Run Google Ads first if you have budget for competitive clicks and a team that can answer the phone within minutes. Run Meta first if you want booked consultations at a lower cost and are willing to build a proper qualifying page. Run both once one channel is working.
The real difference: who you reach
Google Ads shows your advert to someone who has typed a search such as "help with IRS levy". They have a problem, they know it and they are comparing firms right now. That intent is valuable, which is why every resolution firm, lead vendor and national brand bids on the same terms.
Meta shows your advert to someone scrolling. Some of them have an IRS letter in a drawer they have been avoiding. They have not searched yet, so there is far less competition for their attention. The catch is that you have to find them, explain the problem in plain words and qualify them before they reach your calendar.
How the two compare
| Google Ads | Meta ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Intent | High: actively searching | Lower: problem-aware, not yet searching |
| Competition | Heavy on core resolution terms | Lighter; the advert competes for attention, not an auction slot alone |
| What it rewards | Speed to answer, strong landing page, tight keywords | Clear creative, qualifying questions, honest messaging |
| Main risk | Paying for clicks from people shopping five firms at once | Volume from people who are not a fit |
| Compliance | Google financial services policies | Meta's financial products and services category |
When Google should come first
- You can answer calls in minutes during business hours. Search leads go cold fastest.
- You serve a defined local or state market where search volume is concentrated.
- You already know your cost per retained case and can afford competitive bids.
Our Google Ads guide for resolution firms covers keyword structure and negatives in detail.
When Meta should come first
- You want appointments, not raw leads, and you are happy to send people to a page that qualifies them.
- You want to reach specific situations, such as unfiled returns or payroll tax problems, that people describe in their own words rather than search for.
- Your budget is modest and you would rather not fight national brands on cost per click.
Meta works for resolution when the advert names a specific problem and the landing page does the qualifying. In one campaign we ran, that approach produced 88 booked calls in 20 days. That is one campaign, not a promise, but it shows the channel can work when it is built for bookings.
The mistake that wastes money on both
Judging either channel by cost per lead. A lead from Google that you call back two hours later is often worth less than a booked call from Meta. Track every source to the same finish line: a retained case. Then compare.
A sensible order for most firms
- Pick one channel using the criteria above.
- Fix intake first: a response time under five minutes, a booking calendar and a script. See speed to lead.
- Run the channel until cost per retained case is stable for a full month.
- Add the second channel with its own tracking, so you can see what each one contributes.
Questions
Is Google Ads or Facebook better for tax resolution leads?
Neither is better in general. Google Ads captures people actively searching for tax help, so intent is high but clicks are expensive and competition is heavy. Meta reaches people who have a problem but have not searched yet, so it needs stronger qualification. Most firms should start with the channel that fits their intake capacity and budget.
Can tax resolution firms advertise on Facebook?
Yes. Meta treats tax debt services as financial products and services, which limits some targeting options, but compliant ads that explain the problem and send people to a qualifying page can run normally.
Should a small tax firm run Google and Meta at the same time?
Usually not at first. Running one channel well, with fast follow-up and clean tracking, beats splitting a small budget across two. Add the second once the first produces booked consultations at a cost you are happy with.
Want this built for your firm? See how our tax resolution marketing works. Book a strategy call and we will walk through your lead sources, intake and cost per retained case.