You’ve allocated budget for digital advertising, but you’re facing the fundamental question every e-commerce business owner confronts: Should you invest in Google Ads, Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram), or both? With limited resources and pressure to generate positive ROI, making the wrong choice can drain your budget while competitors capture your potential customers.
The truth is that Google Ads and Meta Ads serve fundamentally different purposes in the customer journey, excel at different objectives, and require distinct strategies. Understanding these differences—and knowing when and why to use each platform—can transform your advertising from a frustrating expense into your most profitable revenue channel.
At The Digital Hacks, we manage millions in annual ad spend for e-commerce businesses across London and beyond. We’ve tested both platforms extensively, and we’ve learned that the “Google vs Meta” question rarely has a simple answer. Instead, the most successful e-commerce advertisers understand how to leverage each platform’s unique strengths at different stages of the customer journey.
Understanding the Fundamental Difference
Before diving into metrics, budgets, and strategies, you need to understand the core philosophical difference between these platforms:
Google Ads captures existing demand. When someone searches “buy organic coffee beans online,” they’re actively looking to purchase. They have a problem (need coffee) and are seeking solutions. Google Ads places your products in front of people who are already shopping.
Meta Ads creates demand. When someone scrolls through Instagram looking at vacation photos, they’re not thinking about buying anything. Meta Ads interrupt their experience with compelling offers that create desire where none previously existed.
This distinction—demand capture versus demand creation—fundamentally shapes how, when, and why you should use each platform. Neither approach is inherently superior; they serve different strategic purposes in your overall marketing ecosystem.
Google Shopping vs Facebook Shop: Platform Capabilities
Both platforms have evolved sophisticated e-commerce features, but their strengths lie in different areas.
Google Shopping Ads
Google Shopping dominates product discovery for users with purchase intent. When someone searches for a specific product, Shopping ads display product images, prices, and merchant information directly in search results—often above traditional text ads.
Key Advantages:
- High Purchase Intent: Users searching for products are significantly closer to purchase than social media scrollers
- Product Feed Integration: Your entire product catalog can be advertised dynamically based on search queries
- Price Comparison: Shoppers can compare your prices against competitors, and if you’re competitive, this transparency works in your favor
- Search Term Precision: You capture customers searching for exactly what you sell
- Mobile Shopping Dominance: Google Shopping ads dominate mobile search results
Limitations:
- Competition Intensity: Popular product categories face intense competition driving up costs
- Limited Creative Control: Shopping ads are product-focused with limited storytelling capability
- Requires Existing Demand: You can only capture searches that already exist
- Feed Management Complexity: Requires ongoing product feed optimization
Facebook Shop and Instagram Shopping
Meta’s shopping features have evolved dramatically, turning social platforms into legitimate e-commerce channels. Instagram Shopping and Facebook Shops allow seamless purchases without leaving the platform.
Key Advantages:
- Visual Storytelling: Instagram’s visual nature showcases products in aspirational lifestyle contexts
- Discovery Commerce: Users discover products they didn’t know they wanted
- Community Building: Social engagement builds brand loyalty beyond transactions
- Detailed Targeting: Demographic, interest, and behavioral targeting enables precise audience reach
- Native Checkout: Instagram Checkout removes friction from purchase process
Limitations:
- Lower Purchase Intent: Users aren’t actively shopping when they see your ads
- Longer Sales Cycles: More touchpoints typically required before conversion
- Creative Demands: Requires compelling visual content that stops scrolling
- Platform Dependency: Algorithm changes can dramatically impact performance
Meta ROI vs Google ROI: Comparing Returns
ROI varies dramatically based on industry, product type, and execution quality, but certain patterns emerge across thousands of campaigns.
Google Ads ROI Characteristics
Our Google Ads services typically deliver strong ROI for e-commerce clients, particularly in these scenarios:
High AOV Products (£100+): Higher-priced products benefit from Google’s high-intent traffic. When someone searches “buy professional espresso machine,” they’re ready to invest, making Google’s higher CPC worthwhile.
Urgent Purchases: Products needed immediately (broken phone screen repair, emergency plumbing supplies, last-minute gifts) convert exceptionally well on Google where purchase urgency is highest.
Specific Product Searches: Long-tail, specific searches (“red leather crossbody bag”) indicate clear intent and typically convert at 3-5x the rate of generic searches.
Typical Google Ads Metrics for E-commerce:
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): 3-7% for Shopping ads, 2-5% for Search ads
- Conversion Rate: 2-5% average (varies dramatically by industry)
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): 300-600% for established campaigns
- Average CPC: £0.50-£3.00 depending on competition
Meta Ads ROI Characteristics
Meta Ads excel in different scenarios where visual appeal, lifestyle association, and impulse purchasing drive success:
Visually Appealing Products: Fashion, home décor, beauty products, and lifestyle items that photograph well and inspire desire perform exceptionally on Instagram.
Impulse Purchases: Lower-priced items (£20-£50) that don’t require extensive consideration convert well when users encounter compelling creative.
Niche Audiences: Products targeting specific demographics, interests, or lifestyles benefit from Meta’s targeting precision.
Brand Building: Even when immediate ROAS is lower, Meta builds awareness and consideration that supports other channels.
Typical Meta Ads Metrics for E-commerce:
- Click-Through Rate: 1-3% for feed ads, 2-5% for Stories
- Conversion Rate: 1-3% average (lower than Google due to lower intent)
- Return on Ad Spend: 200-400% for cold traffic, 400-800%+ for retargeting
- Average CPC: £0.30-£1.50 typically lower than Google
The Real ROI Picture: Multi-Touch Attribution
Direct platform metrics tell only part of the story. Meta Ads frequently assist Google conversions—users discover your brand on Instagram, then later search your brand name on Google and purchase. Without proper attribution modeling, you might incorrectly conclude Meta “doesn’t work” while it’s actually driving significant revenue through other channels.
Modern attribution modeling reveals that e-commerce businesses typically see 20-40% more revenue from Meta Ads than platform-reported conversions suggest, because Meta plays a critical role in awareness and consideration even when Google gets credit for the final click.
Platform CPC Comparison
Cost per click varies enormously based on industry, targeting, competition, and ad quality, but general benchmarks help with planning.
Current CPC Landscape
| Metric | Google Ads | Meta Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Average CPC (All Industries) | £0.80–£2.50 | £0.40–£1.20 |
| E-commerce Fashion | £1.20–£3.00 | £0.60–£1.50 |
| Home & Garden | £0.90–£2.20 | £0.50–£1.30 |
| Beauty & Cosmetics | £1.50–£3.50 | £0.70–£1.80 |
| Electronics | £1.00–£2.80 | £0.60–£1.60 |
| Luxury Goods | £2.00–£5.00 | £1.00–£2.50 |
Factors Influencing CPC
Google Ads CPC Drivers:
- Quality Score: Higher relevance reduces CPC by 20-50%
- Competition Level: Popular keywords drive prices up
- Ad Rank: Position influences costs—top positions cost more
- Time of Day/Season: Peak shopping periods increase competition
- Geographic Targeting: London and major cities typically cost more
Meta Ads CPC Drivers:
- Relevance Score: Better engagement reduces costs dramatically
- Audience Size: Smaller audiences often cost more
- Creative Quality: Engaging creative reduces CPC through higher CTR
- Objective Selection: Conversion objectives typically cost more than engagement
- Auction Competition: Popular audiences (young affluent women) cost more
CPC Optimization Strategies
Smart e-commerce advertisers don’t just accept platform-average CPCs—they optimize aggressively:
For Google Ads:
- Improve Quality Scores through landing page relevance
- Use negative keywords to eliminate wasteful clicks
- Bid strategically by time, device, and location
- Leverage automated bidding for conversion optimization
For Meta Ads:
- Test multiple creative variations to improve engagement
- Expand audience sizes to reduce competition
- Use lookalike audiences to find similar customers efficiently
- Implement frequency capping to prevent ad fatigue
Ad Budget Allocation: How Much to Each Platform?
Budget allocation should be driven by your specific situation, goals, and customer journey, not arbitrary splits.
The Starting Point: 60/40 or 70/30
For e-commerce businesses advertising for the first time, we typically recommend:
- 60-70% Google Ads (primarily Shopping and branded Search)
- 30-40% Meta Ads (primarily prospecting and retargeting)
This allocation prioritizes high-intent traffic while building awareness and retargeting audiences. As you gather data, adjust based on actual performance.
Factors That Shift Allocation Toward Google
Increase Google’s share if you:
- Sell high-consideration products requiring research
- Have strong brand recognition with significant branded search volume
- Operate in urgent/emergency product categories
- Face price-competitive markets where comparison shopping is common
- Target B2B customers who use search for vendor discovery
Factors That Shift Allocation Toward Meta
Increase Meta’s share if you:
- Sell visually appealing lifestyle products
- Target specific demographic or interest groups
- Launch new products requiring awareness building
- Have lower-priced impulse-friendly products
- Need to build brand recognition before search demand exists
Dynamic Allocation: Seasonal Adjustments
Smart budget allocation changes throughout the year:
Peak Season (Q4, Sales Events): Shift more budget to Google to capture high-intent holiday shoppers actively searching for gifts and deals.
Off-Season: Allocate more to Meta for awareness and list building, preparing for next peak season.
New Product Launches: Initially weight toward Meta to create awareness, then shift to Google as search volume builds.
Retargeting Comparison: Where Each Platform Shines
Retargeting (showing ads to people who previously visited your site) is where both platforms prove their value, but through different mechanisms.
Google Ads Retargeting Strengths
Search Remarketing Lists (RLSA): Target previous visitors when they search related terms, combining high intent with familiarity. Someone who visited your site searching again for similar products is exceptionally likely to convert.
Display Retargeting: Google Display Network reaches 90% of internet users, allowing broad retargeting reach across millions of websites.
YouTube Retargeting: Video ads to previous visitors can rebuild interest and address objections in engaging formats.
Dynamic Remarketing: Automatically show specific products that users viewed, including price and availability updates.
Google retargeting typically converts at 2-3x the rate of cold traffic and works exceptionally well for bringing back users who abandoned carts or browsed without purchasing.
Meta Ads Retargeting Strengths
Precise Audience Segmentation: Create highly specific audiences based on exact pages visited, time spent, actions taken, and engagement level.
Native Platform Integration: Retargeting ads appear seamlessly in feeds and Stories, feeling less intrusive than display banners.
Creative Flexibility: Use different creative approaches for different audience segments—cart abandoners see different messaging than product browsers.
Cross-Platform Reach: Retarget across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network with unified campaigns.
Meta retargeting often delivers ROAS of 500-1000%—the highest-performing segment of most e-commerce ad accounts.
The Retargeting Sequence Strategy
The most effective approach uses both platforms in sequence:
- Day 1-3 (Meta): Immediate retargeting on Instagram/Facebook with the specific product viewed
- Day 4-7 (Google Display): Broader retargeting across Display Network maintaining visibility
- Day 8-14 (Meta): Offer-based retargeting with discount or free shipping incentive
- Day 15-30 (Google Search): RLSA targeting when they search related terms
- Day 30+ (Both): Long-term nurture sequence with new products and seasonal promotions
This sequenced approach keeps your brand visible across platforms without overwhelming users with repetitive ads on a single platform.
B2C vs B2B E-commerce: Platform Selection
While this article primarily addresses B2C e-commerce, B2B e-commerce businesses face different considerations.
B2B E-commerce Platform Preferences
Google Ads for B2B:
- Most B2B buyers start with search research
- Longer sales cycles favor search-based nurture
- Higher-value transactions justify higher CPC
- Professional services and supplies perform well
- LinkedIn integration enables B2B-specific targeting
Meta Ads for B2B:
- Best for visually demonstrable B2B products
- Effective for reaching specific job titles and industries
- Works well for lower-cost B2B products (<£500)
- Supports awareness building in new markets
- Better for companies than individual decision-makers
B2B E-commerce typically allocates 70-80% to Google given the research-driven nature of business purchasing and the professional context of search versus social browsing.
When to Start With Google Ads
You should prioritize Google Ads when:
Your Products Have Existing Search Demand: If people are already searching for what you sell, capturing that demand is the fastest path to revenue. Use Google Keyword Planner to verify search volume for your product categories.
You Have Higher Average Order Values: Products over £75-100 typically justify Google’s higher CPC because conversion value offsets acquisition cost.
Your Products Solve Urgent Problems: Emergency purchases, time-sensitive needs, and problem-solution products convert best on search.
You’re Competing on Price or Selection: If your competitive advantage is pricing or extensive inventory, Google Shopping’s comparison format highlights these strengths.
You Have Limited Creative Resources: Google Shopping requires only product feed optimization, not constantly refreshed creative assets like Meta demands.
Your Industry Isn’t Visually Driven: Industrial supplies, technical components, and functional products often perform better on search than social.
When to Start With Meta Ads
You should prioritize Meta Ads when:
You’re Launching a New Brand: Without existing search demand, Meta helps create awareness and drive your first sales while building recognition.
Your Products Are Visually Striking: Fashion, home décor, art, and beauty products that photograph beautifully thrive on Instagram.
You Target Specific Demographics: If your ideal customer fits clear demographic or interest profiles, Meta’s targeting precision enables efficient reach.
You Have Lower Price Points: Products under £50 suit impulse purchasing behavior common on social platforms.
You Need to Build Brand Community: Social platforms enable engagement, user-generated content, and community building beyond transactions.
Your Products Are Discovery-Based: Unique, innovative, or niche products that customers don’t know to search for need awareness before search demand exists.
The Integrated Approach: Why “Both” Usually Wins
Most successful e-commerce businesses eventually conclude that Google AND Meta together deliver better results than either platform alone. Here’s why:
Complementary Strengths: Google captures bottom-funnel demand while Meta builds top-funnel awareness. This full-funnel approach maximizes reach and efficiency.
Cross-Platform Attribution: Users interact with your brand across multiple touchpoints. Integrated campaigns meet customers wherever they are in their journey.
Risk Diversification: Platform algorithm changes, policy updates, or competitive shifts on one platform won’t devastate your entire acquisition strategy.
Audience Building: Meta prospecting builds audiences for Google Search and Shopping retargeting. Google captures research-phase users who can be retargeted on Meta.
Data Synergies: Insights from one platform inform strategy on the other. Google search terms reveal demand that Meta creative can address. Meta engagement patterns suggest product categories to emphasize on Google.
At The Digital Hacks, our most successful e-commerce clients run integrated campaigns leveraging each platform’s strengths while maintaining unified brand messaging and coordinated promotion calendars.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use Google Ads or Facebook Ads for my e-commerce store?
Most successful e-commerce businesses use both platforms because they serve different purposes. Google Ads captures high-intent shoppers actively searching for products, while Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) builds awareness and reaches new audiences. Start with 60-70% Google and 30-40% Meta, then adjust based on your results.
Which platform has better ROI for e-commerce?
Google Ads typically delivers higher direct ROAS (300-600%) than Meta Ads (200-400%) because of higher purchase intent. However, Meta Ads often influence Google conversions through multi-touch attribution. The best ROI comes from using both platforms together in an integrated strategy.
Is Google Ads or Facebook Ads cheaper?
Meta Ads typically has lower CPC (£0.40-£1.20) than Google Ads (£0.80-£2.50), but cost per acquisition matters more than CPC. Google’s higher intent often results in better conversion rates despite higher CPC, while Meta requires more touchpoints before conversion.
What’s the difference between Google Shopping and Facebook Shop?
Google Shopping captures people actively searching for products with high purchase intent. Facebook Shop reaches people browsing social media who aren’t actively shopping. Google Shopping typically converts faster, while Facebook Shop builds awareness and works well for visual, impulse-friendly products.
How much should I spend on Google Ads vs Facebook Ads?
A typical starting allocation is 60-70% Google Ads and 30-40% Meta Ads. Adjust based on your product type, audience, and results. High-consideration products benefit from more Google budget, while visually appealing impulse items benefit from more Meta budget.
Which platform is better for retargeting e-commerce customers?
Both platforms excel at retargeting but in different ways. Meta retargeting typically delivers higher ROAS (500-1000%) with better creative flexibility and precise audience segmentation. Google retargeting reaches broader audiences and captures users when they search again. Use both for maximum effectiveness.
