The Debate That Shouldn't Exist

Here's the thing nobody arguing this point seems to mention: Google Ads and social media ads aren't competing for the same job. They're doing two completely different jobs, and getting annoyed that one isn't as good at the other's job is a bit like being disappointed your electrician doesn't also do your books.

Google Ads catches demand that already exists. Someone types "emergency plumber Brisbane" because their hot water system just died and they need someone now. That's about as high-intent as a customer gets. Average Google Search click-through rates sit around 6.5%, and depending on the industry, somewhere between 4% and 8% of those clicks convert into an actual enquiry. It's a strong channel, but it only works on people who are already looking.

Social ads create demand that doesn't exist yet. Nobody's scrolling Instagram thinking "I hope an ad for roof restoration finds me today." But if they see three good posts from a local business over a few weeks, real photos, a happy customer, a fair price explained simply, they start forming an opinion before they ever need the service. Then six months later, when the roof actually starts leaking, guess whose name comes to mind first.

One channel catches the moment. The other builds the moment. Running only one is like fishing with a net but no bait, or bait but no net.

What the Data Actually Says About Running Both

This isn't just a nice theory, it shows up clearly in the numbers. Businesses using multi-touch attribution, meaning they actually track how customers interact across multiple channels before converting, rather than crediting whichever ad happened to be clicked last, see cost per acquisition improve by somewhere between 14% and 36% compared to businesses only looking at one channel in isolation.

And here's the genuinely interesting part: only around 17% of businesses actually analyse their channels together like this. The other 83% are essentially flying half blind, crediting Google Ads for a sale that social media quietly set up weeks earlier, or writing off social as "not working" because it doesn't get the last click, even though it's often doing the heavy lifting earlier in the journey.

A typical customer path before converting isn't one click, it's a handful of touches spread across channels and time. Someone sees a Facebook ad, doesn't click. Sees a retargeting ad on Instagram a few days later. Googles the business by name. Reads a couple of reviews. Then finally fills out the form or picks up the phone. If you're only running Google Ads, you paid for the last step and missed the three that made it happen. If you're only running social, you built the trust and then let a competitor's Google Ad scoop up the actual booking.