Google Ads vs Facebook and Instagram ads: which works better for trades?

Google Ads captures demand that already exists: someone types “boiler repair Leicester” and your ad appears at the moment they want to book. Facebook and Instagram ads create demand: they put your work in front of local people who were not searching yet, which suits planned, visual jobs like kitchens, driveways and garden rooms. For urgent jobs Google usually comes first, for planned and visual jobs Meta ads can earn their place, and many trades use both. Unavoidable Marketing is a UK-wide, Leeds-based agency that runs Google Ads and Facebook and Instagram ads for trades across the UK, measured on booked jobs rather than clicks or likes, and founder Andrew Heppinstall is on every strategy call.

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Last updated: 21 October 2026

Demand you capture vs demand you create

This is the whole difference in one line. On Google, the customer comes to you. They have a problem, they search, and you pay to be one of the first answers. Intent is high because they are already looking.

On Facebook and Instagram, you go to the customer. They are scrolling past friends’ photos and local news, and your ad shows them a finished loft conversion or a new resin driveway in their area. Most are not ready to book today. Some will remember you, some will fill in a form, and some will come back later when they are ready.

Neither is better in general. They do different jobs, so the right mix depends on what you sell, how urgent it is for the customer, and how much your finished work sells itself in a photo.

How each platform actually works

Google Ads is built around search terms. You choose the searches you want to show for, write text ads, and decide where people go when they click: a call straight from the ad, or a page on your website about that job. You set a budget and pay Google, usually per click. The quality of the account comes down to the details: campaigns split by job type, match types that keep searches relevant, negative keywords that block DIY and job-hunting searches, location settings that target people in your area, and an ad schedule that matches when you can answer. Google Local Services Ads, with the Google Verified badge, are a separate pay per lead format that can sit above the normal ads for many trades.

Facebook and Instagram ads run through one system, Meta’s ads manager. Instead of search terms, you choose who sees the ad: people in a radius around your towns, people who have visited your website, people who have engaged with your page, or audiences Meta builds from your past customers. You choose what you want the ad to do, such as get leads, get messages or send people to your site, and Meta charges for reach or results. The ad itself is the photo or video, so the creative matters far more than on Google. Lead form ads let people send their details without leaving the app, and qualifying questions in that form help filter out time-wasters.

Side by side

A week on each: a roofer in Leicester

Take a roofing firm in Leicester that does everything from slipped tiles and leak repairs to full re-roofs, flat roofs and fascias. The two platforms give it very different weeks.

A week on Google Ads

On Monday a storm has gone through overnight. The search campaign for roof leak repair is already live around Leicester and the nearby towns, and the phone starts ringing before nine. These callers want someone today, they ring straight from the ad, and the owner books inspections around existing work. On Tuesday the search terms report shows clicks from “roofing jobs Leicester” and “how to fix a leaking roof myself”, which get added as negatives. On Wednesday the calls ease off as the weather settles, so the owner trims the budget. On Thursday a call comes in for a full re-roof from someone who searched for “roof replacement Leicester” and landed on the re-roof page with photos of local jobs. By Friday the call tracking shows which searches booked work and which just cost money.

A week on Facebook and Instagram ads

The same firm runs a lead form ad showing a short video of a finished re-roof in Oadby, with the before and after side by side. On Monday nobody is in a rush. A handful of homeowners fill in the form, answering the qualifying questions: postcode, type of roof and when they are thinking of doing it. On Tuesday the office rings them back. Some do not answer, one says she was just curious, and one books a survey for a new flat roof on an extension. On Wednesday the retargeting ad shows the same video to people who visited the website earlier in the month, and one of them sends a message asking about fascias and soffits. On Thursday a few people comment on the video asking whether the firm covers their village. By Friday the owner has fewer urgent jobs from Meta than from Google, but a couple of larger, planned jobs in the pipeline that might not have searched until spring.

That is the pattern for most trades. Google fills the diary with people who need you now. Meta builds a pipeline of planned work, if someone follows up properly.

Where Google Ads wins

Anything urgent. A burst pipe in Belfast, a lockout in Aberdeen, a dead boiler in Newcastle in January. Nobody waits for a Facebook ad to scroll past. They search, they ring, they book. Being at the top of that search matters more than anything else.

Needs-based jobs too: drain unblocking, pest control, roof leaks, electrical faults. The customer knows what they need and wants someone now.

The strength of Google Ads is precision. Campaigns split by job type, negative keywords that block searches you do not want, such as DIY tips or jobs you do not do, location settings around your real travel area, and call tracking that shows which searches booked work. Google Local Services Ads, with the Google Verified badge, can sit alongside for many trades.

The weakness is that you can only reach people who are already searching. If not many people search for your service in your area, Google Ads has a natural ceiling.

Where Facebook and Instagram ads win

Planned and visual work. Kitchens, bathrooms, extensions, landscaping, driveways, garden rooms, solar and home improvements that people think about for weeks before they search. Meta ads let you put a strong before and after in front of homeowners in Bristol or Swansea while they are still dreaming about it.

They are also good at bringing people back. Retargeting shows your ads to people who visited your website but did not get in touch, using the Meta Pixel. Lead form ads with qualifying questions, such as postcode, type of job and timescale, help filter enquiries before they reach you.

Meta also helps with trust. Someone who has seen your vans, your team and your finished jobs in their feed a few times is more likely to pick you when they finally do search. That effect is hard to measure directly, which is why tracking booked jobs from both channels matters.

The weakness is lead quality. People who tap a form while scrolling are earlier in their thinking and easier to lose. Without quick follow-up, many Facebook leads go nowhere. Judge the channel on booked jobs, not on the number of forms or likes.

How to decide: questions to ask yourself

• When customers need my service, do they search or wait? If they search the moment something breaks, Google comes first.
• Does my finished work look good in a photo or short video? If it does, Meta ads have something strong to show.
• How long do customers think about the job before booking? Weeks or months of thinking suits Meta. Minutes suits Google.
• Who will follow up on form leads, and how fast? If nobody can ring back the same day, Meta leads will go cold.
• Do I have a fast website with tap-to-call? Google Ads needs a good landing page. Meta retargeting needs visitors to retarget.
• Am I already showing up when people search? If you are, Meta can add new demand on top. If not, fix search first.
• Can I track booked jobs back to each platform? Without that, you are guessing which one works.

Which should you choose

Common mistakes on each platform

On Google Ads

• No negative keywords, so budget goes on DIY searches, trade courses and job hunters.
• One campaign for every service, so a leak repair search lands on a page about extensions.
• Location set to anyone interested in your area rather than people in it.
• Ads running at times when nobody answers the phone.

On Facebook and Instagram

• Stock photos or generic graphics instead of your own jobs, vans and team.
• Lead forms with no qualifying questions, so every curious scroller becomes a lead.
• Waiting days to ring leads back. By then most have forgotten they asked.
• Boosting posts for likes and calling it advertising, without a clear goal or tracking.
• Targeting too wide an area, so leads come from places the van will not reach.

The mistake common to both is judging the channel on the wrong number. Cheap clicks and cheap leads mean nothing if they do not book. Compare both on cost per booked job.

Getting started: step by step

Starting Google Ads

• Step one. Set up call and form tracking so every enquiry is tied to the search behind it.
• Step two. Build separate campaigns or ad groups for your main jobs.
• Step three. Add a negative keyword list for your trade before launch.
• Step four. Target people in the areas you cover, and set hours that match when you answer.
• Step five. Point each ad at a fast page about that job, with tap-to-call at the top.
• Step six. Review search terms weekly and mark which calls booked.

Starting Facebook and Instagram ads

• Step one. Install the Meta Pixel on your website so you can track enquiries and retarget visitors.
• Step two. Gather real photos and short videos of finished jobs, ideally before and after.
• Step three. Build a lead form with qualifying questions: postcode, type of job and timescale.
• Step four. Target a sensible radius around the towns you actually cover.
• Step five. Decide who rings leads back and make it the same day.
• Step six. Log which leads booked, then compare with Google on cost per booked job.

Running both without wasting money

• Track calls and forms from both channels and mark which ones booked.
• Use real job photos and short videos on Meta, never stock images.
• Ask qualifying questions in Meta lead forms so you can sort enquiries fast.
• Retarget website visitors from Google Ads with Meta ads that show finished work.
• Answer every lead quickly. Speed matters on both platforms.
• Compare channels on cost per booked job, not cost per click or cost per lead.

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