Meta Ads, Google Ads, or Both? DreamsLab’s Guide to Paid Success

In today’s digital landscape, paid advertising is no longer optional—it’s essential. Whether you’re trying to drive traffic, increase brand awareness, generate leads, or boost sales, Meta Ads and Google Ads are two of the most powerful platforms at your disposal.

But with limited time and budget, you’re probably asking yourself:

Should I focus on Meta Ads (Facebook + Instagram), Google Ads, or run both?

At DreamsLab, we help brands make smarter, more strategic decisions about paid media every day. In this guide, we’re breaking down:

• The core differences between Meta Ads and Google Ads
• What each platform does best
• Which one works for specific industries and goals
• When to run both—and how to do it profitably

🎯 First, What Are Meta Ads vs. Google Ads?

✅ Meta Ads

Meta Ads include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network. They’re great for:

• Visual storytelling
• Audience discovery
• Brand awareness
• Lifestyle-driven content

Note: Meta Ads are shown based on user interests and behavior, not necessarily search intent.

✅ Google Ads

Google Ads include:

• Search Ads (text ads triggered by keywords)
• Display Ads (banner-style ads on partner websites)
• YouTube Ads
• Shopping Ads
• Local Services Ads

Google Ads are typically intent-based—triggered when someone is actively searching for something.

🧠 How They Work (Psychologically)

• Meta Ads = Disruption Marketing: You’re interrupting someone’s scroll with a compelling offer or story. Your job is to capture attention and create desire.
• Google Ads = Demand Capture Marketing: You’re meeting someone at the moment they’re looking for a solution. Your job is to show up with the best answer.

Both work. The key is knowing when and how to use each.

🧪 Meta Ads: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Best Use Cases

✅ Strengths

• Visual-first (great for lifestyle brands)
• Sophisticated targeting (interests, behavior, demographics)
• Low-cost impressions
• Powerful retargeting options
• Strong for building funnels (TOFU to BOFU)

❌ Weaknesses

• Users aren’t actively searching—they’re scrolling
• Can require creative refreshes to avoid ad fatigue
• Results can dip due to algorithm changes or audience burnout

🚀 Best Use Cases

• DTC brands selling visual products
• Lead generation for service providers
• Building email lists with gated content
• Selling online courses, events, or subscriptions
• Brand storytelling and awareness

💡 Pro Tip: Use Meta to warm up cold audiences with value-first content (e.g., reels, carousels), then retarget with offers or CTAs.

🔍 Google Ads: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Best Use Cases

✅ Strengths

• High intent = high conversion potential
• Excellent for time-sensitive needs (e.g., “emergency plumber”)
• Variety of ad types for different stages
• Search dominance—Google processes 8.5 billion searches daily

❌ Weaknesses

• Can be more expensive (CPCs can skyrocket in competitive niches)
• Needs keyword and negative keyword management
• Ad fatigue is rare, but competition is high

🚀 Best Use Cases

• Local service providers (e.g., HVAC, legal, medical)
• High-ticket B2B lead gen
• Ecommerce (with Google Shopping)
• Software/SaaS (targeting specific terms)

💡 Pro Tip: Focus on bottom-of-funnel keywords first, then expand upward into informational queries for content and retargeting.

📊 When to Use Both Platforms (And How to Do It Right)

Some of our best-performing campaigns at DreamsLab use Google Ads and Meta Ads together in a coordinated funnel.

🔄 The Awareness-to-Conversion Funnel

• Top of Funnel (Meta): Run engaging, visual content on Facebook/Instagram to introduce your brand and capture emails.
• Middle of Funnel (Meta + Google): Retarget Meta engagers with testimonials. Show Google Display Ads to bounced visitors.
• Bottom of Funnel (Google Search + Meta Retargeting): Target high-intent search keywords. Retarget on Meta with urgency offers (“Last chance,” “Only 3 left”).

This multi-platform strategy meets your audience wherever they are in the journey—and maximizes conversion potential.

💼 Case Study: How We Used Both to Drive Results

Client: A mid-sized online fitness coaching brand

Challenge: Needed to grow email list and convert leads into high-ticket clients

Strategy:

• Ran a Meta ad campaign with a free fitness quiz
• Collected emails and segmented them by goals
• Retargeted warm audiences on Meta with success stories
• Ran Google Ads targeting “online personal trainer for busy professionals”

Result:

• 420% increase in leads
• 3.7x ROAS
• 32% conversion from email list to paid product within 45 days

📈 How to Decide: Meta Ads, Google Ads, or Both?

Use Meta Ads if:

• Your product is visual or lifestyle-based
• You want to build a top-of-funnel audience
• You have strong creative assets (photos, videos, UGC)
• You’re growing a community or email list

Use Google Ads if:

• You want immediate search traffic
• Your offer solves a specific, urgent problem
• You have a clear sales/conversion path
• You’re in a competitive service or B2B niche

Use Both if:

• You want to build an omnichannel funnel
• You have a sales cycle with multiple touchpoints
• You’re launching a new product or campaign
• You want to maximize both brand awareness and conversion

🧠 Final Thoughts: Strategy Beats Spending

The truth? You can succeed with Meta Ads. You can succeed with Google Ads. But success doesn’t come from the platform alone—it comes from the strategy behind it.

At DreamsLab, we don’t just launch ads—we craft custom, data-backed campaigns that align with your brand, audience, and business goals.

Meta, Google, or both—we’ll guide you to the right move.