You want to advertise online, and two names keep coming up: Google Ads and Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram). Both can bring customers. They do not work the same way, and the right choice depends on what you sell.
Here is the difference, a simple way to choose, and what to put in place before spending a euro.
Google: reaching people who are already searching
With Google Ads, your ad appears when someone types a search. The person already has a need: they are looking for a plumber, a salon, a garage near them. You show up at the moment they search.
It is often the right starting point for a business whose customers search before they buy: an emergency service, a local professional, a specific offer.
Meta: making an offer known to a targeted audience
With Meta Ads, your ad appears in the Facebook or Instagram feed, in front of an audience you define: an area, interests, an age range. The person was not searching for anything: you catch their attention.
It often suits a new offer, a visual product, an event or an activity people do not think of spontaneously. It calls for good visuals.
How to choose for your business
- Do your customers search for your service on Google before contacting you? Start with Google.
- Is your offer new, visual or little known? Meta is often a better fit.
- Do you have quality visuals or videos? Meta and TikTok rely on them, while Google first relies on text.
- Is your budget limited? Choose a single platform.
Example: an electrician
- A customer with a power cut searches for an electrician: Google Ads places the ad at that exact moment
- Meta would be less relevant: nobody scrolls their feed looking for an electrician
Example: a beauty salon launching a new treatment
- Nobody searches for this treatment by name yet: Meta Ads presents it to a targeted local audience
- Well-made visuals of the treatment carry the ad
Why start with a single platform
With a small budget, splitting the money across two platforms means testing two things halfway. At Kayo, the support starts with one platform of your choice, and up to 2 active campaigns of 3 ads each (default value, adjustable in the quote). That is enough to learn what works before widening.
Before spending: conversion tracking
Advertising without measurement is a gamble. Conversion tracking shows what your ads bring in: a form sent, a booking, a call. Without it, you see clicks, not results. It is set up before launch.
What advertising does not do
- It does not guarantee a number of sales: we carry out the agreed actions with care, it is a best-efforts obligation
- It does not replace search ranking: when the budget stops, the ads stop too, whereas local SEO works over time
- It does not make up for a site that fails to convince: the page the visitor lands on matters as much as the ad, and that is the job of a website build
Your budget, your account
The media budget is paid directly by you to Google or Meta, with no middleman. Advertising accounts are in your name, with your payment method. Every campaign and every budget is approved by you before launch. Videos and photos are supplied by you: Kayo does not do shoots.
Where to start
Answer one question: are your customers already searching for you? If so, Google. If your offer needs to be made known, Meta. When in doubt, one platform, one goal and conversion tracking.
At Kayo, Google and Meta advertising starts at €600 a month, plus the media budget you pay directly to the platforms. The final price is the one on the signed quote. If your site does not show up on Google yet, start with our article on a website not showing on Google.
If you are unsure which channel to pick, the pre-audit is free and given orally during the 20-minute call. You can also book a 20-minute call.
