Social media or Google Ads: where should budget go?

Key takeaways

Social media vs Google Ads budget comes down to whether buyers search for you or need to be found. Google Ads captures people already searching, so it suits urgent and high-intent services. Social media reaches people before they search, so it suits visual, local and impulse purchases. Many businesses need some of each.

• Google Ads catches demand that already exists in search.
• Social media creates demand among people not yet searching.
• Urgent services lean 70%+ to Google Ads.
• Visual and impulse purchases lean 70%+ to social.

Which businesses should lean towards Google Ads?

Businesses whose buyers search when they have a problem: emergency trades, legal and financial services, repairs, and B2B services with specific needs. Someone searching 'boiler repair near me' is ready to buy today. Social media still helps them check you out, but the first pound usually belongs in search.

• Social media budget for a UK small business
• Advertising for tradespeople: where UK trades should spend

Which businesses should lean towards social?

Businesses selling things people do not search for until they see them: restaurants, salons, gifts, fashion, events, home improvements with strong visuals and new products. Social ads put the idea in front of people. Search volume for these is often small or dominated by large brands.

• B2B vs B2C advertising: how the channel mix changes

How do you split a small budget between them?

Start with the channel that fits your buyers and fund it properly before adding the other. Illustrative £1,000 a month for a local service: £700 Google Ads, £300 social retargeting and proof. Google Ads budgets are set as an average daily amount, and spend can vary day to day around it.

• Urgent service: 70% search, 30% social.
• Considered local service: 50% search, 50% social.
• Visual or impulse product: 30% search, 70% social.

What signs show the mix is wrong?

If social ads bring likes but few enquiries while competitors win on search, you are under-investing in Google. If search clicks are expensive and few people search for what you sell, social deserves more. Compare cost per enquiry across both each month rather than clicks or reach.

• Cost per lead by channel: comparing social media and offline

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: an emergency service runs social ads to strangers who have no need today, while competitors take the searches. Moving most of the budget to search, and keeping social for proof and retargeting, usually raises enquiries without raising the total.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Search and social checklist

• Check how many people search for what you sell.
• Decide whether buyers search first or see first.
• Fund the main channel before adding the other.
• Use social for proof and retargeting either way.
• Compare cost per enquiry across both monthly.

• How to split a social budget across platforms
• Social media vs SEO: splitting a small budget

Next step

Write down the three phrases buyers would search for your service. If they are searched often, start with search; if not, start with social.