The short answer
- Google Ads captures demand that already exists - people searching for someone to call.
- Facebook and Instagram create demand - showing your work to people who were not searching yet.
- Emergency and repair trades should lead with Google.
- Visual, planned work - renovations, landscaping, pools, solar - gives Meta a much bigger role.
- Most established trade businesses end up running both, with Google as the base and Meta for remarketing.
The core difference: intent
On Google, the customer comes to you. Someone types "blocked drain Chermside" because they have a blocked drain right now. On Facebook and Instagram, you go to the customer. Your ad appears while they are scrolling, before they have decided they need anything. That single difference shapes everything else.
| Google Ads | Facebook & Instagram Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer mindset | Actively searching for help | Scrolling, not yet looking |
| Best for | Emergencies, repairs, quote requests | Visual and planned projects, remarketing |
| Targeting | Keywords plus location | Location, interests, past visitors, customer lists |
| Typical lead | Phone call, ready to book | Form enquiry that needs qualifying |
| Cost pattern | Higher cost per click, higher intent | Cheaper leads, more follow-up needed |
| Speed | Can produce calls from the first days | Usually needs creative testing first |
When Google Ads wins
- Emergencies: burst pipes, power outages, lockouts, broken air conditioning in summer.
- Repairs and replacements: hot water systems, switchboards, roof leaks.
- "Near me" and suburb searches from people who want a local business today.
- Commercial work, where facilities managers search for licensed contractors.
If your work is urgent, Google should carry most of your budget. People in an emergency do not wait to see an Instagram ad.
When Facebook and Instagram win
- Visual work: renovations, landscaping, decking, pools and painting sell on before-and-after photos.
- Planned, higher-value projects: solar, batteries and extensions, where people research for weeks.
- Seasonal pushes: air conditioning servicing before summer, gutter cleaning before storm season.
- Remarketing: showing ads to people who visited your website but did not call.
- Lookalike audiences: finding new people similar to a list of your past customers.
Running both without wasting money
The strongest setup for most trades uses each platform for what it does best. Google captures the people searching today. Meta remarketing follows up with the ones who visited your site and left, which is often the cheapest lead you will ever buy.
A sensible starting split for an urgent trade is to put most of the budget into Google and a smaller share into Meta remarketing. For visual trades, Meta can justify a much bigger share. Then let the cost per booked job, not a rule of thumb, decide where the next dollar goes.
Common mistakes on both platforms
- Boosting posts instead of running lead campaigns. A boost buys attention, not enquiries.
- Sending everyone to your homepage. Each campaign needs a page that matches the ad.
- No tracking. Without the Meta pixel and Google conversion tracking, neither platform can optimise.
- Judging Meta by lead volume. Instant forms can produce low-intent leads - add a qualifying question and measure booked jobs.
More on the Google side: Google Ads for tradies · electricians · plumbers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Ads or Facebook Ads better for tradies?
Google Ads is usually better for urgent and repair work because people are actively searching for someone to call. Facebook and Instagram are better for visual and planned projects such as renovations, landscaping and solar, and for remarketing to people who visited your website.
Are Facebook leads worse than Google leads for tradies?
They are usually cheaper but lower intent, because the person was not searching when they saw your ad. Adding a qualifying question to the form and measuring booked jobs rather than lead volume keeps Facebook lead quality in check.
Should a tradie run Google Ads and Facebook Ads at the same time?
Most established trade businesses do. Google captures people searching today, and Facebook remarketing follows up with visitors who did not call. Start with most of the budget on Google for urgent trades, then shift it based on cost per booked job.
Written by Caleb Peirce - a Brisbane-based Google Ads and Meta Ads specialist and founder of Caleb Marketing. In September 2026 Caleb was named one of Australia's Top 50 young entrepreneurs by News Corp, featured in The Courier Mail. More about Caleb →