Which is Better for Your Business: Google Ads or Facebook Ads?

Google Ads and Facebook Ads are two of the biggest players in advertising.
Both are very important channels for any company, but it can be hard to determine where to start. Use both channels in conjunction for the best results.

Both ad platforms have a lot of similarities but are quite different in some ways. Which one is the best option for you comes down to your specific needs?

The learning curve for PPC (pay per click) advertising is steep and many people find it intimidating at first. Both platforms offer a lot of powerful features, but it can require significant time and effort to master the nuances.

You might be an expert in PPC, but do you think your client understands the difference between Facebook and Google?

Explain why you’re recommending Facebook or Google as their platform of choice. If they’re not convinced, send them this infographic and ask them to compare the two platforms. We think it’ll help them make a decision.

If you’re either an expert or still new to the game, this guide will show you key differences between Google Ads and Facebook Ads. We’ll also discuss some of the most important statistics that are worth your attention.

We’ve also made it easy for you and listed the key differences in this infographic. Below you’ll find additional expert advice on what advertising platform would best suit your business needs.

Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads: What’s the Difference?

To start, what are Google Ads and Facebook Ads? You’ve seen them at least a couple of times before– they’re the little text ads you see every time you go onto Facebook or search using Google. How do they work?

Google and Facebook operate on a pay-per-click basis, meaning that you can pay as little or as much as you want for ad space. When you create an ad on either platform, there is a bidding process during which time it’s possible to determine what your ad will cost. Once you sign up, you’ll be charged for each time someone clicks on your ads. It’s like an investment but also makes money too.

Paid Search vs. Paid Social

We’re going to mainly focus on the differences between paid search vs. paid social
Traditionally, Google Ads (AdWords) is paid search. Paid search means that you’re paying to have your listing featured on a SERP. Here’s an example of a paid search ad:

With paid search, your ads are shown to people looking for your product. It is important to customize your campaign to show these ads in the appropriate place. Location & other targeting are all customizable in campaigns

Google Ads can be used for more than just paid search:

• Google Search
• Youtube ads
• Google Display Network
• Google Shopping
• Google Maps
• Google Play

Related: Google Ads Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Running ads on Facebook is a great way to make sure your pages are visible to your target audience. With changes in the Facebook algorithm, it’s become harder to reach people, but with paid ads, you can make sure they see your posts.

This is where paid social comes in. With Facebook Ads, you’re paying to reach new customers on social networks, rather than relying on organic posts.

Have you seen all the places on Facebook where people can advertise? There are so many different types of advertising opportunities on Facebook:

• Facebook News Feed
• Instagram Feed
• Facebook Marketplace
• Facebook Video Feeds
• Facebook Right Column
• Audience Network
• Facebook Messenger

Here is an example of a paid ad on Facebook’s newsfeed.

Now that we’ve looked into the basics, let’s move on. Facebook Ads are different from Google Ads.

Comparison #1: Audience Size

Google and Facebook have a huge reach which makes them excellent places to advertise your products. Their numbers are amazing: Google handles at least 5.8 billion searches every day, while Facebook has 1.73 billion daily active users.

Our focus at Facebook is on mobile, where 90% of the advertising revenue comes from. That aside, though, mobile is a segment of the market that can’t be ignored.

In the world of social media, one of the most common sayings is “everyone’s on all of these”. It might be difficult to decide which platform would best suit your business just from audience size alone. Instead, you should ask yourself some questions that will help you get a more complete picture.

Even if Google gets 5.8 billion searches a day, it won’t help you if no one is looking for your product. If you release a new, innovative product or have a market-ready service then Facebook will be better.

Difference #2: Cost & ROI

Google ads cost around $2.69 and can vary massively depending on the industry. The average cost for an e-commerce company is $1.16, while a legal business might pay up to $6 for a single click!

To put the wide variation into perspective, the most expensive keyword on Google Ads is “insurance” with a top CPC of $54.91!

Facebook ads are often cheaper per click than Google Ads – for example, an apparel company might pay only $0.45 per click.

However, other types of companies may be slightly more expensive to advertise on Facebook – for instance, finance and insurance is the most expensive type of industry to advertise through Facebook too.

The cost-per-click (CPC) varies depending on placement and industry. A study by Adespresso showed that Instagram feed ads are over double the price of Facebook placements.

Although Google Ads would usually cost more per click, it’s important to realize that the people clicking on your ads may be in a later stage of their buying cycle. Facebook is great for raising awareness, but Google Ads can often reach users better in the early stages.

CPC is only half of the equation. CPA is a benchmark to measure whether it’s worth investing in a marketing campaign.

CPAs will depend on whether your ads are targeted well and if you can convert. They don’t need to be high to make PPC work for you.

Facebook ads are cheaper, on average, than Google AdWords. The average Facebook CPA is $18.68 for all industries. However, the cost per action for display ads in Google AdWords is higher at $75.51

Comparison #3: Buyer Intent

Google Ads is always the best option because of the “knowledge graph.”

What this means is that when you search Google, they show you results based on your intent.

So, if you are looking for a new pair of boots, it will show you ads for new pairs of boots with links to buy them.

Facebook Ads want to increase engagement and minimize cost per click (CPC), so they will only show ads for new pairs of boots with links to additional pages about them.

Many people often think that Facebook is more popular than Google Ads but this is generally not true. If the brands are also on Facebook then it may be more effective, but if they are not, then Google Ads will always outperform their competitors by showing the most relevant ad.

Comparison #4: Targeting Options

With Google and Facebook Ads, you have a lot of targeting options to choose from! You can target audiences by age, gender, location, and even income bracket.

However, Facebook is the number one choice for advanced targeting options.

Facebook lets you target people based on their interests, behaviors, and more. Plus, they have a ton of information about 2.6 billion monthly active users. Target parents? Check. Target vegetarian parents with kids who are 5-7 and make $75k-99k per year? Check.

Comparison #5: Ad Formats

The answer to this question will determine how you should target your audience.
When it comes to online advertising, there are a lot of different ad formats. The most popular ones on Facebook and Google platforms are the following:

• Video Ads
• News Feed Ads
• Text Ads

There are many more ad formats that exist, but these 3 are some of the most popular ones.
Facebook is best for building brand awareness. It’s also great if you want to increase customer loyalty.

Google Ads only give you a limited amount of space to sell yourself on the SERPs. However, you can use other features like ad extensions to increase your chances of getting noticed.

On Facebook, there are lots of different ad types you can use to get your message across.

These include images, for instance – these types of ads tend to work well on Facebook, so give them a try. The social network also continues to introduce new formats in an attempt to beat ad fatigue.

You can use videos, images, carousel ads, and more on Facebook to attract your audience. If you are an E-commerce company it’s important to consider what kind of ad will work best on Facebook.

Related: Choosing the Right Facebook Ad for Your Business

Which Platform Should You Choose?

It is difficult to compare Google Ads and Facebook Ads because they are so different. It is important to know the difference, so you can decide which one will be more successful for your business.

What’s your goal?

If your goal is lead generation, then Facebook Ads might work better because it has a higher conversion rate. If you’re looking for brand awareness or need clicks, then Google Ads would be better.

Who are you targeting?

If you’re targeting younger users, then Facebook might work better because of its popularity with that demographic. If you need to reach high-income earners, then Google would be the best choice because it has the highest conversion rate among high-income earners.

How much do you want to spend?

This is a question that is important to ask before you start setting up any campaigns. There’s a difference between having ads on Google or Facebook if you’re just starting and spending $10/month as opposed to $200,000/month.

Tracking Your PPC Results

Tracking the success of your PPC campaigns is one of the most crucial aspects of managing a successful campaign. You need to be able to measure how many leads you receive, how much money these leads are worth, and how much it costs to generate these leads.

This section will give an overview of the best ways to track your campaigns for maximum ROI.
No matter which PPC platform you choose, tracking your ROI is critical. One way to automatically track your results is with our PPC dashboard template, which includes the following sections:

• Cost
• Conversions
• Cost per conversion
• Conversion rate
• Impressions
• Clicks
• CTR (click-through-rate)
• View-through-conversions

PPC can be hard to measure, but with our PPC dashboard, you’ll have everything in one place. You’ll be able to see all your ads metrics across all your networks. If you’re managing one of your client’s PPC ads, they can also be given 24/7 access so they can track the success of their campaign in real-time.

The Takeaway

Google & Facebook are two strong advertising platforms that often work well together. If you’re spending on both, keep close track of your campaign performance so you know which one is performing best.

Do you have any questions about Google vs. Facebook ads? Don’t wait any longer and contact us now!

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Infintech Designs is a digital marketing agency that specializes in helping small and medium-sized businesses succeed online.

Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, we understand the importance of making sure your business gets seen by customers searching for you on Google or other search engines—and this can be done through an effective web design strategy and clever use of ads.

We want to help make it easier for people like yourself with limited resources to get started!