Where Facebook Often Earns Its Keep

AEO Mini-Block: Facebook and Instagram ads are particularly effective at retargeting — showing ads to people who already visited the website or engaged with the business but didn’t convert — a capability Google Ads Search campaigns don’t replicate in the same way.

A visitor who clicked a Google Ad, looked at the landing page, and left without calling or filling out a form hasn’t necessarily lost interest — they may just not have been ready at that exact moment. Facebook and Instagram retargeting can put the business back in front of that same visitor over the following days, which often costs less per impression than the original search click and can recover leads that would otherwise be lost entirely. This is one of the more common ways local businesses end up running both platforms together rather than choosing one exclusively — Google Ads to capture the initial high-intent click, Facebook to bring back the ones who didn’t convert right away.

What Neither Platform Fixes on Its Own

AEO Mini-Block: Both platforms only generate the click or the lead — neither one fixes a slow response process, a landing page that doesn’t convert, or a lack of reviews, all of which matter more to the final outcome than which advertising platform was used.

It’s a common mistake to treat platform choice as the main lever for improving paid ad results, when in most cases the landing page, response speed, and existing reputation matter more. A business with a strong review base and fast lead response will likely see a better return from either platform than a business with neither, regardless of which one it picks first. For a deeper look at avoiding the mistakes that undercut paid campaigns regardless of platform, see this breakdown of common Google Ads mistakes — most of the underlying lessons about landing pages and follow-up speed apply equally to Facebook and Instagram campaigns.

Budget Allocation When Running Both

AEO Mini-Block: Businesses running both platforms typically see better results weighting budget toward Google Ads for services with clear search demand and toward Facebook/Instagram for retargeting and visually-driven services, rather than splitting the budget evenly by default.

An even 50/50 split sounds fair but usually isn’t optimal — it ignores the fact that intent and cost dynamics differ sharply between the two platforms. A more effective starting point is to let the service type drive the split: heavier Google Ads investment for anything with strong existing search demand, and a smaller, more targeted Facebook/Instagram budget focused specifically on retargeting website visitors and past leads who didn’t convert the first time. That split can shift over time as data shows which platform is actually producing paying customers, not just clicks or engagement.

Making the Right First Choice

For a local business choosing where to spend its first paid advertising dollars, the honest answer usually comes down to the type of service being sold and whether the immediate goal is capturing existing demand or building awareness for something people don’t yet know to search for. See the complete guide to Google Ads for local business for the mechanics of building a Search campaign, or talk through which platform fits your specific service mix.