Google Ads and Meta Ads (Facebook, Instagram) are the two most-used advertising platforms in Quebec. Both work, but they don’t serve the same purpose. Google Ads targets clients who are actively searching for your services. Meta Ads reaches people who don’t know you yet but match your ideal customer profile.
The choice comes down to three factors: your industry, your budget and what you want to achieve. This guide helps you make the right call, or understand why running both is often the smartest strategy.
Google Ads: capturing clients who are searching
Google Ads puts your business in front of people typing queries into Google. When someone searches “plumber Quebec City” or “marketing agency Laval”, their intent is clear. They want to find a provider now.
That’s what we call demand capture. The client knows what they want, and you show up at the right moment.
Strengths of Google Ads
- High purchase intent: users are actively looking for a solution
- Fast results: your ads appear the moment your campaign goes live
- Multiple formats: Search (text), Display (banners), Shopping (products), YouTube (video), Performance Max, AI Max
- Measurable: every click, call and conversion is tracked precisely
- Works for both B2B and B2C
Limitations of Google Ads
- Higher cost per click: between $1 and $5 on average in Quebec, depending on industry
- Strong competition on popular keywords
- Doesn’t create brand awareness: if nobody is searching for your product, Google Ads can’t generate demand
- Requires ongoing management to optimize performance
When to use Google Ads?
- Local services (plumbing, roofing, renovation, dentists, lawyers)
- B2B companies with long sales cycles
- Products or services people actively search for
- Online retail through Google Shopping
Meta Ads: reaching clients who don’t know you yet
Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) places your ad in the news feed of people who match your target audience. They’re not looking for your product, but your ad catches them while they’re scrolling.
This is what we call demand creation. You show your product to people who didn’t know they needed it.
Strengths of Meta Ads
- Precise targeting: age, interests, behaviors, location, lookalike audiences
- Low cost per click: between $0.20 and $0.80 on average, three to five times cheaper than Google
- Engaging visual formats: photos, carousels, videos, Reels, Stories
- Ideal for brand awareness and product launches
- Powerful retargeting: reach visitors who already came to your site
Limitations of Meta Ads
- Lower purchase intent: users aren’t searching for your product
- Conversion rates often lower than Google Ads on direct sales
- Visual-dependent: a bad creative kills performance
- Frequent algorithm changes (Andromeda in 2025-2026)
- Less predictable results than Google Ads for B2B
When to use Meta Ads?
- Visual products (fashion, beauty, food, decor)
- Product or brand launches
- E-commerce sales
- Service businesses (roofing, construction, HVAC, etc.)
- Companies building a community
- Local promotions (restaurants, events, retail)
What budget should you plan for?
The minimum budget depends on your industry and goals. Here are realistic benchmarks for the Quebec market:
- Google Ads (local services): $1,000 to $3,000/month for meaningful results
- Google Ads (e-commerce): $1,500 to $5,000/month depending on product catalog size
- Meta Ads (awareness): $500 to $1,500/month to build an audience
- Meta Ads (e-commerce conversions): $1,000 to $3,000/month
These figures cover media spend (what you pay Google or Meta directly), not agency management fees.
When to run both together?
The highest-performing strategy often combines both platforms. Here’s how they complement each other:
- Meta Ads introduces your brand to a cold audience (people who don’t know you)
- Some of these people visit your website or engage with your content
- Google Ads captures them later when they search for your service or a similar one
- Meta retargeting re-engages those who visited your site without converting
This conversion funnel uses each platform’s strength at the right point in the customer journey.
A real-world example
A restaurant in Quebec City launches a new menu:
- Meta Ads: appetizing video targeting people aged 25 to 45 within a 15 km radius. Cost: $500/month. Goal: build awareness of the new menu.
- Google Ads: Search ad targeting “restaurant Quebec City” and “new restaurant Quebec City”. Cost: $800/month. Goal: capture local searches.
- Meta retargeting: re-engage website visitors with a special offer. Cost: $200/month.
Result: three channels working together for a total budget of $1,500/month.
5 mistakes to avoid
- Choosing a platform without analyzing your industry: a plumber doesn’t have the same needs as a clothing boutique
- Running campaigns without conversion tracking: you can’t optimize what you don’t measure
- Using the same creatives everywhere: each platform has its own formats and best practices
- Putting your whole budget on one platform: diversification reduces risk
- Skipping the testing phase: start with a modest budget, analyze results, then scale up
FAQ: Google Ads vs Meta Ads
It depends on your industry. Google Ads delivers better returns for local services and B2B because users have high purchase intent. Meta Ads is more profitable for e-commerce, visual products and brand awareness thanks to a cost per click three to five times lower.
For Google Ads, plan a minimum of $1,000 per month in media spend to get meaningful results. For Meta Ads, you can start with $500 per month for brand awareness. These are benchmarks for the Quebec market and vary depending on competition in your industry.
Yes, and it’s often the highest-performing strategy. Meta Ads introduces your brand to new audiences, Google Ads captures active searches, and retargeting brings back undecided visitors. The two platforms complement each other across the conversion funnel.
Meta Ads can work for B2B, especially for awareness and recruitment. However, for B2B lead generation with high purchase intent, Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads are generally more effective. At Affichez, we analyze your market before recommending a platform.
Both platforms offer detailed tracking tools. The key metrics to watch are cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, cost per acquisition (CPA) and return on ad spend (ROAS). At Affichez, we provide monthly reports with these metrics and optimization recommendations.
