Google Ads or Meta Ads?

Check search volume first

Open Keyword Planner in Google Ads and see how many people search for what you sell, in the area you cover. Searches like “takvask bergen” (roof cleaning Bergen) or “flyttevask oslo” (move-out cleaning Oslo) have enough volume for Google Search to deliver a steady stream of inquiries. If there are hardly any searches, Google Search can’t deliver the volume, whatever the budget, and Meta is a better place to start.

The differences in practice

The data requirement in Meta is worth doing the math on. If a lead costs NOK 200, an ad set needs around NOK 10,000 a week to reach 50 leads. Most smaller businesses don’t get there, and should therefore run a few ad sets rather than many small ones.

Both channels: Utvendig Renhold

Utvendig Renhold (facade and roof cleaning) runs both channels in 9 regions. The Meta campaigns define the areas, and Google Search is set up for the same 9 areas, so both channels cover the same market. On Google, we capture the people searching for the service. From June to September 2026, Google delivered 549 leads in 90 days, NOK 163 per lead including branded searches and about NOK 188 without. On Meta, we reach homeowners in the same areas who haven’t thought about their facade yet, and before/after photos of the company’s own jobs work well there.

When Meta beat Google: Badstugutta

Badstugutta sells saunas that cost tens of thousands of kroner. In weeks 31–39 (July 27 – September 27, 2026), a lead from Meta cost about a fifth of a lead from Google. Meta traffic went to a dedicated landing page with a short form. Google traffic mostly went to the online store.

The numbers aren’t measured in exactly the same way. The Meta leads are unique forms submitted on the landing page. The Google numbers are conversions as Google Ads counts them, including branded searches and several types of inquiries, some of them more valuable than a regular form. The Meta cost also swung a lot, from NOK 91 to NOK 530 from week to week. And we don’t yet know whether the Meta leads turn into as many sales. Still, the difference is too big to be measurement error alone, and it shows that the landing page can matter as much as the channel.

Online stores: often both

For an online store, Google Shopping captures the people searching for the product, while Meta shows the product to people who haven’t searched. Mokki (children’s sunglasses) advertises on Google in Norway, Germany and Denmark and uses Meta as well. The client has measured +127% profit year over year themselves. Snapchat is also a real option in Norway, and it reaches broadly, including people aged 30–50.

How to split the budget

• Start where the data points. If there is search volume and your margin can handle the click price, start with Google. If not, start with Meta and make sure you have enough new ads.
• Measure both channels against the same source of truth. Google and Meta both take credit for sales where the customer has been through both. Use the leads in your CRM or the orders in your online store as the source of truth, not each platform’s own report.
• Get one channel profitable before you split the budget. A small budget split across two channels often gives too little data in both. Do the math against your breakeven ROAS or maximum cost per lead.