ROI by Channel: Google Ads vs. Facebook vs. Local SEO

If you want to know which marketing channel gives you the most leverage for your money, it’s natural to compare Google Ads, Meta/Facebook Ads, and Local SEO. But the answer depends as much on the way you measure as the channel itself. Google Ads remains the fastest feedback loop from intent to returns, especially when you need to capture demand now and see results within days or weeks. But in certain funnels, especially those that reward creative iteration and audience-building, Meta can rival or surpass Google on ROAS, given a willingness to experiment and retarget thoughtfully. Meanwhile, Local SEO, almost invisible and compounding, quietly becomes the backbone of patient and customer acquisition for service businesses seeded in cities, the channel least likely to show a spike, most likely to become a moat.

The takeaways: Google tends to win for high-intent, short-funnel scenarios, if your team is sharp about CPA and ROAS discipline. Meta is where you go to learn about your market, and where creative testing creates asymmetric upside. Local SEO takes patience and systems thinking: early returns are slow, but over 3-12 months it becomes hard to beat for multi-location practices. Throughout, the real edge comes from closing the feedback loop, tying ad and organic data into business systems (PMS/CRM) so you’re not flying blind. Modern analytics stacks (like ConvertLens for dental) turn marketing reporting from a guessing game into a dashboard for actual decision-making.

How we measure ROI: metrics, timeframes and attribution

CPA / Cost per Lead

• CPA reflects the actual price of acquiring a lead or appointment, and it is a key metric for understanding spend efficiency.
• It is typically measured over 0–30 days for first blush and 30–90 days for slower channels like billboards or direct mail.
• The attribution model usually relies on last-click, though this can be shallow; a better approach is data-driven, multi-touch, or blended modeling.
• Common pitfalls include slippery UTMs, cross-device hops, and lost bookings because of weak linked-text tracking.

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

• ROAS measures how many dollars you earn for every dollar spent on ads, making it ideal for transactional funnel tracking.
• Measurement windows vary: 0–30 days for DTC, and 30–90 days for deferred realization.
• Attribution depends on platform-supplied data but must be checked against full-funnel and multi-touch models to reflect reality.
• A common pitfall is blind trust in platform ROAS, as it often inflates numbers or “counts” as much as it measures.

LTV : CAC

• LTV:CAC reveals long-term value relative to immediate cost, answering whether revenue compounds or if a practice is merely treading water.
• It’s best measured over 6–12 months, longer if the business has recurring visits or subscription-like care models.
• Attribution should include full-funnel modeling, sometimes supported by MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling) or CRM stitching for recurring value.
• A typical pitfall is guessing LTV using only platform leads, instead of integrating CRM/PMS data for true recurring value.

Conversion Rate

• Conversion rate is the acid test that reveals who is coming in, how well funnels work, and how many users convert to leads or appointments.
• It should be monitored on a rolling 0–30-day basis with constant tuning.
• Attribution often requires wrangling GA4’s event-based tracking, which varies by platform.
• Key pitfalls include misfired events, missing goals, incorrect tagging, and distorted attribution stories.

Time-to-Conversion

• Time-to-conversion measures how long it takes a lead to convert once they enter the funnel, revealing both urgency and patience cycles.
• Recommended measurement is 0–90 days depending on the purchase or appointment cycle.
• Attribution works best with position-based models or decay models, since not all touchpoints are equal.
• A common pitfall is relying only on short-term data, which highlights the sprint but hides the marathon.

Attribution models, practical guidance

Last-click looks unbiased, but directs applause to search, which is often the last stop. Move to data-driven and multi-touch as your dataset grows: they distribute credit closer to reality. For boardroom-level decisions, think media mix modeling (MMM), which cares about the effect on the whole, not the part. When in doubt, run experiments: carve out test markets or audience segments, hold them back from campaigns, and observe, don’t guess, transformation.

Measurement hygiene & fixes

Your analytics are only as clean as your discipline with UTMs and event tracking. Standardize naming, embrace server-side tracking (Meta CAPI, GTM server-side), to claw back everything lost to privacy blockers and browser churn. Above all, pipe CRM/PMS and ROI analytics data back into your reporting layer. When platform-reported CPA diverges from business reality, the measurement stack is failing. Get the loop closed or you’ll always be operating on surface impressions.

Head-to-head comparison: Google Ads vs. Facebook/Meta Ads vs. Local SEO

Typical CPC / CPM

• On Google Ads (Search/Shopping), CPC typically ranges from $4.18–$8.46 per click, with dentists often paying $6.82+.
• On Facebook/Meta Ads, CPCs are generally lower at around $0.77, while CPM averages $12. CPA, however, varies and can be higher for healthcare.
• With Local SEO, there is no direct ad cost—your investment is in systems, SEO, GBP optimization, and reviews. As a result, CPC is effectively zero.

Median Conversion Rate

• Google Ads typically sees a median conversion rate of ~6.8%, based on updated industry benchmarks.
• Facebook/Meta Ads generally show lower conversion rates because CTR hovers around 1–1.5%, and conversion depends heavily on campaign intent and targeting.
• Local SEO usually drives significantly higher-intent clicks, meaning your conversion rate is higher—but it scales slowly due to organic growth.

Median CPA / ROAS

• On Google Ads, median cost per lead is around $68.89, though it varies by vertical and competition.
• Facebook/Meta Ads show ROAS in the 1.2–2.2x range for general industries, and healthcare CPAs can rise above $54 depending on targeting.
• Local SEO offers the lowest long-term CPA because costs drop over time, and LTV improves as your organic visibility grows. ROAS becomes increasingly strong after the first 3–6 months.

Time-to-Conversion

• Google Ads delivers conversions faster—typically within days to weeks, depending on landing page quality and call-to-action strength.
• Facebook/Meta Ads usually have longer lead times, especially for high-consideration services. Retargeting can shorten this timeline.
• Local SEO is a long game, with meaningful growth occurring at 3–6 months, and compounding traction after 6–12 months.

Scaling Efficiency

• Google Ads is highly scalable, but performance is tied to landing page design, pricing, and market competitiveness.
• Facebook/Meta Ads scale well too, but only if your audience segmentation, creatives, and optimization strategy remain strong.
• Local SEO scales with time, reviews, content, GBP optimization, and authority. Growth accelerates as your online presence strengthens.

Model bias & measurement notes

• Attribution bias: Last-click loves Google; holistic credit needs multi-touch or MMM and, most simply, good old-fashioned experiment.
• Practical test: When in doubt, split your geo or audience. Relying only on what platforms report is like asking your team to grade their own work.
• Dental/appointment advice: Stitch together ad, analytics, and PMS/CRM with a tool like ConvertLens, or you’ll keep missing the offline win.

Channel deep dives, benchmarks & mini case studies

Google Ads

• ROI profile: Best fit for catching people already looking, if you’re nimble with keywords and landing pages.
• Benchmarks: Search CPCs $4.18–$4.66; conversion rate 6.9%. Dental clicks: up to $6.82 in 2024.
• Use-cases: Demand capture, urgent services, lead gen with clear intent.
• Mini-case: Top advertisers routinely prune and focus their spend on proven keywords. Success hinges on passing actual booked appointments from PMS or CRM back into the funnel, otherwise, you’re optimizing toward the wrong number.

Facebook / Meta Ads

• ROI profile: The “discovery engine”, lower on click price, higher on creative requirements. Shines when funnel is broad, and you can pivot fast.
• Benchmarks: CPC ~ $0.77; CTR ~1.57%; ROAS ~2.98; CPM $12. Healthcare strains: ROAS ~1.49, CPA ~$54.
• Execution notes: The teams who win here are relentless about creative refreshes and have server-side tracking woven in. Bonus points for feeding lead outcomes back into the CRM, until you do, you’re in the dark.

Local SEO

• ROI profile: The hardest to game, and the slowest to show, but the most compounding over time. No bid wars, just process and patience.
• Timeline: Expect your first traction at 3–6 months, but the flywheel spins faster over time.
• When it wins: Best for practices with recurring local intent, especially when you link your Google Business Profile, reviews, and citations to actual outcomes in the PMS/CRM.
• Mini-case: Clinics that invested in SEO plus systematized PMS/ROI analytics outperformed paid-only by two ratios: cost over time and LTV per patient.

Tracking & measurement playbook: setup to prove true ROI

1) UTM discipline

• Lock down a naming scheme: all lowercase, dashes, consistent campaign/source/medium. Version-control your templates, or better, automate tagging at the source.
• Check UTMs daily; weekly standups to spot anomalies, fix mistakes before the data is poisoned.

2) GA4 & server-side

• Define business events in GA4: “lead_submit,” “phone_call,” “appointment_booked”, anything that ties to revenue.
• Implement server-side tagging (GTM server or platforms like Stape) for resilience against privacy blockers.

3) Meta Pixel, CAPI & Google Ads

• Go hybrid, client plus server-side using playbooks from tools like Analyzify.
• Routinely import CRM/appointment data into Google Ads so revenue is real, not just what the pixel sees.

4) CRM/PMS integration & reconciliation

• Everything should tie: leads, appointments, revenue, attribution. Scrub platforms, GA4 and CRM/PMS weekly to catch and correct mismatches.

5) Experimenting with incrementality

• Start simple with last-click for execution, but move to data-driven as you gather volume.
• To know if a channel drives lift, don’t guess, run holdout groups (10%+ common), test for 3–4 weeks, then compare.

6) Tools and cadence

• Daily: sanity-check UTMs/events. Weekly: cross-platform reconciliation. Monthly: schedule incrementality or MMM reviews.
• For service practices, invest in integrated tools (ConvertLens, etc.), centralized ad data, real appointment data, and LTV:CAC outputs on demand.

Action Plan & Budget Scenarios

Treat the budget mix as adaptive, there’s no universal ratio, but some simple defaults get you 80% there.

Budget allocation heuristics

• First spend goes to intent capture: Google Search. Aim for 50–70% of a modest budget here; average click costs are known and scalable.
• Dedicate 20–30% to Meta, use it to test creative, dial in retargeting. Shift more if you discover breakout cost-per-lead or ROAS.
• Never zero out Local SEO, it’s not a line item, it’s a discipline. Start anyway: the results lag, but nothing compounds quite like it.

Optimization habits & quick technical wins

• Weekly: pause losers; cycle in top creative (Meta) every couple weeks.
• Monthly: check the three-way drift (platform, GA4, PMS/CRM); import lost conversions back so your CPA trend is honest.
• Non-negotiables: handle GA4 and UTMs carefully, implement Meta’s Pixel + CAPI on the server, integrate CRM/PMS so you’re not missing half your appointments.
• When the data diverges, especially in categories where platform CPAs vary wildly (like healthcare), run geographical or holdout incrementality tests.

If you want sustainable reporting, especially in dental or DSOs, get your PMS plugged in and build an automation layer over your attribution stack. Otherwise, your ROI is fog.

FAQ, Rapid Answers

Q: Which channel delivers fastest ROI?
A: Paid search. For high-intent traffic, nothing beats Google Ads, the cycle is days or a few weeks if your offer matches intent.

Q: Can Facebook ever win on ROI?
A: Sometimes, if you’re in a creative-driven or impulse funnel, Meta can outperform, especially with disciplined retargeting and creative refresh. Average ROAS is near 3, but verticals matter.

Q: How long does Local SEO take to pay back?
A: Between 3–12 months is the norm. Early hints at 3–6, with the real compounding and CAC drop beyond 6 months.

Q: What attribution model to start with?
A: Begin with last-click; layer in data-driven/multi-touch as you scale. Keep MMM or incrementality on the roadmap for big bets.

Q: How to split a thin budget ($1k–$5k/month)?
A: Google Ads takes lead; Meta for testing/retargeting at ~20–30%. Always start Local SEO now, future you will thank you.

Q: What’s the baseline for tracking?
A: GA4, strict UTM hygiene, conversion tracking on Google & Meta (Pixel+CAPI), and real CRM/PMS integration.

Q: Best tools for closing the offline gap?
A: Connect ad and business systems. For dental/DSO, ConvertLens is now table stakes, a dashboard that shows real lead-to-appointment-to-revenue, not just clicks.

Q: How do you actually test for incrementality?
A: Hold out a geo-region or cohort, exclude them from a channel, and compare conversion lift over 3–4 weeks or more. Don’t take platforms at their word, measure the counterfactual.

Q: What’s a healthy LTV:CAC for dental?
A: 3:1 is quoted often (LTV three times CAC). If you’re under 2:1, danger. Over 5:1, you might be leaving growth on the table.

Q: How do I validate my tracking?
A: Daily UTM checks, compare all three reporting sources (ad, GA4, CRM), and validate server-side events to keep your data honest.

Strategic Takeaway, What to Do Next

There’s no single answer to “Which channel is best?”, only: What are you optimizing for, how long can you wait, and how well do you measure reality over platform promises? Short cycles (0–30d) favor tweaks and tactical wins; long cycles (6–12mo and up) favor patience and compounding. For practice-driven, local and multi-location businesses, bring together Google Ads (for speed), Meta (for breadth), and Local SEO (for durability), but most of all, centralize measurement and attribution with ROI analytics that tie back to business outcomes, otherwise, you’re optimizing for shadows.