The question isn’t which platform is better, it’s where your demand is right now. Google captures people already searching; Meta creates interest in people who haven’t searched yet. The choice depends on your product and your stage.

  • Works when: people already search for what you sell (“paid traffic agency”, “24h plumber”).
  • Advantage: high intent — the lead already knows what they want.
  • Cost: pricier CPC, contested by competitors on the same query.
  • Needs: a well-built keyword list and negatives so you don’t burn budget.

Meta Ads: demand generation

  • Works when: the problem isn’t actively searched, or the audience doesn’t know the solution exists.
  • Advantage: reach and creative — you control the narrative and the cost per impression is lower.
  • Cost: demands constant investment in creative; ads fatigue fast.
  • Needs: a clear offer and a pipeline of fresh creatives.

How to decide

  1. Is there search volume for your service? Start with Google.
  2. New product or a category nobody searches for? Start with Meta.
  3. Tight budget? One channel done well beats two done halfway.
  4. Already running both? Measure each one’s CAC separately before reallocating.

What to measure

CAC per channel, each one’s share of the pipeline, and the combined effect — Meta often generates the brand searches that Google later captures.

At Trafegar, we start with the channel that has the best effort-to-return ratio for your stage and expand when the numbers call for it.