Google Ads or Facebook ads for a local business?

Google catches people already looking for what you sell; Facebook interrupts people who weren't. If your service is something people search for at the moment of need — plumber, accountant, lawyer — start with Google: the intent is worth the higher click price.

Free · no signup · last reviewed August 29, 2026

Google catches people already looking for what you sell; Facebook interrupts people who weren't. If your service is something people search for at the moment of need — plumber, accountant, lawyer — start with Google: the intent is worth the higher click price.

Facebook/Instagram earns its keep where the purchase is visual, discretionary, or discovery-driven (renovations, gyms, restaurants, events), and for staying visible to past visitors cheaply through retargeting.

Our default sequencing for a limited budget: prove Google search first (intent converts fastest and teaches you your real cost per lead), add retargeting second, prospect on social third. Running both channels thinly usually proves neither.

This is the work. Want it done?

Everything here is free to use yourself — that’s the point. If you’d rather a senior marketer just handle it, in your accounts and your name: 20-minute call, no pitch deck.

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