Facebook Ads vs Google Ads for a service business

For most service businesses, Google Ads is the better first choice when customers already know they need you and search for it (a plumber, a locksmith, a lawyer, a furnace repair). Facebook and Instagram ads, run through Meta, work better when people don't search for what you sell but respond when they see it (a med spa, a gym, a kitchen designer, a wedding photographer). Google captures demand that exists; Meta creates demand that didn't. Once one channel is producing booked jobs profitably, adding the other usually makes sense. Below: how to decide for your industry, what leads tend to cost on each, and sample budgets.

The real difference: demand versus discovery

Google Ads (Search) shows your ad when someone types a query like "water heater replacement" or "family lawyer near me." The person has a problem now. You pay per click, and clicks are expensive because intent is high.

Meta ads show your ad in Facebook and Instagram feeds, Stories and Reels to people who match an audience you define (area, age, interests, past visitors to your site). Nobody asked to see your ad. Clicks are cheaper, but the people clicking are earlier in their decision, or just curious.

That one difference drives everything else: cost, lead quality, the kind of ad that works and what you should measure.

Which channel fits which service

A quick test: open Google's Keyword Planner and check how many people search for your service in your area each month. If the answer is "very few," Google Ads has little demand to capture, and Meta is where you'll reach people.

What leads cost on each channel

LocaliQ publishes yearly benchmarks for both platforms, drawn from thousands of advertiser campaigns. The figures are US data in US dollars, so treat them as a sense of scale rather than a quote for your market.

Google Search ads, all industries (2026 benchmarks): average cost per click $5.42, conversion rate 8.18%, cost per lead $66.69.

Facebook lead campaigns, all industries: average cost per click $1.80, conversion rate 8.54%, cost per lead $27.39.

By industry, the gap varies a lot:

Why the cheaper lead isn't always cheaper

Facebook leads usually cost less, and that number is misleading on its own. Someone who taps a pre-filled form while scrolling is not in the same frame of mind as someone who searched "emergency electrician" and called you. Expect Meta leads to need faster follow-up, and expect a larger share of them to go nowhere.

The number that matters is cost per booked job: ad spend divided by the jobs you actually won. A $90 Google lead that closes half the time costs $180 per job. A $30 Meta lead that closes one time in ten costs $300 per job. Track both channels through to the sale, or you'll optimize for the wrong thing.

Sample monthly budgets

Google Ads works on an average daily budget. Google may spend up to twice your daily budget on a busy day, but over a month it won't charge more than 30.4 times your daily amount. So $33 a day is roughly a $1,000 month.

A local trade on Google, about $1,000/month. At an $8 average click, that's around 125 clicks. At an 8% conversion rate, about 10 leads. If you close half, that's 5 jobs. Whether that pays depends entirely on your average job value. We generally recommend at least $1,000 a month on Google Ads so you get enough data to make decisions.

A studio or clinic on Meta, about $600/month. At a $27 cost per lead, roughly 20 leads. Expect fewer of them to book than with search, and plan for fast callbacks and reminders.

Both together, about $1,500/month. Google captures people searching now; Meta reaches past site visitors and people nearby with an offer, and keeps your name in front of people who didn't book the first time.

Below a few hundred dollars a month, splitting across two platforms usually means neither gets enough data. Pick one.

Don't forget Local Services Ads

For some trades, Google also offers Local Services Ads, which appear above regular ads and charge per lead rather than per click. Google lists eligible categories such as appliance repair, cleaning services, electricians, HVAC, locksmiths, movers, pest control, plumbers and roofers, and its help page lists Canada among its country options. Use Google's eligibility checker to confirm your trade and area are covered. If you qualify, they're often worth testing alongside Search.

When to run neither

Ads multiply what already happens. Hold off if:

• Your landing page doesn't convert. No clear phone number, a slow page or a long form will waste the budget on either platform.
• Nobody answers the phone. Paid leads that hit voicemail call the next business.
• You're already booked solid. Fix capacity or pricing first.
• You can't track results. Without call tracking and form tracking tied to sales, you're guessing.

A simple way to decide

1. Check search volume for your main service in your area.
2. If there's real volume, start with Google Search for 60 to 90 days with conversion tracking in place.
3. If volume is low or your service sells visually, start with Meta, using an offer and real photos or video of your work.
4. Measure cost per booked job, not cost per click or cost per lead.
5. Once one channel is profitable, add the other, starting with remarketing to people who visited your site.

Our digital marketing service runs Google and Meta campaigns for service businesses with tracking from the ad click to the booked call, in accounts you own. If you're unsure which channel suits your business, the search volume check above is the first thing we'd look at.

Sources

• About average daily budgets — Google Ads Help
• Search advertising benchmarks — LocaliQ
• Facebook advertising benchmarks — LocaliQ
• Local Services Ads — Google Help