The question I get most from new clients is: “Should I run Facebook ads or Google ads first?”
There’s a clean answer and it has nothing to do with budget size or which platform is “trendier.” It has to do with how people search for what you sell.
The single question that decides it
Do people already know they want what you offer?
If yes — they’re typing “AC repair Dhaka” or “best laptop under ৳50,000” into Google — start with Google Ads.
If no — they didn’t know your product existed until they saw it — start with Meta Ads.
That’s the whole framework. Everything else is detail.
Demand vs. discovery
Marketers call this the difference between demand capture and demand generation.
- Google Ads = demand capture. Someone is searching with intent. You’re showing up at the moment they’re looking. The conversion path is short.
- Meta Ads = demand generation. Someone is scrolling Instagram. You’re interrupting them with something they didn’t ask for. The conversion path is longer but the addressable audience is bigger.
Both work. But running them in the wrong order is expensive.
When Google Ads is the right first move
Pick Google first if:
- You sell something with active search demand (plumbers, lawyers, repair services, B2B software, accountants, dental clinics)
- You can rank in the top 3 results in your local area
- Your average ticket is high enough to absorb a ৳20–80 cost per click
- You have a conversion-ready landing page that loads fast and answers the searcher’s question in under 5 seconds
Real example: a Dhaka physiotherapy clinic. People with back pain don’t browse Instagram for fun — they Google “physiotherapy near me” at midnight when the pain wakes them up. Google Ads with location extensions and call-only ads can produce a 5–10× ROAS in this scenario.
When Meta Ads is the right first move
Pick Meta first if:
- You sell something discovery-driven (fashion, beauty, home decor, fitness coaching, courses)
- Your customer didn’t wake up this morning thinking they need it
- Your product looks great in motion or in a lifestyle photo
- You have time and patience for the audience to warm up before they buy
Real example: a fitness coach selling a 12-week program. No one searches “online fitness coach Sydney” with intent. They scroll, see a transformation reel, click profile, watch 5 more reels, and 3 weeks later they apply. That’s a Meta funnel, not a Google one.
When the answer is “both, sequentially”
Most established businesses end up running both. The right order is:
- Start with whichever matches your demand type (above)
- Profitably scale that channel to a steady CPL
- Add the second channel as retargeting before adding it as cold traffic
For example: a Shopify brand might start with Meta cold traffic (discovery), build an email list, then add Google Ads to capture branded searches and shopping intent. Or a B2B service starts with Google Search, builds case studies, then uses Meta to retarget visitors with social proof.
Budget thresholds
Below ৳30,000/month total, only run one platform. Splitting a small budget between both starves both algorithms of data and you learn nothing.
Between ৳30,000 and ৳1,00,000/month, run one cold-traffic platform plus retargeting on the other.
Above ৳1,00,000/month, you can run both at scale, with proper attribution and creative pipelines per channel.
Don’t fall for the “Google has higher intent” trap
This is true but it’s misleading. Google has higher immediate intent — but the audience is also smaller and more competitive. CPCs in some Bangladesh service categories have tripled in the last 18 months.
Meta has lower immediate intent but the cost per impression is far cheaper, and you can shape demand in a way Google literally cannot. The brands that win long-term run both, but they pick the right starting point.
Bottom line
Don’t pick the platform you’re more comfortable with. Pick the one that matches how your customer currently behaves. If they’re searching, meet them on Google. If they’re scrolling, meet them on Meta.
Pick wrong and you’ll burn through 3 months of budget learning something you could have known on day one.
