Facebook Ads vs Google Ads for Contractors: Which Wins?

By Ryan Goering, founder and CEO of BaaDigi. The Local Services Ads figures are BaaDigi client data; the Search and Meta comparison is provider documentation plus our own test criteria, because we have no pooled cost for either.

Last updated: September 2026.

This comparison concerns Google Search Ads and Meta social advertising. Google also offers other campaign types, while Local Services Ads has separate billing and eligibility rules. Naming the actual product prevents a broad “Google versus Facebook” verdict from hiding important differences.

Local Services Ads is also the only paid channel where BaaDigi can publish a first-party cost. Across four client accounts (Jun–Sep 2026), $32,835.46 of LSA spend produced 900 leads; Google charged for 716 of them (79.6%), which works out to $45.86 per charged lead. 627 were phone calls and 273 were messages. We have no equivalent pooled figure for Search Ads or Meta, so this post does not invent one. Compare using your own matched records, and see the LSA versus Search Ads comparison for the billing differences.

What differs in the customer interaction?

When would you investigate Search Ads first?

Consider Search when you can match a concrete service request with a useful page and a staffed contact path. Inspect actual query relevance and territory rather than assuming every searcher needs emergency work today. Google’s Ad Rank documentation describes auction factors; a bid does not buy guaranteed placement or a signed project.

A functioning account also needs clear conversion definitions. Google describes conversion actions as advertiser-defined valuable actions. Your setup must distinguish a request from a booked appointment or acquired customer.

When would you investigate Meta ads first?

Consider a test when authentic project material and a clear offer can explain why someone should inquire. Verify current controls and policy requirements in the account. Do not claim an audience selection identifies every homeowner’s intent, finances or property condition.

Meta’s 2023 lead-generation guide describes instant forms and other inquiry paths. It is useful for understanding the format, not for predicting current contractor cost or quality. Test the complete submission and office handoff through the Facebook intake checklist.

How should you compare a test fairly?

Define suitable inquiries using the same service and location criteria. Include media, management, page and creative costs. Follow both groups through conversations, estimates, customers and still-open decisions. A raw form lead and a qualified phone conversation are different stages, even when platforms label both conversions.

Use a matched period where possible and document differences in service type, office coverage or offer. Keep a consistent attribution rule when one homeowner encounters both platforms. Do not add two platform-reported wins and call them two customers.

What if Facebook has a lower cost per form?

Find out what happens afterward. The lower number may or may not survive qualification, estimating and delivery costs. Similarly, a more expensive Search inquiry can still be unprofitable. The contractor lead-cost framework explains why actual business records matter more than an unsupported national price band.

Check duplicates, incorrect details, missed responses and unresolved estimates before drawing a conclusion. A low close rate might reflect the source, the offer, handling or a sales cycle that is still open. Do not invent a universal threshold that diagnoses all four.

Should you split the budget between both?

Only if you can fund and manage meaningful tests without losing control of costs. There is no verified trade-by-trade percentage allocation here. Protect useful existing demand, fix broken intake and choose the next test according to your capacity and cash.

Use the advertising channel guide for the wider mix and the marketing budget guide for cost boundaries. More channels do not automatically create a better acquisition process.

Editorial correction: Unsupported lead-price ranges, trade rankings, conversion rates, retargeting multipliers and mandatory budget splits have been withdrawn.

What does BaaDigi charge for the Google side?

The Stability Engine is $497 per month plus $995 setup, and it manages up to $1,600 per month of ad spend that you pay directly to Google. Meta is a separate written scope, and the fee is a service price, not a price per lead on either platform.