Generating Leads with Google Ads and Meta Ads: The Funnel in 5 Steps
A working lead funnel combines Google Ads (active search) and Meta Ads (creating demand), leads to a clear landing page, measures enquiries cleanly and follows up on them quickly. What matters is not the price per click but the price per customer.
Step 1: Define the goal and value
Define what a lead is (form, call, reservation, appointment booking) and what a customer brings you on average. This tells you how much an enquiry may cost. Without this figure, every budget is guesswork.
Worked example (entirely fictional, for illustration): If you spend €1,000 in ad budget and get 20 enquiries, one enquiry costs €50. If 4 enquiries turn into one customer, one customer costs €200. If a customer is worth more than €200 in profit, the advertising pays off. Your real numbers will look different; what matters is the method: cost per lead = budget ÷ leads, cost per customer = cost per lead ÷ close rate.
Step 2: Google Ads for active demand
People searching for "photographer Vienna" or "emergency electrician" have a need. Search campaigns catch them. What matters are suitable keywords, negative keywords, a local reference and ad copy that picks up the promise of the landing page. Since Google has been moving search campaigns to AI features, the search terms report needs to be checked regularly (AI Max). More on this under Google Ads in Vienna.
Step 3: Meta Ads for creating demand
On Instagram and Facebook, you reach people who are not yet searching. Strong videos, clear offers and local audiences are the key. Good Reels can keep running as ads. Test several openings and formats, and give winners more budget.
Step 4: A landing page that brings enquiries
- An answer to the ad's promise in the first sentences
- A short form with few required fields, plus phone and WhatsApp
- Trust: real references, photos, reviews, clear processes
- Fast loading, especially on mobile
- A dedicated page per ad group instead of the home page for everything
More in our website checklist.
Step 5: Measure, follow up, learn
- Tracking with consent: Measure forms, calls and reservations as conversions. Only use advertising and analytics tracking after consent in the cookie banner, and use the consent mode (Consent Mode) required by Google.
- Reply quickly: The faster you respond to an enquiry, the more likely it becomes a customer.
- Record quality: Mark which enquiries became customers and feed this information back to the ad accounts.
- Review monthly: Monitor cost per lead, cost per customer and close rate.
How much budget should I plan for?
Enough for the campaigns to learn, and in proportion to the value of a customer. Budgets that are too small yield hardly any meaningful data. We work this out with you in the initial consultation using your numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better: Google Ads or Meta Ads?
They serve different purposes. Google catches existing demand, Meta creates new demand. Most businesses benefit from the combination.
How quickly do I get my first leads?
Paid campaigns often deliver first enquiries after a few weeks; for stable optimisation, you usually need several months.
What is a good price per lead?
That depends on the industry and customer value. A good price is one where the profit per customer clearly exceeds the cost per customer.
