TLDR: Google Ads focus on capturing high-intent users who are actively searching for a product or service, making them strong for conversions when demand already exists, while Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) are more discovery-led, using creative and audience targeting to build brand awareness and consideration among users who aren’t actively searching.
Google Ads can deliver quicker results but are often more competitive and expensive, especially for newer brands. Whereas Meta Ads rely heavily on strong, fresh creative and are ideal for introducing brands, retargeting users, and staying front of mind throughout longer buying journeys. In most cases, the strongest paid media performance comes from using both platforms together. Combining search-driven intent with social-driven awareness and retargeting.
Table of Contents
What are Google Ads?
Google Ads are search and shopping listings that appear when someone actively searches for a product or service on Google.
For example, if someone searches for “large rugs”, they may immediately see shopping ads or search ads from retailers like IKEA or Temu. Which ads appear depends on factors such as bidding strategy, competition, and quality score.
The defining feature of Google Ads is user intent. Someone searching is already looking for something specific, often with a clear idea of what they want. That intent can vary in depth,from broad searches like “SPF” to highly specific queries like “SPF 50 face sunscreen”, but the user is still actively in-market.
What are Meta Ads?
Meta Ads (which include Facebook and Instagram) are visually creative ads designed to reach people while they scroll through social platforms, not while they’re searching.
These ads can take many formats:
- Video ads
- Static images
- Carousels
- Collection ads
Rather than relying on search intent, Meta Ads focus on audience targeting and discovery. Ads are shown to users based on interests, behaviours, demographics, and engagement signals, for example, people interested in beauty brands like MAC Cosmetics or health and beauty content.
The intent is generally lower than Google because users are not actively searching, but the trade-off is the ability to introduce your brand, build recognition, and stay front of mind.
Key differences between Google Ads and Meta Ads
User intent
User intent is one of the biggest differences between Google Ads and Meta Ads. With Google Ads, intent is generally much higher because users are actively searching for a product or service. They often have a clear idea of what they want, even if that intent varies in depth, from broad searches to very specific, detailed queries. Regardless of how granular the search is, the key point is that the user is actively looking for something. Meta Ads, on the other hand, tend to have lower intent because users are not searching for a product at the moment,they see an ad. Instead, ads are shown to people while they scroll through social platforms. That said, relevance can still be very strong on Meta when audience targeting and creative are done well, particularly when ads are served to users who have already shown interest in similar products or categories.
Targeting
Both Google Ads and Meta Ads allow advertisers to use location and demographic targeting, such as age, gender, and geographic areas. This can be particularly useful for brands with physical stores or showrooms, or those targeting a very specific audience profile. For example, campaigns can be tailored around store locations to help drive footfall, or narrowed to demographics that are more likely to have the budget or need for a product.
Where the platforms differ is in how audiences are defined and applied. Google Ads relies heavily on its own audience classifications, such as affinity audiences, which group users based on broader lifestyle interests like luxury travel or sports, and in-market audiences, which include users actively researching or considering a specific product category. These audiences are largely predefined by Google. Meta Ads offer more bespoke targeting options, allowing advertisers to target users based on specific brand interests, behaviours, and content engagement. This gives advertisers greater flexibility to build highly tailored audiences and test performance using different creative approaches rather than relying solely on predefined categories.
Retargeting & lookalikes
Both platforms support customer list uploads, website retargeting, and lookalike audiences, making it possible to re-engage users who have already interacted with a brand or to find new users who share similar characteristics to existing customers. Retargeting can be especially effective because these users have already shown some level of interest, whether through website visits, video views, or previous purchases.
However, Google Ads has stricter policies in certain industries, such as alcohol or pregnancy-related products, which can limit how retargeting is used. Meta Ads generally offer more flexibility in this area, allowing brands to retarget users across different stages of the funnel and serve tailored messaging based on prior engagement.
Creative vs keywords
The balance between creative and keywords also differs significantly between the two platforms. Google Ads performance is heavily influenced by keyword selection, ad relevance, quality score, and the effectiveness of the landing page. Even with strong intent, poor ad copy or an irrelevant landing page can quickly drive costs up and reduce performance. Meta Ads, by contrast, have become increasingly creative-first. Performance is now driven more by fresh visuals, strong messaging, user-generated content, and a mix of ad formats than by highly detailed audience targeting alone. Without compelling creative that captures attention quickly, Meta Ads are unlikely to perform well, regardless of how well the audience is defined.
Google ads pros & cons
Pros
- High user intent
- Strong for bottom-funnel conversions
- Powerful for established brands
- Retargeting can improve click-through rates and lower CPCs when quality score is strong
Cons
- Highly competitive markets drive CPCs up
- Hard for new brands to compete against well-known names
- Performance depends heavily on landing page experience and relevance
- Intent alone doesn’t guarantee conversion anymore
Meta ads pros & cons
Pros
- Excellent for brand awareness and discovery
- Highly visual and flexible ad formats
- Strong retargeting and lookalike capabilities
- Allows brands to show personality and build emotional connection
- Works well for nurturing users across longer decision journeys
Cons
- Lower immediate purchase intent
- Performance depends heavily on creative quality
- Requires constant creative refresh to avoid fatigue
- Weaker results without a clear brand identity
When to use Google ads vs Meta ads
Use Google ads when:
- You already have brand awareness
- You operate in a category with clear search demand
- Users are actively looking for your product or service
- You want to capture existing demand
Launching a brand-new product in a competitive space (e.g. haircare) can be difficult on Google alone. As users often default to established brands.
Use Meta ads when:
- You’re building or scaling brand awareness
- You want to retarget website visitors
- You need to stay front-of-mind during longer buying journeys
- You want to develop brand identity and personality
Meta Ads are particularly strong for introducing brands, nurturing audiences, and supporting other channels like paid search.
How LLMs and Google’s UCP are changing the way PPC Managers build ads
The way PPC managers create and manage ads is starting to change as shopping experiences evolve through large language models (LLMs) and Google’s new Unified Commerce Platform (UCP), which has begun rolling out in the US. Search behaviour is already shifting, particularly among younger and more digitally native audiences, who are increasingly using platforms like social media, AI tools, and conversational interfaces to discover products rather than relying solely on traditional Google searches. This means paid search can no longer rely purely on keyword demand in the way it once did.
With shopping becoming more AI-led and conversational, PPC managers will likely spend less time manually building tightly controlled keyword structures and more time focusing on broader strategy, signals, and assets. Google’s move towards UCP and AI-driven shopping experiences suggests a future where platforms better understand intent on behalf of advertisers, matching products to users automatically based on context, behaviour, and inferred needs rather than exact search terms alone. As a result, the quality of product feeds, creative assets, and landing pages will become even more important, as these are the inputs AI systems use to determine relevance and performance.
This shift also mirrors what has already happened on Meta, where performance is increasingly driven by creative rather than granular targeting. PPC managers are moving away from being purely executional, adjusting bids, keywords, and match types and towards a more strategic role that blends creative thinking, audience understanding, and platform interpretation. In an environment where ads can appear in AI overviews, chat-based shopping journeys, and automated commerce flows. The focus becomes less about where an ad appears and more about how clearly a brand communicates its value, solves a problem, and fits into a user’s decision-making journey.
Conclusion
Google Ads and Meta Ads are complementary; they work best when used together. Google captures existing demand, while Meta helps create and nurture demand. Modern consumer journeys are rarely linear: people research, compare, scroll, get distracted, and come back later.
The most effective paid media strategies reflect this reality by using both platforms together, combining search intent with social discovery, retargeting, and brand storytelling. If you would like to learn more about Google or Meta ads or to discuss how we can help with your campaigns. Feel free to send us an email to team@modo25.com