The trade against social is simple. Meta interrupts people who were not looking; search reaches people who are. That intent is worth paying for and everybody knows it, which is why the clicks cost what they do.
| Google Search | Meta | |
|---|---|---|
| Intent | High — they typed it | Low — you interrupted them |
| Cost per click | Expensive, competitive terms | Cheaper |
| Policy | Financial services verification | Content-based enforcement |
| Volume ceiling | Capped by search demand | Effectively uncapped |
| Creative burden | Low — text ads last | High — even a winning ad is gone in a month or two |
Policy comes before budget
Financial products advertising requires advertiser verification and, in some categories and geographies, licensing evidence. Sort that out before building campaigns rather than after — the common failure is a fully-built account that cannot serve, with spend committed and nothing running.
What converts
- Intent-matched landing pages. A generic homepage wastes the intent you just paid for.
- The same qualification questions as any other funnel — the traffic is better, not self-screening.
- Phone verification, because search traffic contains as many junk submissions as social does.
- A call option alongside the form. High-intent searchers will phone, and a phone call converts better than a form.
The realistic position for most brokers is search as a small, high-intent supplement rather than a primary channel — the volume is capped by how many people search these terms, and it is not enough to fill a floor.
Questions brokers ask
Can you advertise merchant cash advance on Google?
Yes, subject to financial services policy — which requires advertiser verification and, in some categories, licensing evidence. Handle that before building campaigns rather than after.
Is Google better than Meta for MCA leads?
Better intent, worse volume and higher cost per click. Search reaches people looking today; Meta reaches far more people who were not. Most brokers who run both treat search as a high-intent supplement.
What drives cost per lead down on search?
The negative keyword list, more than the bidding. Without an aggressive one you pay premium clicks for calculators, grants, SBA research and students.
Do search leads need phone verification?
Yes. Higher intent does not mean fewer mistyped numbers or junk submissions, and an unverified record from an expensive click is the most expensive kind of waste.
Can Google Ads fill a sales floor?
Rarely on its own. Search volume for these terms is finite, which is the structural reason it works better as a supplement than as a primary channel.
Alex Makowski
Founder, Infinite Bookings
Runs the lead generation operation behind Infinite Bookings — paid traffic, the funding application, and the delivery pipeline that puts records into brokers’ CRMs.
Reachable directly at alex@infinitebookings.com or 732-609-7182.