When a new client comes to us, one of the first decisions we face together is where to focus their paid advertising budget. For most businesses with limited resources, starting on both platforms simultaneously spreads effort and budget too thin to get a clear read on either.

So which one first?

The honest answer is: it depends. But not arbitrarily — the choice follows a consistent logic based on how your business creates demand and where your buyers are in their decision-making process when you reach them.

The fundamental difference

Google Ads and Meta Ads operate on entirely different principles, and understanding this distinction is the starting point for every channel recommendation we make.

Google Ads captures existing demand. When someone searches "accountant for freelancers London," they have already decided they need an accountant. They are actively looking for one. Google Ads puts your business in front of that person at the exact moment they are ready to take action.

Meta Ads creates demand. When someone scrolls through Instagram and sees an ad for an accounting service, they were not thinking about hiring an accountant thirty seconds ago. Your ad interrupts their browsing to introduce a problem they have (managing their finances as a freelancer) and a solution they may not have been considering.

These are fundamentally different jobs. And your business model determines which job is more valuable to you.

When we typically recommend Google Ads first

We suggest starting with Google Ads when:

Active search volume exists for your category. If people are already searching for what you offer — and you can verify this with keyword research — Google Ads lets you access that demand immediately. You are not creating interest from scratch; you are making sure you appear when interest already exists.

Your sales cycle is short. When the path from "I need this" to "I will buy this from you" is a single visit and a single decision, capturing the moment of intent is enormously efficient. Lawyers, dentists, plumbers, SaaS tools with clear pricing, event ticketing — these all fit the Google Ads model well.

Your offer is specific and well-defined. Google Ads works best when there is a clear, searchable expression of what someone needs. "Project management software for architects" is very searchable. "A better way to feel organised at work" is not.

Your average order value or customer lifetime value justifies the cost per click. Google Ads clicks can be expensive in competitive categories. If your product or service has a high enough value, the economics work even at a relatively low conversion rate.

When we typically recommend Meta Ads first

We suggest starting with Meta Ads when:

Your product or service creates its own demand. If people do not yet know they need what you offer, you cannot wait for them to search for it — because they will not. You need to show them. This is where Meta's interruption model is powerful.

You have a strong visual or emotional story to tell. Instagram and Facebook are visual mediums. Products that photograph well, transformations that are visually compelling, before-and-after narratives — these communicate efficiently in the feed in ways that text-based search ads cannot.

You are targeting a specific demographic or interest group. Meta's audience targeting lets you reach people based on who they are, not what they searched for. If your product is for architects, or parents of toddlers, or fitness enthusiasts over 40, Meta lets you define that audience precisely.

Your price point requires more nurturing before purchase. For higher-ticket purchases, Meta can work well as a top-of-funnel tool: introduce the brand, build familiarity, retarget engaged viewers. The conversion happens later, often through a different channel — but Meta started the relationship.

The cases where we recommend both from the start

There are business models where splitting budget across both channels from day one makes sense — typically when:

  • The product has both a search-capturable demand (some people actively seek it) and a visual appeal that Meta amplifies
  • The business wants to run retargeting across Meta for traffic captured initially through Google
  • The budget is large enough that neither channel is underfunded

The danger of splitting budget too early is that you never get enough data on either platform to optimise effectively. We usually suggest a minimum of 90 days of focused spend on one channel before evaluating and expanding.

A common mistake: choosing based on reputation, not fit

We often meet businesses who have decided to run Meta Ads because "everyone is on Instagram now" or Google Ads because "that is where the serious buyers are." These generalisations lead people to the wrong channel for their specific situation.

A boutique wedding florist does not need Google Ads — couples planning weddings are doing visual research on Instagram, not searching for flowers. Recommending Google Ads here because "it is more professional" is wrong for the business.

A B2B software company selling HR compliance tools does not need Instagram ads — HR directors solving a specific legal problem are going to search for solutions. Meta would require building awareness for a need that already exists and is being acted on through search.

The channel should fit the buyer's behaviour, not the advertiser's preference.

What we do in the first 30 days

When we start with a new client, the first 30 days are always about data collection, not scale. Here is typically what that looks like:

Week 1–2: Set up and verify tracking. Establish what a conversion means for this business. Build the initial campaign structure — deliberately conservative in scope.

Week 3–4: Let campaigns run. Gather search term data (for Google) or creative performance data (for Meta). Identify early signals about what is working and what is not.

At the 30-day mark, we have real data from this specific account, in this specific market. Decisions from this point are data-led, not assumption-led.

The platform does not determine the result

One final point: we have seen Google Ads dramatically outperform expectations in categories where "everyone said it would not work," and Meta Ads convert at rates that surprised even experienced practitioners in B2B contexts.

The platform is a tool. The strategy, the creative, the targeting, the tracking, and the landing page determine the result. We use the platform choice as a starting point, not a guarantee.

What we guarantee is that whatever we recommend, we will have a clear logical basis for it — and we will change the recommendation if the data tells us we were wrong.

If you are trying to decide where to start your paid advertising, book a free strategy call. We will ask you the right questions and give you an honest recommendation for your specific situation.