“Should we advertise on Google, Facebook or LinkedIn?” is one of the first questions we hear from new clients. The honest answer is: it depends on who your customers are and how they buy. Each platform reaches people in a different situation, and choosing the wrong one is the fastest way to spend a budget without results.
Here is a practical comparison to help you decide where to start.
Google Ads: reach people who are already searching
Search ads appear when someone types a query such as “accountant in Warsaw” or “industrial label printer”. The demand already exists – your job is to show up with the right offer. That makes Google Ads the natural first choice when:
- people actively search for your product or service,
- you want leads or sales quickly,
- you sell locally or in specific countries and want precise geographic control.
The limitation: if nobody searches for what you offer (a new product category, for example), search campaigns have little to work with. Display, YouTube and Demand Gen campaigns can help build awareness, but they behave more like social media ads.
Facebook and Instagram Ads: create demand with precise audiences
Meta ads reach people while they scroll, not while they search. You are interrupting, so the creative – image, video and the first line of text – has to stop the scroll. In return you get large reach at a relatively low cost and strong audience options: interests, lookalikes of your customers and remarketing to your website visitors.
Facebook Ads work best for:
- consumer products and e-commerce,
- offers that are visual or easy to explain in a short video,
- building awareness for something people do not yet search for,
- remarketing to people who visited your site but did not buy.
LinkedIn Ads: reach decision-makers in B2B
LinkedIn is the only major platform where you can target people by job title, seniority, company size and industry with real precision. Clicks are usually far more expensive than on Google or Meta, so LinkedIn makes sense when a single customer is worth a lot – typically in B2B services, software, industrial products and recruitment.
Expect longer sales cycles. LinkedIn campaigns are often measured by qualified leads and conversations with the right companies rather than by immediate sales.
Quick comparison
| Google Ads | Facebook / Instagram Ads | LinkedIn Ads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| User intent | High – actively searching | Low to medium – browsing | Medium – professional context |
| Best for | Leads and sales from existing demand | Reach, awareness, e-commerce, remarketing | B2B lead generation |
| Targeting | Keywords, location, audiences | Interests, lookalikes, remarketing | Job title, industry, company size |
| Cost per click | Medium, varies by industry | Usually lowest | Usually highest |
| Key success factor | Keywords and landing page | Creative | Offer and targeting |
So where should you start?
- Customers search for what you sell? Start with Google Ads search campaigns.
- Consumer product with a strong visual story? Start with Facebook and Instagram Ads.
- High-value B2B offer for a specific group of companies? Test LinkedIn Ads, supported by Google search for branded and high-intent queries.
In practice, the strongest results usually come from combining channels: search captures existing demand, while social platforms create new demand and bring visitors back through remarketing. The key is to start with one channel, measure conversions properly and expand only when you know what works.
Not sure which channel fits your business? Read more about our Google Ads, Facebook Ads and LinkedIn Ads services, or contact us for a recommendation.