Google or Meta, being found or being seenGGooooggllee oorr MMeettaa,, bbeeiinngg ffoouunndd oorr bbeeiinngg sseeeenn

The two platforms seem to do the same job, but they don't reach people at the same moment.

Google: they look for you

Someone types “roofer Annecy”: they have a need, right now. Google Ads puts you in front of them. Every euro traces back to a search, a click and an inquiry. You judge on numbers, not on a feeling.

Meta: you go to them

On Facebook and Instagram, nobody's looking for you. Your ad lands between two posts, in front of people who resemble your customers. So it has to make sense in one image and spark interest in a second.

On Google, they look for you.On Meta, you go to them

What it looks like

How to choose

If people type your trade into Google, start with Google. If your offer shows well and nobody searches for it yet, start with Meta. If you already have visitors, Meta also brings them back: that's retargeting.

Two examples: a roofer and a shop

A roofer gets his best calls when water is coming through the ceiling. Nobody is scrolling Instagram at that moment: they search for a roofer and their town. He starts with Google.

A shop selling handmade tableware has nobody searching for it by name. But its pieces look good, and a fine image stops the thumb. It starts with Meta.

What each one asks of you

Either way, we judge by the same number: what an inquiry costs. The tuning matters as much as the choice of platform: cut what spends without bringing anything in, push what brings inquiries.

And both together

The two complement each other once the first platform pays off. Meta makes your name known, Google picks up the people who search for you afterward. But not both from day one on a small budget: we'd rather do one thing well.

What it changes for your budget

On both platforms you set a budget, paid directly to the platform with no commission. What changes is what moves the price. On Google, a click depends on your trade and your competitors, and varies a lot between industries. On Meta, it depends on who you target and how strong your image is.

On Meta, a lead usually costs less, but you often have to call back and convince them. On Google, it costs more, and they already know what they want. So never compare the price of a lead on its own: compare what a lead who signs costs.

How long it takes to know

First clicks come at launch on both. In our experience, allow 2 to 4 weeks of tuning to see whether the ad earns more than it costs, a little longer if few people search for your trade.

On Google, you learn which searches pay. On Meta, you learn which images stop the thumb. It's not the same work, and it's not the same material to provide.

Common starting mistakes

And if you sell to other businesses

If your customers search for your service, Google is a good starting point. On Meta, your decision-makers are there, but targeting a precise job title is limited. LinkedIn is built for that: it lets you target a job title, an industry or a company size, and its clicks generally cost more. The right yardstick then is what a signed contract brings in, not the price of a click.

Bringing back people who already visited

Retargeting deserves an explanation. Most visitors don't decide on their first visit. Meta can find them a few days later in their feed, with an image reminding them of your offer. It's often the first use of Meta for an account already running on Google.

Retargeting needs enough visitors and a compliant cookie banner: in France, personalized advertising cookies require the visitor's consent (page in French). A brand-new site doesn't have much to find yet. We add it when the time comes.