Meta ads vs Google ads for a local business: which should you start with?

What is the core difference between Google ads and Meta ads?

Intent. On Google, someone types "emergency plumber near me" and your ad appears in answer to that search. They already want what you sell. You are capturing demand that exists.

On Facebook and Instagram, your ad appears while people scroll. They were not looking for you. You are creating interest, using who they are, where they live and what they engage with to choose who sees it.

Neither is better. They do different jobs.

When should a tradesman start with Google ads?

When people search for your service at the moment they need it. Boiler repairs, leaks, lockouts, electrical faults and roof damage are all searched for urgently. Being at the top of those results, with a clear phone number and a fast page behind the ad, is usually the shortest path to a lead.

Google also offers Local Services Ads for some trades, where you pay per lead rather than per click and can show a Google verification badge. Availability depends on your trade and area, so check whether yours is covered.

When do Meta ads make more sense?

When the purchase is visual, planned or considered rather than urgent. A weekend away, a new kitchen, landscaping, a wedding venue or a seasonal offer can all be shown to the right people before they start searching.

Meta ads are strong for hospitality, because a good photo of a view or a room does a lot of the selling. They also suit trades with a visual finish, like kitchens, bathrooms and driveways, where people like to see the work before they ever ask for a price.

Should I run both at once?

Usually not at the start. Splitting a small budget across two platforms means neither gets enough to learn what works. Start with the platform that matches how your customers buy, get it producing leads at a cost you are happy with, then test the other.

What needs to be in place before I spend anything on ads?

Ads send people somewhere. If that somewhere is weak, the budget leaks away.

• A fast page that matches the ad, with one obvious way to call, message or book.
• Conversion tracking, so you know which ads produce enquiries rather than just clicks.
• A complete Google Business Profile and some genuine reviews, because people check.
• A clear idea of what a lead is worth to you, so you know what you can afford to pay for one.

This is why we usually build or fix the website first and add ads after. See our website builds for that side of it.

How do I know which ads actually bring in jobs?

Set up tracking before the first ad runs. Google Ads and Meta both offer conversion tracking that records when someone submits your form or taps to call after clicking an ad. Under UK rules, most tracking of this kind needs visitors' consent through your cookie banner, so make sure that is set up properly too.

Tracking only shows the enquiry, not whether it became a job. Keep a simple record of where each customer came from, and ask new callers how they found you. After a few weeks, that tells you far more than any dashboard.

How long before I know whether ads are working?

Give a new campaign a few weeks before judging it. Both platforms adjust who sees your ads as results come in, and Meta describes a "learning phase" for new ad sets where performance is less stable. Changing everything after a few days resets that and tells you nothing.

If a campaign has had a fair run and is still producing no enquiries, the problem is usually the offer, the page the ad sends people to, or the targeting, in that order.

How much should a local business spend on ads?

There is no honest single figure. The cost of a click or a lead varies by trade, area, season and how many competitors are bidding. Start with a budget you can afford to test with for a few weeks, measure the cost per enquiry, and scale up only what is working.

Judge results on cost per lead and, ideally, cost per job won. Clicks, reach and impressions are easy to inflate and say little about whether the phone rang.

If you want help choosing where to start, see how our Meta and Google ads management works, or ask for a tailored quote.