Answer 8 quick questions and get a recommendation on where to start: Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram ads, or both, with the reasons why.
1. Do people search for what you sell when they need it (e.g. “plumber near me”)?
2. Is the purchase urgent (today or this week)?
3. Is your product or service very visual (food, design, fitness, beauty)?
4. Are you creating demand for something new that people don’t know to search for?
5. Is your average sale over $1,000?
6. Do you have photos or video of real work and customers?
7. Is your monthly ad budget under $1,000?
8. Do you sell mainly to local customers within a set area?
How the recommendation works
Search ads capture existing demand: people already looking. Social ads create demand: reaching people before they search. Urgent, high-value, locally searched services lean to Google; visual, impulse or new-category offers lean to Facebook and Instagram. Most businesses end up using both.