One of the most common questions we hear from new clients is which paid channel to start with. The honest answer is: it depends on how your customers search for and discover businesses like yours.
Google Ads: capturing existing demand
Google Ads shows your business to people actively searching for a solution right now. It works especially well when:
- Your product or service has clear, searchable demand (e.g. "plumber in Tangier").
- You want measurable, near-term leads or sales.
- Your competitors are already visible in search results.
Meta Ads: creating demand
Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) puts your business in front of people based on interests and behavior, even if they weren't actively searching. It tends to work well when:
- You have strong visual creative (product, lifestyle, or video content).
- Your offer benefits from discovery — new products, promotions, or brand awareness.
- You want to build a retargeting audience for future campaigns.
A simple decision framework
If customers actively search Google for what you offer, start there. If your product relies on visual appeal and impulse or consideration-based buying, Meta often performs better as a first channel. Many of our clients eventually run both, in a full-funnel structure combining Google Ads for demand capture and Meta Ads for demand generation and remarketing.
Don't forget tracking
Whichever channel you start with, proper conversion tracking through Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics 4 is essential to know what's actually working.