Send more to Meta when
- Prospecting is creating new demand at an acceptable blended cost.
- Creative and offer have room to scale.
- Google is mainly capturing demand that already exists.
- The first-read window and stop-loss are clear.
Budget Allocation
Should the next pound go to Meta, Google, or neither?
Meta and Google often both claim credit. The business only pays the bill once. Allocation needs more than platform screenshots.
Paid written memo. Fixed scope. No free audit funnel.
The decision
The right split depends on demand creation, demand capture, margin, payback, measurement quality and what the next move is meant to prove.
Send more to Google when
- Shopping or Search demand is underfunded and commercially useful.
- PMax is not simply leaning on brand or existing demand.
- Search intent is strong enough to justify the next increment.
- The account structure can absorb more spend without hiding the signal.
Send more to neither when
- Tracking is unsafe for the decision.
- Margin, stock, cash or site conversion is the real constraint.
- Both platforms are claiming credit but blended performance is weakening.
- The next useful move is a test, repair, or hold rather than more budget.
Second Order outputDecision memo
- RecommendationScale, fix, pause, reallocate, test, or wait.
- Evidence stackPlatform signal, store data, commercial context and tracking quality.
- CaveatsWhat is uncertain, unsafe, or missing.
- FalsifierWhat would prove the recommendation wrong.
- First readWhen to check whether the decision is working.
FAQ
Plain answers.
Is there a fixed Meta/Google split?
No. A fixed split is usually less useful than a decision rule.
What if both platforms look good?
Then check blended performance, new-customer quality, margin and whether either platform is mostly harvesting demand.
What does Second Order deliver?
A written second opinion on the next budget decision, including caveats and first-read conditions.
Before the money moves
Get a written second opinion on the next ad spend decision.
Second Order reviews the evidence and writes down what to scale, fix, pause, or question.
Request the Second Opinion