Every local business owner eventually asks the same question. Should I be running Facebook Ads or Google Ads? And the real answer is that they’re not competing options. They do completely different things, and picking the wrong one for your situation is the fastest way to waste money.
Let me break down how each one actually works and when each one makes sense for a service business.
The fundamental difference
Google Ads are intent-based. Someone types “plumber near me” into Google and your ad shows up. That person has a leaking pipe right now. They’re not browsing. They’re not killing time. They have a problem and they’re looking for someone to solve it. Your ad catches them at the exact moment they need you.
Facebook Ads are interruption-based. Someone is scrolling through photos of their cousin’s birthday party and your ad for gutter cleaning appears between posts. They didn’t ask for it. They weren’t thinking about gutters. Your ad has to be compelling enough to make them stop scrolling and think, “actually, my gutters are a mess.”
This isn’t a knock on Facebook Ads. Interruption marketing works. Television, radio, and billboards have been doing it for decades. But it changes everything about how you use the platform.
When Google Ads win
High-intent services. If someone needs what you do right now, Google is where they go. Plumbing emergencies, AC repair, roof leaks, locksmith services. Nobody scrolls Facebook looking for a plumber. They search Google. If your business solves urgent problems, Google Ads will almost always outperform Facebook.
Big-ticket services with a research phase. Kitchen remodels, new roofs, pool installations. These aren’t impulse buys. People research for weeks before committing. They search “how much does a kitchen remodel cost” and “best kitchen remodelers in San Antonio.” Google Ads put you in front of people who are deep into that research process and close to making a decision.
Businesses with a proven conversion path. If your website or Google Business Profile already converts visitors into calls and form submissions, Google Ads can scale that. You’re paying to send more people through a funnel that already works.
When Facebook Ads win
Seasonal or event-driven marketing. This is where Facebook really shines for local businesses. A roofing company after a hail storm. An HVAC company right before the first heat wave. A pool builder in early spring. You can’t wait for people to search for you because the window is short. Facebook lets you push your message to thousands of homeowners in your service area within hours of the event.
Contractors call this storm chasing, and it’s one of the highest-ROI uses of Facebook Ads. Within 24 hours of a major hail event, you can run an ad to every homeowner in the affected zip codes saying “Storm damage? Free inspection this week.” The people seeing that ad didn’t search for a roofer yet. Many of them don’t even know they have damage. But your ad plants the seed and gets your phone ringing before your competitors even update their website.
Brand awareness in a new market. If you’re expanding into a neighboring city where nobody knows you, Facebook Ads can introduce you. Google Ads only work when people are searching. If they don’t know you exist and aren’t actively looking, Google can’t help you. Facebook can put your name, your work, and your reviews in front of 10,000 homeowners in that city for a few hundred dollars.
Visual services. If your work photographs well, Facebook’s visual format helps. Landscaping, painting, custom carpentry, holiday lighting. A before-and-after photo in a Facebook ad can stop someone mid-scroll in a way that a text-based Google ad never will. Show the transformation. Let the work sell itself.
Low-cost offers and lead magnets. Free inspections, seasonal tune-up specials, first-time customer discounts. These work well on Facebook because the commitment is low. Someone who wasn’t thinking about their AC might still click on “Free AC tune-up before summer, only 20 spots” because there’s no risk. You’re using the interruption to create demand that didn’t exist yet.
The numbers for local service businesses
Google Ads for local services typically cost $3-8 per click and $30-150 per lead, depending on the industry and competition. Home services are on the lower end. Legal and medical are on the higher end. These leads tend to be higher quality because the person was actively searching.
Facebook Ads for local services are cheaper per impression and per click, usually $0.50-3 per click and $10-40 per lead. But the lead quality is different. These people weren’t looking for you, so the conversion rate from lead to paying customer is typically lower. You’ll get more leads but close fewer of them.
The math shakes out to roughly the same customer acquisition cost for many businesses. The question is which type of lead fits your sales process better.
The storm-chasing playbook
This deserves its own section because it’s the single most effective Facebook Ad strategy I’ve seen for contractors.
Before the storm. Have your ad creative ready. Before-and-after photos of past repairs. A clear offer, usually a free inspection. A landing page or form that captures name, address, and phone. Don’t build this during the storm. Have it sitting in drafts.
Within 24 hours. Launch the campaign. Target homeowners in the affected zip codes. Age 30 and up, homeowners, within 15 miles of the damage area. Set a daily budget that matches how many inspections you can actually handle. There’s no point generating 50 leads if you can only run 8 inspections tomorrow.
The ad itself. Keep it simple. A photo of hail damage or storm aftermath, not stock photos. Text that says something like “Hail hit [city] last night. Your roof may have damage you can’t see from the ground. We’re offering free inspections this week for homeowners in [area]. Call or click to schedule.” Include your Google rating and review count in the ad if they’re strong.
Follow-up. Call every lead within 2 hours. The window closes fast. Other roofers will be running the same play. The first company to show up and inspect wins the job more often than not.
I’ve seen contractors generate 30-50 leads from a single storm-chasing campaign spending $500-800. The close rate on storm leads is typically 30-50% because the damage is real and insurance covers the work. Do the math on 15-25 new roofing jobs and you’ll see why this strategy exists.
What most businesses get wrong
Running Facebook Ads like Google Ads. Your Facebook ad that says “Need a plumber? Call us!” won’t work. Nobody on Facebook needs a plumber right now. Your ad needs a hook, an offer, or a visual that creates interest where none existed.
Running Google Ads without a landing page. If your Google Ad sends people to your homepage, you’re wasting money. The person searched “AC repair San Antonio” and landed on a generic page about your company’s history. They’ll hit back and click the next result. Send them to a page that matches their search intent.
Only using one platform. The strongest local businesses use both, but for different purposes. Google captures existing demand. Facebook creates new demand. Together they cover people who are looking for you and people who should be looking for you but don’t know it yet.
Not tracking which platform generates actual revenue. “We got 40 leads from Facebook” means nothing if only 3 of them became paying customers. Track cost per customer, not cost per lead. Google leads convert at higher rates even though they cost more per lead, which means the cost per actual customer might be the same or even lower.
The playbook for most service businesses
Here’s what I’d recommend for a local service business spending $1,000-2,000 per month on advertising.
Allocate 60-70% to Google Ads targeting your highest-value services. These are your bread-and-butter leads. People searching for what you do, ready to buy.
Allocate 20-30% to Facebook Ads for specific campaigns. Seasonal pushes, storm chasing, new service area launches, or visual portfolio ads. Don’t run Facebook Ads as always-on. Use them for moments.
Spend the remaining 10% on testing. Try a new keyword set on Google. Test a new offer on Facebook. See what sticks. Shift budget toward whatever produces the lowest cost per actual paying customer.
And the whole time, invest in your organic Google presence so that over 6-12 months, you need less and less paid traffic.
Before you spend a dollar on either platform
The best advertising in the world can’t fix a broken Google presence. If your Google Business Profile is incomplete, you have few reviews, and your website doesn’t convert, both Google Ads and Facebook Ads will underperform. Fix the foundation first.