Meta Ads vs. Google Ads vs. job boards - what really brings applicants
Short version Three channels, three logics. Anyone building recruiting on one of them leaves two thirds of the market untouched. Meta reaches passive candidates in visual professions. Google Search delivers active seekers with concrete demand. Job boards hold regulated professions and older applicant groups. The right mix beats any single channel - even for SMEs with manageable budgets.
Table of contents 9 sections
The question "Meta Ads or willhaben?" is being asked the wrong way in many SME management meetings. It assumes there is a decision against a channel - as if the right choice consisted of foregoing the other. In reality, the question in most industries is: what mix in what ratio? And which channel carries which function?
This article explains the three main channels for recruiting - Meta Ads, Google Search and classic job boards, with LinkedIn as an important special case - and when which is sensible in which ratio. Plus a table that connects five industries with the matching channel mixes.
TL;DR
- Meta Ads reach passive candidates in visual professions - trades, hospitality, service.
- Google Search delivers active seekers with concrete demand - IT, academics, plannable positions.
- Job boards hold regulated professions and older applicant groups.
- LinkedIn is the special case for specialists from around 40,000 euros gross salary.
- Table: 6 comparison criteria × 3 channels plus LinkedIn as a bonus.
- Three practical patterns: Trades = Meta+Google, Hospitality = Meta only, IT = LinkedIn+Google.
- Anti-lock-in: ad accounts and tracking setup belong to the business.
Three channels, three tasks
Each of the three main channels has its own task in the recruiting funnel. Anyone confusing them or using only one systematically leaves market share on the table.
Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram). Task: addressing passive candidates who aren't actively searching. That's the largest part of the switch-willing market - industry studies show 70 to 80 percent. Strength: visual ads, low click prices, wide reach. Weakness: inefficient with academics and in regulated professions.
Google Search. Task: catching active seekers who are currently googling "Job X Region Y". Strength: highest purchase intent, clear position match, precise targeting via keywords. Weakness: small addressable volume (only the 20 to 30 percent active seekers), higher click prices.
Job boards (willhaben, classic career portals, Stepstone). Task: reaching regulated professions and older applicant groups. Strength: established search routine in certain audiences, high credibility in traditional industries. Weakness: high cost per qualified application, weak quality filtering, no optimisation for the specific applicant profile possible.
LinkedIn (special case). Task: addressing passive academics and specialists with higher salaries. Strength: precise targeting by industry, hierarchy and work experience. Weakness: higher click prices, smaller volume than Meta, inefficient for classic trades or service positions.
The comparison table
| Criterion | Meta Ads | Google Search | Job boards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach (passive candidates) | very high | low | high (academics) | very low |
| CPA per qualified application | 25-100 euros | 60-220 euros | 80-250 euros | 300-600 euros |
| Speed to first application | 3-14 days | 1-7 days | 7-21 days | 7-28 days |
| Quality score optimisation | very good | good | very good | limited |
| Setup costs | 1,500-4,000 | 1,000-3,000 | 2,000-5,000 | 0-500 |
| Scaling logic | linear to 5x budget | linear, then saturating | linear to 3x budget | not scalable |
Disclaimer: industry guideline values from performance recruiting practice 2026. Real values vary with region, position and competitive intensity.
Three practical patterns by industry
Pattern A - Trades: Meta plus Google
Stefan runs an installation business in Carinthia. His recruiting task is clear: heating and sanitary installers, regionally limited, mixed applicant profile from apprentice to foreman.
His setup: 65 percent of the budget on Meta Ads with visual workshop videos and short employee statements, 30 percent on Google Search for the concrete search "installer Villach" and variants, 5 percent on TikTok for testing with under-25s.
What works: Meta delivers the main volume - especially in phase 3 of the funnel the qualified entries who have a complete trade qualification. Google Search delivers the applications that are actively searching - usually with shorter time-to-hire because they have already decided to switch. Both channels combined give Stefan a CPA range between 35 and 75 euros per qualified application.
What he leaves out: job boards. After the CPA comparison (200+ euros instead of 50), they are no longer economical for him.
Pattern B - Hospitality: Meta only, TikTok complementary
A 38-room hotel in the Carinthian mountains is looking for service staff for the summer season.
Setup: 80 percent on Meta Ads with hotel atmosphere videos, 20 percent on TikTok for the younger audience (seasonal staff under 25). No job boards, no Google Search.
Why: hospitality applications emerge visually and impulsively. Anyone seeing a hotel on Instagram and thinking "I would like to work there" often applies the same evening. Google Search delivers only a small share of active seekers in this industry, who usually already have other options. Job boards hardly reach the typical seasonal staff demographic.
CPA range: between 25 and 55 euros per qualified application - at an application volume significantly higher than for specialised trades positions.
Pattern C - IT and academics: LinkedIn plus Google
A B2B software company is looking for a senior developer.
Setup: 55 percent on LinkedIn Ads with a clear position statement and differentiator (remote share, tech stack, team size), 35 percent on Google Search for the specific keyword combinations, 10 percent as a test on Meta for reach.
Why: academics with higher salaries expect more information before applying. LinkedIn landing pages with detailed task description and team introduction convert better than short Meta ads. Google Search catches those who are already concretely searching for a position - usually with the highest pre-qualification.
CPA range: between 130 and 240 euros per qualified application. Higher than trades, but economical in relation to applicant value (senior developer = 60,000+ euros annual salary).
Decision matrix by industry
| Industry | Main channel | Secondary channel | Test channel | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trades | Meta | Google Search | TikTok | Job boards |
| Hospitality | Meta | TikTok | Instagram Stories | |
| Office and administration | Meta | Google Search | TikTok | |
| Industry and production | Meta | Google Search | (all if passive) | |
| Care and healthcare | Job boards | Meta | Regional campaigns | (caution with LinkedIn) |
Reading note: "Avoid" doesn't mean "forbidden" but "not economical as main targeting". For test purposes and special cases, all channels stay relevant.
Budget allocation in practice
For an SME monthly budget of 3,000 to 6,000 euros for performance recruiting, the following allocation works in nearly all industries:
50 to 65 percent on the main channel. That's the channel expected to deliver the largest application volume - usually Meta for trades, service and hospitality, LinkedIn for academics, job boards for regulated professions.
25 to 35 percent on the secondary channel. That's the channel that complements the main volume - usually Google Search for active seekers.
10 to 15 percent on a test channel. That's the channel being tried out - TikTok for service professions, Meta for academics, Instagram Stories as a format test.
Important: no allocation under 600 euros per channel. Anyone throwing 200 euros at a test channel has no data - they have only noise. Better three channels with sufficient volume than five with mini-budgets.
Anti-lock-in: what belongs to the business
Three tools the business itself should own - not the agency, not the service provider.
The ad accounts. Meta Business Manager, Google Ads account, LinkedIn Campaign Manager. These accounts are registered to the business, the agency only gets access rights. Anyone organising this differently loses access to all data and all built-up audiences when terminating the agency.
The GA4 property. The central tracking infrastructure. The property is created by the business, the agency gets editor rights. This way all behavioural data of the website and landing page stays with the business.
The tracking pixel set. Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Google Tag. These pixels are registered in the business's ad account and deployed via GTM or directly in the website. Anyone not organising this way has a lock-in contract - even if it's not called that anywhere.
What you can do next
Step one: determine the industry and derive the matching channel mix from the table above.
Step two: set a test budget for four to six weeks - usually 2,500 to 4,500 euros for a first valid comparison between two channels.
Step three: set up minimum tracking before any ad runs. Without tracking, even the best channel is blind.
The recruiting mechanics are complex enough that many SMEs prefer to bring in external help rather than building it themselves. Anyone considering this finds a 30-minute initial analysis at Nordsteg that answers the suitable channel setup for the specific industry and region.
Frequently asked questions
Which recruiting channel is cheapest? Per click, Meta is usually cheapest. Per qualified application it depends on the industry: trades and hospitality convert best on Meta, IT and academics on LinkedIn or Google Search.
Which channel combination works for SMEs? Trades and service: Meta plus Google. Hospitality: Meta only, TikTok complementary. IT and academics: Google Search plus LinkedIn.
When do I use job boards? For regulated professions with active search tradition, in very regional bottleneck markets, for applicant groups over 50.
What does an application cost per channel? Meta Ads 25 to 100 euros per qualified application. Google Search 60 to 220 euros. LinkedIn 80 to 250 euros. Job boards 300 to 600 euros.
How do I allocate my recruiting budget? Typical SME allocation: 50 to 65 percent main channel, 25 to 35 percent secondary channel, 10 to 15 percent test channel.
Which tools belong to me, which to the agency? The ad accounts, the GA4 property and the tracking pixel set belong to the business. The agency only gets access rights.
