Ecommerce PPC: Google vs Meta vs TikTok — Where to Start

Three platforms, limited budget. Here's how to choose where to start with paid ads based on your product, margins, and growth stage.

Jakob Sperber

Director

Strategy

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Every ecommerce brand eventually asks the same question: where should I spend my first dollar on paid ads?

Google, Meta, and TikTok all promise results. Each platform's sales team will tell you they're the one that matters. But when your budget is limited — and it always is at the start — you need to make a deliberate choice about where to begin.

This is not a "which platform is best" article. There is no best. There is only which platform fits your product, your margins, and your growth stage right now.

The three platforms at a glance

Google Ads: capturing existing demand

Google is a demand capture engine. Someone types "best running shoes for flat feet" into search, and your ad appears. The intent is already there.

  • Highest purchase intent of the three platforms

  • Best for search-driven products

  • Performance Max and Shopping campaigns do heavy lifting for ecommerce

  • CPCs are higher, but so is conversion rate

  • Less creative-dependent — product feeds and landing pages matter more

Meta Ads: creating demand from scratch

Meta is a demand generation engine. Nobody opens Instagram searching for your product. But a well-targeted ad stops the scroll and creates desire.

  • Best for visual, emotional, and impulse products

  • Scales further than Google — not limited by search volume

  • Creative is the targeting — ad quality determines cost per acquisition

  • Strong retargeting capabilities

If you're investing in UGC ads, Meta is where they perform hardest.

TikTok Ads: cheap reach, fast creative burn

TikTok offers the lowest CPMs. But there are significant trade-offs.

  • Youngest audience skew — strongest with 18-34

  • Highest creative burn rate — ads fatigue in days, not weeks

  • Attribution is the least mature

  • Works best for products that demo well on video

The decision framework: where to start

Start with Google if...

  1. People already search for your product category.

  2. Your product solves a specific, known problem.

  3. You have clear purchase intent keywords.

  4. Your margins support higher CPCs. Your customer acquisition cost will start higher on Google.

Google is the safe starting point for most ecommerce brands.

Start with Meta if...

  1. Your product is visual, emotional, or lifestyle-driven.

  2. Nobody is searching for your product yet.

  3. Your product triggers impulse purchases. Under $80, looks good in a feed.

  4. You have strong creative assets.

Do not start with TikTok unless...

  1. You have genuine creative production capacity.

  2. Your target audience skews young (18-30).

  3. Your product demos well on video.

  4. You are comfortable with immature attribution.

Budget thresholds

Google Ads: $3,000-$5,000/month minimum

Below $3k/month, the algorithm can't learn. Run numbers through your P&L before committing.

Meta Ads: $5,000-$10,000/month for meaningful data

Each ad set needs ~50 conversions/week to optimise. This is why we recommend starting on Google and layering Meta once unit economics are proven.

TikTok: budget isn't the bottleneck — creative is

Ads fatigue in 3-7 days. You need 15-20 new creatives/month. Factor in production cost.

The hybrid approach: $10,000-$20,000/month

  • Google captures demand. Shopping and Search for active buyers.

  • Meta generates demand. Prospecting for new audiences.

  • Retargeting bridges the gap.

Typical $15k/month split: Google 40%, Meta Prospecting 40%, Meta Retargeting 15%, Testing 5%.

Your actual split depends on where you see the strongest ROAS after 30-60 days.

The attribution problem

Every platform claims more credit than it deserves. If you add up all claimed revenue, the total exceeds actual revenue.

Use MER (Marketing Efficiency Ratio) as the truth layer: total revenue divided by total ad spend. Combine with platform ROAS as directional signal, incrementality testing, and post-purchase surveys.

The bottom line

  • Search demand exists? Start with Google.

  • Visual product, no search volume? Start with Meta.

  • Creative production locked in, young audience? Test TikTok.

  • Budget over $10k/month? Run hybrid and let MER be your compass.

Know your allowable acquisition cost before you spend a cent, set your budget from your P&L, and measure what matters — not what the platforms want you to see.

Start with a free profit audit.

Find out what's holding your profit back.

We look at your numbers, identify the primary constraint, and tell you exactly what we'd fix. No obligation. You keep the findings regardless.

Start with a free profit audit.

Find out what's holding your profit back.

We look at your numbers, identify the primary constraint, and tell you exactly what we'd fix. No obligation. You keep the findings regardless.

Start with a free profit audit.

Find out what's holding your profit back.

We look at your numbers, identify the primary constraint, and tell you exactly what we'd fix. No obligation. You keep the findings regardless.

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