Google Ads vs Facebook ads, which one fits a local business

What is the difference between Google Ads and Facebook ads?

The difference is intent. A Google ad answers a search someone just typed, and a Facebook ad reaches someone in their feed because they fit an audience you picked. The table sets the two side by side on six points that decide the fit.

We set up and run both through our Google Ads management for local businesses and our Meta ads management for Facebook and Instagram. Part of the confusion is the name, because Facebook ads now go by Meta ads too.

Are Facebook ads and Meta ads the same thing?

Yes. Facebook ads and Meta ads are the same ads, and one campaign can run on Facebook and Instagram together. On 28 October 2021 Facebook announced Meta as the new company brand for its apps and technologies, and the campaigns are built in Meta Ads Manager. With the names settled, the real difference is how each one finds a customer.

How does Google Ads reach customers who are searching?

Google Ads reaches customers by showing your ad when someone searches for the words you pick. You choose keywords and match types, and add negative keywords to keep the ad off searches you do not want.

A roofer in Springfield can bid on "roofer near me" and add "jobs" as a negative keyword, so the ad skips job seekers.

Ad Rank then decides where the ad shows, and Google Ads Help lists the searcher's location, device and time among its inputs, next to your bid and ad quality. Location matters, because 46% of consumers say they always or often add "near me" to a local search, according to BrightLocal's 2025 research.

Our guide to Google Ads for local businesses explains the auction, campaign types and budgets in full. Facebook ads work the other way round, because nobody types a search into a feed.

How do Facebook ads reach customers who are not searching yet?

Facebook ads reach customers by showing your ad in Facebook and Instagram feeds to people Meta expects to act, inside the limits you set. Jon Loomer's 2025 Meta ads guides list feeds, Stories, Reels and Marketplace among the places Facebook and Instagram ads appear.

According to Jon Loomer's 2025 targeting guide, location, minimum age and language are hard limits, while interests, lookalikes and custom audiences are only suggestions under Advantage+ Audience, the default. A family dental clinic in Eugene sets the location and minimum age, and Meta decides who inside them sees the ad.

Jon Loomer also reports that Meta has removed many interest options in recent years, largely because of privacy laws. In his account of the auction, Meta weighs the bid, how likely the person is to act and the ad's quality, so the highest bid alone does not win.

Because one reaches searchers and the other reaches scrollers, they also cost very different amounts.

Which costs more, Google Ads or Facebook ads?

Google Ads costs more per click than Facebook ads on average. Search ads averaged $5.42 a click in 2026, against $0.60 for Facebook traffic campaigns and $1.80 for Facebook leads campaigns, in LocaliQ's US benchmarks. The search figure includes Microsoft Ads.

Google Keyword Planner adds local bid estimates, which are Google's estimates of what advertisers paid for a top-of-page spot, not a set price for your ads. Its estimates for Eugene and Springfield, November 2026, put the top-of-page bid estimate for "plumber eugene" at $18.85 to $90.00 and for "auto repair eugene" at $2.96 to $9.90.

You still control the total. Google Ads Help says you won't be charged more than 30.4 times your average daily budget in a month for most campaigns. A click is not a customer, so the fairer test is the cost of a lead.

What does a lead cost on Google Ads and on Facebook ads?

A lead cost $66.69 on search ads and $27.39 on Facebook leads campaigns on average in 2026, according to LocaliQ's US benchmarks. The table breaks that down for six business types Lane County owners run.

The two reports count different leads. A search lead clicked your ad and then called, chatted, filled a form or emailed. A Facebook leads campaign lead often sent a form without leaving Facebook. So the cheaper lead is not always the cheaper customer.

Which one brings better leads for a local business?

Google Ads usually brings leads with more intent, because the person was already searching, and Facebook ads bring cheaper leads that need more follow-up to qualify. There are two kinds of lead.

• A searched lead typed your service into Google, clicked your ad and then called or wrote.
• A form lead, as Jon Loomer describes it in 2025, tapped a Facebook or Instagram ad and sent an Instant Form prefilled from their profile, without leaving the app.

Jon Loomer also notes that easy forms bring volume, and the easier the form, the more you worry about low-quality leads. He points to a "Higher Intent" form type and custom questions, for asking more before a lead comes through.

Judge both by booked jobs from tracked calls and forms, which is why we set up call and form tracking on the ads we run. Intent also decides where to start.

Which one should a local business start with?

Start with Google Ads if customers search for your service when they need it, and with Facebook ads if they choose you when they see you. On one budget, you should start on one and add the second once the first is tracked and booking work.

When does Google Ads fit first?

Google Ads fits first in three situations.

• When customers search the moment a need appears, such as a burst pipe, a failed brake light or a toothache
• When one job is worth a higher cost per lead
• When someone answers the phone during business hours

Keyword Planner shows advertisers bidding on plumber, roofer, electrician and auto repair searches in Eugene and Springfield. This fits home service trades, auto repair shops, law firms and clinics.

When do Facebook ads fit first?

Facebook ads fit first in three situations.

• When people choose the offer on sight, such as a new menu, a seasonal deal or a new location
• When few people search for you by name yet
• When you can show the offer in photos or short video

This fits restaurants, salons and other shops people pick on sight. Once one platform fits and is tracked, the next question is whether to add the other.

Should you run Google Ads and Facebook ads together?

Yes, run both once one of them is tracked and paying for itself, because Google catches people searching now and Facebook can reach them again before they search.

Your website links the two. A Website Custom Audience uses the Meta pixel to reach people who visited your site, as Jon Loomer's 2025 targeting guide explains.

A tap on a Facebook ad opens your website or an Instant Form inside the app. We also advise keeping your Facebook page active alongside your ads, which our social media marketing and management for local businesses covers. Two platforms need one person watching both.

Who can run Google Ads and Facebook ads for you?

We can. We set up and run Google Ads and Meta ads for Lane County businesses as part of our paid ads work.

You own both ad accounts and pay the ad spend directly, with your budget shown separately from our fee. We set up call and form tracking, send monthly reports on calls and leads, and a new campaign can go live within weeks.

The first step is a free consultation and a free, detailed written proposal. You can book a free consultation and tell us which platform you are weighing.