We get asked this question in almost every first meeting, and the honest answer is “it depends on what people already know”. Here is how we think about it before any budget is spent.
If people search for it, start with Google
Dentists, car rental, English courses, insurance, repairs: when a customer already types the need into a search box, Google Search puts you in front of them at the moment they want to buy. Intent is high and the cost per lead is usually easy to justify.
If they do not know it exists, start with Meta
A new restaurant, a product launch, a property project in Batumi: nobody is searching for it yet. Facebook and Instagram let you choose the audience, show them something they did not ask for, and build demand that Google can later capture.
Most businesses need both, in sequence
The usual pattern is Meta to introduce, Google to close, and a retargeting layer across both so the people who clicked once keep seeing you. The mistake is splitting a small budget evenly across everything and learning nothing from any of it.
What to get right before the first dirham is spent
A landing page that loads fast in Arabic and English, conversion tracking that actually fires, a WhatsApp number someone answers, and an agreed definition of a lead. Ads amplify what is already there. If the page is weak, better targeting just sends more people to a weak page.
