Start with Google Ads if people already search for what you sell. Start with Facebook and Instagram ads if they don’t, and your product is easy to show in a picture or a short video. If you’re working out how to advertise a new business, pick one of the two, test it properly and add a second only once the first has earned it.
What’s the difference between Google Ads and Facebook ads?
Google Ads answers a request. Someone types “florist near me” and your ad appears, because they’ve told Google what they want. On search ads, you’re usually charged when someone clicks.
Facebook and Instagram ads are both sold by Meta through one system, and they appear while people scroll. Nobody asked to see you, so the ad has to stop them. You’re usually charged for the number of times it’s shown.
Size shouldn’t decide this. Ofcom reports that 82% of UK adults use Google Search and 93% use Facebook and Messenger, so both can reach most people. What matters more is what your customer is doing at that moment.
Both companies sell their space by auction, so the price depends on who else wants it. Neither auction goes purely to the highest bidder: both also weigh up how relevant your ad is.
How do I decide which channel to start with?
- Check that people search for it. Type what you sell into Google, the way a customer would. Google’s free Keyword Planner shows rough monthly searches, though you’ll need a Google Ads account with billing details to open it. If almost nobody searches because your product is new, search ads have little to work with.
- Find the price of a click. In our figures, a Leeds florist bidding on “florist near me” can pay up to £1.70 a click. A Birmingham plumber can pay up to £5.57 for “plumber near me”, and a Birmingham locksmith up to £14.55 for “locksmith near me”. These come from Google Keyword Planner on 3 November 2026, for an ad at the top of the page, and each is an estimate, not an invoice. You can look up your own search and city.
- Work out what a customer can cost you. As a made-up example, say a job leaves you £150 of profit and one click in ten becomes a customer. At £5 a click, a customer costs £50 and you keep £100. At £20 a click, a customer costs £200 and you lose £50. Try it in the cost per customer calculator.
- Look at what you’ve got to show. Facebook and Instagram run on pictures and video. Search ads need words and a clear page to land on.
- Check you can get enough results. Meta says its system usually settles after about 50 results in a week. As a made-up example, if each sale cost you £25 in ad spend, that’s £1,250 a week. A smaller test can aim for something more frequent, and Meta suggests moving from purchases to add to basket.
- See what competitors are doing. Search your own terms on Google and note who appears. Meta’s free Ad Library lets you look up the ads a business is running now.
- Pick one and write down your pass mark. Before you start, note how long the test will last, how much ad spend it’ll use and the highest cost per customer you’d accept.
How do the main channels compare?
The free option comes first. The “works best” and “watch out” columns are our judgement, and minimums are in US dollars, as the platforms publish them.
| Channel | Works best when | How you pay | What you need first | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Customers visit you, or you travel to them | Free | A real location or service area | Virtual offices don’t qualify |
| Google Search ads | People already search for what you sell | Usually per click | A clear page and someone to answer enquiries | Clicks for urgent trades can be dear |
| Google Shopping ads | You sell products online | Per click | Product details in Google Merchant Center | Your product data decides when you show |
| Facebook and Instagram ads | Your product is easy to show, or people don’t know to search for it | Usually by how often the ad is shown | A Facebook Page or Instagram business profile, and images or video | Small ad spends may not reach 50 results a week |
| YouTube ads | You’ve got video that explains your product well | Often per view | Video | Viewers came to watch something else |
| TikTok ads | Your customers watch short videos | More than $50 a day per campaign (one set of ads) | Short videos | The minimum can use up a small test quickly |
| LinkedIn ads | You sell to businesses and can name the roles you want | At least $10 a day | A clear list of companies or job types | Suits high-value customers |
Google Ads vs Facebook ads: which should I try first?
- You fix urgent problems. Try Google Search first, because people search the moment something goes wrong. Clicks can be dear, so show ads only in the areas and hours you can cover.
- You run a local shop, café or salon. Set up your Google Business Profile first. A Birmingham restaurant bidding on “restaurants near me” can pay up to £1.16 a click, so a small search test may be within reach. Facebook and Instagram suit showing your food to people nearby.
- You sell products online. Try Google Shopping if people search for the product by name, and Facebook and Instagram if they’d only want it once they’ve seen it.
- You sell to other businesses. Search works when the need is specific, but a London firm bidding on “accountant for small business” can pay up to £38.72 a click, so know what a client is worth first. Consider LinkedIn when you can name the job titles you want.
- You’ve made something new. Try Facebook and Instagram, because nobody’s searching for it yet.
How do I advertise a new business on a small ad spend?
Keep the test narrow: one channel, one offer and one area. Meta warns that its system learns less about each ad when you run lots of them, and we’d say the same of splitting a small ad spend across channels.
Google lets you choose locations and set the days and hours your ads run. Don’t go too tight, though: Google says a very small area can mean your ads show only now and then, or not at all.
Then leave it alone for a while, because Meta says edits during its learning period reset that learning. Allow for daily swings too: Google and Meta can both go over your daily amount on busy days, within weekly or monthly limits, and both add a 2% UK fee.
Questions people ask
Are Google Ads cheaper than Facebook ads?
You can’t compare them like for like, because one usually charges per click and the other for how often an ad is shown. Compare what each new customer costs you instead.
Should I boost a post or run a proper ad?
Boosting gets a post in front of more people quickly, and Meta says it can bring messages, leads or calls. For more say over the outcome, use Meta Ads Manager, where you start by choosing an objective such as sales or leads.
When should I add a second channel?
In our view, wait until the first brings in customers at a cost you’re happy with, month after month, and you can fund a second test without cutting the first.
What to do next
To try this yourself, use the click price lookup and the full city figures. If you’re still unsure, our quiz takes six questions and shows the answer without asking for an email address. Should you want us to run things, our plans and credit prices are on the site: Always-on plans start at £485 a month for one channel and six hours of our time, with set-up included, a three-month start and then 30 days’ notice. You pay the platforms directly and we never take a percentage of ad spend. If you’d prefer to buy hours, credits start from £85 an hour, with a 14-day refund on unused first credits. How it works has the detail.
Related guides
- How to advertise your business when you don’t know where to start
- How much does Google Ads cost, and how much should you spend?
- What should you expect from ads in your first 90 days?
This guide is general information based on publicly available sources, correct when written in November 2026. It isn’t legal, financial or tax advice, and ad platforms change their rules and menus often, so check the latest guidance before you act.