Meta Ads vs Google Ads: What’s Better for Small Business Owners?
Reading Time: ~5 Mins | Written By: Felix Chen
For small business owners, deciding where to invest limited marketing dollars is a big decision. Both Meta Ads and Google Ads are similar in that they offer powerful but different ways to reach new customers. Understanding their fundamental differences and similarities can help you in choosing the right option, or you may even decide that running both makes the most sense for your business.
Understanding the Core Difference
Meta Ads excel in driving awareness-driven marketing. These ads appear on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where users may not be actively shopping or searching for your product, with awareness of the brand or product being brought to the audience. These campaigns can help you bring attention to your brand, a specific product, or a service you offer.
Google offers several campaign types that can serve different parts of the marketing funnel, including Performance Max, YouTube, and Discovery ads, which can all help build awareness and consideration. However a key differentiator between the two platforms is Google Search Ads. It excels at capturing existing intent because they appear when users are actively looking for information, products, or services.
Put simply, while both Meta and Google can create awareness and drive engagement, Google Search captures intent, making it a powerful tool for converting interest into action.
Target Demographics
Meta Ads provides access to a large network of users across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, allowing you to focus on defined demographics, behaviours, and interests that form your target market. For example, you can target people who recently booked a vacation, those who enjoy the outdoors, or even those who follow you on social platforms.
On the other hand, Google Ads targets demographics in different ways, typically using search intent and keywords, rather than personal interests. For example, you can target someone who is actively looking for a "florist near me” or “grill cleaning services.”
Depending on your needs and industry, the platform you choose will differ. If you are offering an impulse product or service with an emotional or lifestyle appeal, like beauty, fashion, or hospitality, Meta Ads might be a better fit. However, if your business offerings solve a specific need, such as HVAC or Legal Support, Google Ads may be a stronger choice.
Of course, many industries may fall somewhere in between. In such instances, circling back to your campaign objective and reviewing your goals can help you decide which platform to start on.
Campaign Types and Funnel Stages
Before diving in, it helps to understand what the marketing funnel means. Think of it as the customer journey:
The top of the funnel is where people first discover your brand. The goal is awareness and visibility.
The middle of the funnel is where potential customers begin to evaluate your offerings against potential other offers. The goal here is to educate and engage with these audiences.
The bottom of the funnel is where customers are ready to make a purchase or take action. The goal is conversion, but it doesn't stop there, at the very bottom comes loyalty and brand advocacy, which encourages repeat purchases.
With that in mind, here’s how Meta Ads and Google Ads perform at each stage:
Meta ads are best suited for top-of-funnel metrics, prioritizing awareness and reach. The main goal here would be visibility. Meta is the standout at this stage for its engaging visuals and ability to tell stories. Meta helps small businesses introduce their brand to a broad audience. Campaign types like Brand Awareness or Reach are perfect for getting noticed.
Whereas, Google Ads are best suited towards bottom-of-funnel conversions, such as leads or sales. Search campaigns and Performance Max campaigns reach users actively looking to make a purchase or contact a business. Sales or lead generation is often where Google ads shine, usually driving more direct conversions.
As each small business is different and has varying needs that must be tailored to, there is no hard fact in whether Meta or Google is a better platform. However, as a general rule of thumb, Meta is better suited for top funnel awareness, whereas Google is typically stronger for bottom funnel conversions.
Budget Considerations
For small business owners, budget plays a significant role in platform choice. Due to the difference in funnel targeting on each platform, the budget requirement also differs. Use Jelly Academy’s Marketing Budgeting Calculator to identify the best way to spend your marketing dollars.
On Meta Ads, you can start with as little as $300 - $500 per month to get meaningful results. However, regardless of dollar amount, it’s important to maintain a consistent spend for the Meta algorithm to fully optimize. On Google Ads, a minimum of $500 - $1,000 per month is often required to gather enough data for optimization and testing. The cost per click, which ultimately drives the cost you incur, can vary greatly depending on factors such as your industry and the number of ad groups. However, regardless of dollar amount, it’s important to maintain a consistent spend for the Meta/Google algorithms to fully optimize.
Again, there is a difference between the budgets of the two platforms, largely because they target different stages in the marketing funnel. Conversions occur at the bottom of the funnel, where users are closer to taking action. Reaching this stage typically involves multiple touch points and potential bottlenecks, making it more likely for a potential lead to fall through. In contrast, brand awareness sits at the top of the funnel and can often be achieved more easily by simply getting your brand in front of the right audience.
How spend is calculated also plays a major role. Meta Ads often operate on a CPI (Cost Per Impression) model, where you pay for every 1,000 times your ad is shown, regardless of whether users click or engage. This makes Meta more cost-effective for building visibility and awareness.
Google Search Ads typically uses a PPC (Pay Per Click) model, meaning you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Because users on Google are often searching with intent, clicks are more valuable but also more competitive. This results in higher costs per action, especially for bottom-of-funnel campaigns focused on conversions.
Just as each business is unique, there is no blanket answer to which platform is better. It’s important to think about your goals for the campaign, how your customers find you, and what target market you want to be reaching.
For storytelling and generating brand awareness, start with Meta Ads. To generate direct conversions and capture ready-to-buy customers, Google Ads may be your best starting point.
Ultimately, a combination of Meta Ads and Facebook Ads can work together to create a full-funnel strategy that builds brand awareness and captures demand from those ready to buy, allowing you to reach customers at every stage. Depending on factors such as demographics, campaign goal, and budget, you may want to start with one platform over the other or to use both simultaneously.