Google Ads vs Meta Ads for Local Trades: Which Brings Cheaper Leads?
Every local business owner eventually asks the same question: should the ad budget go to Google or to Facebook and Instagram? The honest answer depends on whether people already search for what you sell, and how much a single job is worth to you.
Google Ads captures existing demand. Someone types 'boiler repair near me' and you appear. The intent is as high as it gets, which is why conversion rates are strong, but you're bidding against every other local firm for the same clicks, so the cost per click is high and rises in emergencies and peak season.
Meta Ads create demand. Nobody opens Instagram looking for a landscaper, but a well-targeted before-and-after reel shown to homeowners within ten miles can produce enquiries at a fraction of Google's click cost. The trade-off is that those people weren't ready to buy this minute, so more of them need following up.
As a rough guide: if your service is urgent and searched for, plumbing, locksmith, electrical faults, pest control, start with Google. If your service is discretionary and visual, landscaping, driveways, kitchens, bathrooms, beauty, cleaning, Meta usually produces cheaper leads and better creative leverage.
Budget matters more than most people admit. Google Ads for a competitive trade term in London can cost £6 to £12 per click, so a few hundred pounds a month buys very little data. Meta lets a smaller budget reach thousands of local people, which makes it the more realistic first channel for businesses starting out.
Job value decides how tolerant you can be. If a won job is worth £4,000, a £120 cost per lead is comfortable even at a modest close rate. If it's worth £150, you need lead costs in single digits, which almost always points to Meta plus organic local search rather than paid search.
The strongest setup for an established local business is both, in sequence: Meta to build awareness and fill the top of the funnel, Google to catch the people who then search your name or your service. Run them for at least eight weeks before judging, a fortnight of data tells you almost nothing.
Whichever you pick, the landing page decides the cost per lead as much as the targeting does. Sending paid traffic to a generic homepage is the single most common way local businesses waste ad spend.
Is Meta Ads cheaper than Google Ads?
Cost per click is usually far lower on Meta, but intent is lower too. For visual, non-urgent services Meta typically wins on cost per lead; for emergency services Google usually wins.
What's a realistic starting budget?
For Meta, £300 to £600 a month plus creative is enough to learn something. For Google in a competitive UK trade, budget £600+ a month or the data stays too thin to optimise.
How long before ads work?
Expect four to eight weeks. The first two weeks are learning; useful optimisation starts once you have enough conversions to see patterns.