Capturing demand vs creating it
Google shows your ad to someone who just typed what they want. That intent is valuable, but you can only reach as many people as are searching.
Meta shows your ad to people who look like your buyers, before they go looking. The reach is far bigger, but the ad has to earn their attention, which is why creative matters so much on Meta.
Why most businesses run both
The two feed each other. Meta builds awareness, and some of those people later search your brand on Google. Google catches them, and Meta retargets people who visited but didn't buy. Judged together on blended cost per customer, they usually beat either one alone.
Measure them the same way
Each platform takes credit for sales the other helped create. Use the same conversion events on both, send real sales back through the Conversions API and enhanced conversions, and judge the mix on blended cost per customer.
