The Wrong Question Gets the Wrong Answer

Most businesses ask: "Which platform has better ROI—Google or Meta?"

The silence they hear? That's because the question is unanswerable. Google Ads and Meta Ads are optimized for fundamentally different jobs in the customer journey.

Google Ads targets people actively searching for solutions. Your customer has already decided they want to buy. Conversion rate: 5-15%.

Meta Ads reach people before they know they need your solution. They're scrolling, see a relatable problem, and realize you have the answer. Conversion rates: 1-5%, but audience reach is 10x larger.

Comparing them on ROI alone is like asking whether a hammer or a saw is "better"—it depends entirely on what you're building.

Why "Better ROAS" Is a Red Herring

A SaaS company spends $500/day on Google Search ads (400% ROAS: every $1 = $4 revenue). It looks fantastic.

But if they reallocated 20% to Meta ($100/day), they'd build audiences that convert to Google searches 90 days later, generating an additional $200,000 in annual revenue—because those warm Meta audiences are searching for you on Google months later.

Isolating channels creates blind spots.

Here's what actually matters:

Marginal return per channel: If Google is at 300% ROAS and Meta at 250%, the next $1,000 goes to Meta to build future Google customers.

Customer lifetime value, not attribution: A $50 Meta customer might be worth $500 over 2 years because they've been nurtured by your ecosystem. Attribution tools assign this all to Google.

Revenue per impression (RPI): Same revenue, different mechanics. What matters is total profit, not channel credit.

The Framework: Portfolio Orchestration

Step 1: Segment Your Customer Journey

• Awareness: "I didn't know I needed this" (Meta's job)

• Consideration: "I'm comparing options" (both channels)

• Conversion: "I'm ready to buy" (Google's job)

Step 2: Assign Channels by Stage

• Meta: 70% of budget for audience building

• Google: 30% for high-intent capture

Step 3: Measure Incrementality
Run a holdout test: Pause all Google for 2 weeks while keeping Meta active. Track organic traffic drops. This shows Meta's true impact—the only metric that matters.

Step 4: Rebalance Monthly
Calculate blended ROAS: (Total revenue from both) / (Combined spend). If it drops, reallocate from underperformers to proven channels.

Typical benchmarks: 3.5:1 SaaS | 2.5:1 Services | 4.5:1 E-commerce.

Attribution Mistakes That Cost Millions

Mistake #1: Last-Click Attribution
"This customer clicked a Google Ad last—Google gets 100% credit."

Reality: Meta built the awareness that made Google's ad work.

Fix: Use multi-touch attribution. Weight touchpoints: Meta 40% | Google 60% for a 70/30 spend split.

Mistake #2: Comparing CPCs in Isolation
"Meta CPC is $2, Google CPC is $4, so Meta is cheaper."

Reality: Google's $4 click converts at 3x the rate. CPA is $2 on Google | $8 on Meta.

Fix: Track CPA and LTV, never CPC alone.

Mistake #3: Ignoring Brand Search
As Meta awareness rises, Google Brand searches spike. People literally search your company name. This is free money—but gets misattributed to Google.

Fix: Separate Branded vs. Non-Branded Google campaigns. Branded has ~0 ROI contribution. Non-Branded shows true paid impact.

Your 90-Day Quick Start

Week 1: Audit both accounts. Calculate CPA + LTV by channel. Document blended ROAS baseline.

Weeks 2-3: Implement first-party tracking (UTM parameters, CRM integration). Stop relying on platform attribution.

Week 4: Run a holdout test (pause one channel completely, measure other's performance).

Weeks 5-12: Rebalance budget monthly based on incrementality, not last-click data.

Expected outcome: 20-30% improvement in blended ROAS within 90 days.

Next Steps

• Book a free 30 minutes pivot call to uncover growth opportunities.

• Read Next: Why Your Marketing Budget Allocation Is Probably Wrong — Learn how to structure the 70/20/10 framework using your data

• Related: Real-Time Marketing Attribution — Deep-dive into multi-touch attribution models beyond last-click