If you are going to spend money on advertising, the two big options are Google Ads and Meta Ads, which covers Facebook and Instagram. Both can work brilliantly. Both can also burn through a budget with little to show for it. The right choice depends on how your customers buy.
How Google Ads works
Google Ads shows your ad when someone searches for something related to your business. The big advantage is intent. The person is actively looking for a solution right now. If someone searches “emergency electrician near me”, they want to call someone today.
- Best for: services people actively search for, urgent needs, high-value B2B services
- Strength: high buying intent and fast results
- Watch out for: competitive keywords can be expensive, and poorly set up campaigns waste money on irrelevant searches
How Meta Ads works
Meta Ads shows your ad to people based on who they are and what they are interested in, while they scroll Facebook or Instagram. They are not searching for you, so your ad needs to grab attention and create interest.
- Best for: visual offers, consumer and local businesses, building awareness, retargeting website visitors
- Strength: huge reach, precise targeting and usually lower cost per click
- Watch out for: lead quality can vary, and creative needs refreshing regularly
Which one should you choose?
Start with Google Ads if people already search for what you offer and you want enquiries quickly. Start with Meta Ads if your offer is easy to show visually, your customers do not tend to search for it, or you want to build awareness in a local area.
For many businesses the best answer is both. Google captures people who are ready to buy now. Meta builds demand and retargets visitors who came to your site but did not get in touch.
How much should you spend?
There is no universal number, but you need enough budget to gather real data. Spending too little spread across too many campaigns is one of the most common mistakes. Start focused, measure cost per qualified lead, then scale what works.
Whichever you choose, track properly
Set up conversion tracking for calls, forms and bookings before you spend a single rupee or dollar. Without it, you are guessing. With it, you can see exactly which campaigns bring in leads and which do not.
We manage both Google Ads and Meta Ads with a focus on qualified leads rather than clicks. If you are not sure which fits your business, book a free call and we will tell you honestly.