Search or social ads: what to choose for a business in Kazakhstan

“We need advertising” — that is how half of our enquiries begin. It then turns out the business wants enquiries, not advertising, and the question is where they will come from more cheaply. The answer depends on one thing: is anyone searching for your product right now?

The main difference

Search ads catch existing demand. Someone types “air conditioner repair Almaty” — you appear. They already want to buy; the only question is from whom.

Social ads create demand. Someone is scrolling Instagram, not thinking about your product — you show them it exists. They might get interested now, in a week, or never.

Everything else follows from this: search gives hot enquiries, but only as many as there are people searching; social gives more reach, but the enquiries are colder and you need a funnel.

When to use search ads

• Services with clear demand: repairs, healthcare, lawyers, cars, delivery, building materials, equipment.
• B2B: buyers look for suppliers in search, not on TikTok.
• Urgent needs: tow trucks, locksmiths, a dentist “now”.
• Online stores selling goods people search for by name: electronics, spare parts, cosmetics of specific brands.

Cost per enquiry in Kazakhstan: services ₸2,000–8,000; B2B and construction ₸5,000–20,000; healthcare and property ₸8,000–30,000. More under search advertising.

When to use social ads

• Visual products: food, clothing, beauty, furniture, interiors, flowers.
• New products and services that nobody searches for yet.
• Education, courses, webinars, experts — warming up through content.
• Events, promotions, launches.
• Mobile apps — installs.

Cost per enquiry: food and beauty ₸1,000–3,000; education ₸2,000–6,000; property and cars ₸5,000–15,000. More under social advertising.

When to use both

Most often, both — but in different proportions and at different times. A typical scheme:

1. Start with search ads on hot queries: fast enquiries, a test of the offer and the landing page.
2. After 2–4 weeks, social ads to audiences similar to those who enquired via search, plus remarketing to site visitors.
3. Then the budget moves to wherever an enquiry is cheaper, according to end-to-end analytics.

Without analytics that links an enquiry to its channel and to the sale, you cannot compare channels — which means you cannot choose.

Google or Yandex, Instagram or TikTok

Within search: Google is the main one (80–90% of searches); Yandex has cheaper clicks and is noticeable in Almaty, Astana and among the 35+ audience. We usually start with Google and add Yandex Direct.

Within social: Instagram has a solvent audience aged 18–45 and is the main B2C channel. TikTok is younger, reach is cheaper, and you need video. Telegram Ads is expensive but precise for B2B and experts.

How much budget you need

The minimum at which the algorithms learn and there is data to optimise on: ₸150,000 a month per channel. In competitive niches in Almaty, from ₸300,000. Less is possible, but it will be a lottery, not a system.

Plus the specialist's work: from ₸120,000 a month per channel at a studio, from ₸50,000 with freelancers, from ₸250,000 at agencies.

What matters more than the channel

The landing page and response speed. Advertising sends people to a page — if it takes 5 seconds to load and does not answer “how much does it cost”, the budget is wasted whatever the channel. An enquiry answered three hours later is lost: the customer has already written to your competitors.

That is why we start not with the ad accounts but with the landing page and an agreement on who replies and how fast.

In short

If people are searching — search ads. If they are not — social ads. Want scale — both, with analytics. Budget under ₸150,000 — SEO and maps first, advertising later. Not sure — write to us and we will advise for your niche.