Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: Which to Use for Each Client

Google Ads vs Facebook Ads is the first channel question most agencies face with a new client. The two platforms reach people at different moments, so the right answer depends on the client's market, not on which platform is "better". This guide covers how the two differ, how to decide per client, and what you need from the client before either campaign can launch.

The core difference: intent vs interest

Google Ads mostly works on intent. Someone types "emergency plumber near me" or "project management software for agencies", and your ad appears because their words match your keywords. They've told you what they want.

Facebook Ads, now run through Meta Ads Manager, mostly works on interest and identity. Nobody searches on Facebook or Instagram for a plumber. Your ad appears in their feed, Stories or Reels because they match the audience you defined, or the audience Meta's delivery system finds for you. They weren't looking, so the ad has to make them stop.

That one difference drives almost everything else: which clients suit each channel, what creative you need, and how you measure results.

Side-by-side comparison

When Google Ads is the better first channel

Start with Google Ads when people already search for what the client sells:

• Local services with urgent demand. Locksmiths, plumbers, HVAC, dentists, lawyers. People search the moment they need help, and the first relevant ad often gets the call.
• B2B software and services with clear category names. If buyers search "payroll software" or "SEO agency in Austin", you can be there at the exact moment they compare options.
• Ecommerce with known products. Shopping campaigns put the product, price and store in front of someone already searching for that item.
• Clients with thin creative resources. Search ads are text. A client with no photo or video library can still launch a solid search campaign.

The trade-off: you can only capture demand that exists. If almost nobody searches for the product, Google Ads has little to work with beyond Display and YouTube, where you're back to interrupting people.

When Facebook Ads is the better first channel

Start with Facebook and Instagram ads when the product needs to be shown before it's searched for:

• New or novel products. If the category is new, few people search for it. A short video showing the product in use can create the demand.
• Visual and impulse-friendly products. Fashion, beauty, home decor, food and fitness products sell well when people see them.
• Audiences you can describe but who don't search. New parents, small business owners, people who just moved. Meta's delivery reaches them in the feed.
• Lead generation with an instant form. Meta's lead ads let people submit details without leaving the app. That lowers friction for quotes, consultations and downloads.

The trade-off: performance depends on creative. Ads wear out as the same people see them repeatedly, so the client needs a steady supply of new images and videos, or a budget for you to make them.

Five questions to decide per client

Use these on the kickoff call. They settle the channel question faster than a general debate.

1. Do people search for this? Check Google's Keyword Planner or a free keyword tool for the main terms. If there's real volume, Google Ads has demand to capture.
2. Can the client supply creative? Meta needs fresh images or short videos every few weeks. If the client can't supply them and won't pay for production, lean towards search.
3. How long is the sales cycle? Short, urgent purchases favour search. Considered purchases often need several touches, where Meta retargeting and Google remarketing both help.
4. What counts as a conversion, and can you track it? Agree on the event (purchase, lead, booked call) before launch. Without tracking, neither platform can optimise.
5. What's the test budget? Meta's delivery system needs enough conversions to exit its learning phase. Meta describes this in its help centre article on the learning phase. A budget too small for that slows learning on Meta. Google's automated bidding also learns from conversion data, so very small budgets suit tightly focused manual campaigns on either platform.

Creative and copy: what each platform needs

Google Ads. Responsive search ads take up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, and Google tests combinations. That's set out in Google's help article on responsive search ads. Headlines should repeat the searcher's words and give a reason to click: price, speed, location or proof. Performance Max and YouTube campaigns also need images and video, so plan for them if you go beyond search.

Facebook Ads. The visual and the first line of text decide whether someone stops scrolling. Plan several concepts per ad set, not one polished ad. Vertical video built for Stories and Reels usually needs its own edit rather than a cropped landscape video. Meta's Ads Guide lists the current sizes for each placement.

Tracking: set it up before you spend

Both platforms optimise towards the conversion data you send them, so tracking comes first.

• Google Ads tracks conversions with the Google tag or by importing goals from Google Analytics 4. If the client already uses GA4, linking it to Google Ads saves setup time.
• Meta tracks website events with the Meta Pixel. It's increasingly paired with the Conversions API, which sends events from the server so fewer are lost to browser restrictions.

For either platform, agree with the client which events matter, then test them before launch. A campaign optimising for page views when the client cares about booked calls wastes the whole test budget.

Running both: how they work together

For many clients the answer isn't one or the other. A common pattern:

1. Meta builds demand. Video and image ads introduce the product to people who match the customer profile.
2. Google captures it. Some of those people later search for the brand or category. Brand and category search campaigns make sure the client shows up when they do.
3. Retargeting closes the gap. Both platforms can show ads to people who visited the site but didn't convert.

When you run both, judge results together. Each platform's dashboard tends to credit itself for conversions the other helped create. Compare total cost against total results in the client's own data, such as Shopify orders or CRM leads, alongside each platform's reports.

What you need from the client before either campaign launches

Whichever channel you pick, the campaign can't start until you can get into the client's accounts. This is where onboarding usually stalls.

For Google Ads, you link the client's account to your manager account (MCC), and the client approves the request. If they don't have an account yet, you can create one under your manager account. See how to request access to a client's Google Ads account.

For Facebook Ads, the client gives your business portfolio partner access to their ad account, Facebook Page, Instagram account and Pixel. That's several assets, and clients often don't know where to find them. See how to request access to a client's Meta ad account.

If you need both, you're asking a non-technical client to complete two different flows in two different interfaces. ClientInvite turns that into one branded link: the client clicks it, approves Google and Meta access in a few steps, and the assets appear in your accounts. You can see how it works for PPC agencies and for Meta ads account access.

Quick answer

• Pick Google Ads when customers already search for what the client sells and they need results from existing demand.
• Pick Facebook Ads when the product needs to be seen before it's wanted, and the client can supply fresh creative.
• Run both when the budget allows: Meta to create demand, Google to capture it, and retargeting on both to bring people back.

Whichever you choose, get account access sorted before the strategy call, so the first week goes into building campaigns rather than chasing logins.