Google Ads Vs. Facebook Ads: Which Platform is Right for Your Business?

As Brandtonics knows, Google Ads (formerly AdWords) and Facebook Ads are top choices for PPC advertising. Many agencies use both to boost client businesses.

But with limited time and money, where should you focus on the best results?

Though similar, Google Ads and Facebook Ads have key differences. This guide compares them to help you choose the right fit for your clients.

Whether you’re a pro or new to PPC, this guide covers Paid search vs. paid social, i.e., Google Ads Vs. Facebook Ads and which option suits your client best.

What are Google Ads?

Google Ads is a paid advertising tool made by Google. Advertisers bid to show ads, service offers, products, or videos to web users. These ads can appear in search engine results (like Google Search), other websites, mobile apps, and videos.

What are Facebook Ads?

Facebook Ads is Facebook’s focused advertising tool. These ads can show up in Facebook’s Feed, Messenger, and other apps and websites within the Meta ecosystem. They come in different forms like single images, videos, slideshows, and more. Plus, they can target very specific audiences.

Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads: An Overview

You’ve probably come across both Facebook and Google ads while browsing online. But how do they function?

Both platforms operate on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis. When you create an ad, you enter an auction where you bid on ad space. Then, you’re charged whenever someone clicks on your ad.

Google Ads, previously known as AdWords, is typically associated with paid search. This means your client’s ad appears on search engine result pages (SERPs) based on targeted keywords, rather than audience interests. However, you can customize paid search campaigns to target users by location and other factors.

But Google Ads offers more than just search ads. You can also advertise on:

• Google Search
• YouTube
• Google Display Network
• Google Performance Max
• Google Maps

On the other hand, Facebook Ads are geared towards paid social media advertising. With frequent algorithm changes, it’s become harder for agencies to reach their client’s potential customers organically on Facebook.

This is where paid social media ads shine. With Facebook Ads, you pay to reach new customers on social networks rather than relying solely on organic reach.

And Facebook isn’t limited to just the Feed. Some ad placements include:

• Facebook Feed
• Instagram Feed
• Facebook Marketplace
• Facebook Video Feeds
• Facebook Right Column
• Audience Network
• Facebook Messenger
• Oculus mobile app Feed

Key Differences Between Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads

Let’s delve into the main disparities between Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads. We will be covering everything to provide you with a cost-benefit analysis by the end of this guide: 

Audience Size

Both platforms boast extensive reach. Google manages over 5.8 billion searches daily, while Facebook boasts about 1.73 billion daily active users. Notably, mobile advertising contributes to over 90% of Facebook’s ad revenue.

Despite the vast audience sizes, simply relying on this metric isn’t enough to determine the best platform for your client.

Consider the following:

• Is the target audience active on these platforms?
• Is the product more suited for search-oriented or social advertising?

Even with billions of searches on Google, it’s ineffective if no one is searching for your client’s specific product.

If your client is introducing a new product or needs to increase brand awareness, Facebook Ads might be more effective in spreading the word.

Keep tabs on audience growth regardless of the chosen platform. Monitoring changes can offer insights into the effectiveness of your ad campaigns over time.

Cost & ROI

Cost is a crucial factor to consider when comparing Facebook Ads and Google Ads.

Google Ads typically have an average cost per click (CPC) of $2.69, but this varies greatly depending on the industry. For example, eCommerce businesses may pay around $1.16 per click, while the legal industry could spend as much as $6.75 per click. The most expensive keyword on Google Ads, “insurance,” has a top CPC of $54.91.

Facebook Ads, on the other hand, tend to be slightly cheaper per click. For instance, businesses in the apparel industry might pay as little as $0.45 per click. Even in the finance and insurance sector, the average CPC on Facebook is only $3.77.

However, the average CPC isn’t the only factor to consider. CPC varies by industry and placement. Instagram ads, for instance, are approximately double the cost of Facebook ad placements.

When deciding where to allocate ad spend, consider the stage of the buyer’s journey your target audience is in. Facebook ads are effective for building awareness, while Google Ads excel at reaching users ready to make a purchase.

Additionally, consider Cost Per Action (CPA) alongside CPC to gauge ROI. CPAs vary depending on ad targeting and conversion rates. 

While the average CPA for Facebook Ads across all industries is $18.68, Google Ads have a higher average CPA of $48.96 for search and $75.51 for display ads.

Ultimately, assessing both CPC and CPA will help determine which platform offers the best return on investment for your client’s campaigns.

Buyer Intent

Google Ads typically outperform Facebook Ads in terms of buyer intent. Consider your client’s business—are people likely to search for their products or services when they’re ready to buy?

For instance, if someone’s air conditioner breaks, they’ll immediately search for an HVAC repair service. Google search ads can put that business in front of potential customers at the precise moment they need help.

In contrast, people don’t usually recall an HVAC business they saw on Facebook months ago when they encountered an urgent need. In this case, Google Ads proves more effective.

Moreover, Facebook Ads are generally less successful at prompting quick conversions. People visit Facebook to unwind and socialize, not necessarily to shop. However, Facebook is invaluable for expanding your client’s audience. 

By fostering a sense of community on social media, people are more likely to purchase when the need arises. If your client’s goal is to boost brand awareness rather than immediate sales, then Facebook might be the better choice.

Targeting Options

Both Google and Facebook Ads offer targeting options, including age, gender, location, and income level.

However, Facebook excels in advanced targeting.

Beyond the basics, Facebook allows you to target based on a vast array of interests and behaviors, leveraging data from its 2.6 billion monthly active users.

For instance, you can target parents, parents with children aged 5-7, or even vegetarian parents with children aged 5-7 and a household income between $75k-99k. Facebook’s detailed targeting enables precise audience segmentation.

If your client’s audience is niche, Facebook Ads are ideal due to their specificity.

Facebook also provides lookalike audiences, a tool that targets users similar to your client’s existing audience. By leveraging Facebook’s data, advertisers can reach new customers effectively.

Ad Formats

Consider the campaign objective when evaluating ad formats for your client.

Google Ads offers limited text space on search engine result pages (SERPs), supplemented by ad extensions for additional information. Text dominates in search ads.

On Facebook, however, you have more creative freedom. Visual impact is crucial for building brand awareness and customer loyalty. Facebook provides various ad formats, including images, videos, carousel ads, and more, to keep audiences engaged and avoid “ad fatigue”.

For eCommerce businesses, Facebook’s visual appeal should heavily influence platform selection.

Which Platform Should You Choose?

So, which platform is optimal for your client’s business—Google Ads or Facebook Ads? For this, you would need to ask yourself three simple questions, given as follows:

What Are My Clients’ Campaign Goals?

Begin by understanding your client’s campaign objectives. Do they aim to drive immediate sales? If so, Google Ads might be the preferred option.

Alternatively, if their goal is to enhance brand awareness or reach a broader audience, Facebook Ads could be the better fit.

What Industry Is My Client In?

Consider your client’s industry when selecting the appropriate platform. Both B2B and B2C businesses can thrive with Google Ads. 

However, Facebook Ads tend to be more effective for B2C businesses, particularly those offering lower-priced items, as impulse purchases are common after repeated exposure.

Even for B2B businesses, Facebook Ads can present opportunities, especially for remarketing and lookalike audiences.

The nature of your client’s audience also influences platform selection. Do people actively search for their products or services with the intent to purchase? 

If so, Google Ads are likely the better choice. However, if your client aims to expand their audience for a new product, Facebook Ads typically yield better results.

Consider which stage of the buyer’s journey your PPC ads target. AdWords is well-suited for bottom-of-the-funnel prospects, while Facebook is ideal for attracting new top-of-the-funnel prospects.

What’s My Client’s Budget?

Evaluate your client’s advertising budget and your agency’s technical capabilities. Can they afford to invest in Google Ads, even in a competitive industry?

Consider whether your agency can develop compelling image or video-based ads for Facebook, either in-house or through outsourcing. Addressing these questions ensures a strategy that is both feasible and effective.

When to Use Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads are beneficial for targeting specific audiences interested in your client’s products or services. They enhance the visibility of your client’s content on Facebook and drive traffic to their websites. With Facebook Ads, you can aim to increase site traffic, impressions, and average click-through rate (CTR).

These ad campaigns offer agencies flexibility in budget allocation, including:

• Total expenditure
• Daily budget
• Cost per result

Moreover, you can choose billing options based on views or clicks. Facebook ranks as the second-largest digital ad seller in the US, following Google. Thus, leveraging Facebook Ads can greatly benefit your client’s marketing efforts.

What to Consider When Creating a Facebook Ad

When crafting a Facebook Ad, it’s crucial to take into account several key factors to maximize its effectiveness. Here are some essential considerations:

• Audience Targeting: Narrow down demographics, interests, behaviors, and even custom audiences for precise targeting.
• Ad Creative: Incorporate eye-catching images or videos, compelling copy, and clear calls to action to encourage user interaction.
• Ad Formats: Facebook offers various formats such as single images, carousel ads, slideshow ads, and video ads, each suited for different marketing goals.
• Message Alignment: Tailor the message to address specific needs or desires, fostering a stronger connection with potential customers.
• Budget Allocation: Test different budget levels and bidding strategies to identify the most effective approach for achieving your client’s objectives.
• Tracking and Optimization: Continuously monitor key metrics such as click-through rate, conversion rate, and cost per conversion, and make adjustments to optimize campaign performance over time.
• Remarketing: Tailor remarketing ads to specific audience segments based on their past actions or behaviors, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

When to Use Google Ads

Google Search Ads are ideal for reaching individuals actively seeking a solution to their immediate needs. They efficiently drive qualified traffic to your client’s business by targeting users searching for specific keywords.

When users input a keyword in their search query, the SERP displays relevant results, including paid ads linked to those keywords. 

Although Google doesn’t disclose its search volume data, it’s estimated to process around 5.6 billion searches daily, with the average person conducting three to four searches daily.

Therefore, if your client possesses a list of pertinent keywords and anticipates their audience searching for them, Google Ads is the optimal choice.

Additionally, the Google Display Network broadens your client’s reach by displaying image and text ads on websites running Google advertising. These placements serve purposes such as raising awareness through audience and interest-based targeting, as well as remarketing to previous website visitors.

What to Consider When Creating a Google Ad

Creating a Google Ad involves several important considerations. We have jotted down the top ones for your careful consideration:

• AdRank and Quality Score: Focus on improving your Quality Score (QS) to lower acquisition costs and achieve better ad placement for your clients.
• Location Targeting: Set up geographical locations where your client’s ad will be displayed to ensure relevance to searchers.
• Keywords: Select relevant keywords to match with search queries, monitoring trends, competitor activity, and opportunities.
• Match Types: Specify match types to determine the level of similarity between search queries and your client’s ad.
• Headline and Description: Craft compelling ad copy aligned with searcher intent and target keywords.
• Ad Extensions: Utilize ad extensions to provide additional information about your client’s products or services at no extra cost.
• Google Ads Retargeting: Implement retargeting strategies to advertise to users who have interacted with your client’s ad but haven’t converted yet, increasing the chances of conversion.

How to Use Google Ads and Facebook Ads Together

Google Ads and Facebook Ads can collaborate effectively to enhance awareness, engagement, and conversions. Since it often takes multiple interactions for a customer to make a purchase decision, leveraging both platforms can create a cohesive marketing strategy.

For instance, individuals who come across your client’s Facebook Ads may express interest but seek further information about their offerings. 

In response, utilizing the client’s brand name as a keyword in Google search campaigns, aligned with the messaging from their Facebook Ads, can lead potential customers from Facebook to find relevant information on Google. 

This strategy not only reinforces the marketing message but also establishes credibility. Here are a few more examples of how these platforms can complement each other seamlessly:

These examples demonstrate the synergy between these two major ad platforms, showcasing how they can integrate to deliver a comprehensive marketing approach.

What Is the Benefit of Using Both?

Combining Facebook Ads and Google Ads offers significant advantages for your clients. Facebook Ads excel at building brand awareness, while Google Ads specialize in retargeting for conversions, and vice versa.

Consider this scenario:

A Facebook user views an ad showcasing your client’s exceptional bathroom towels but isn’t ready to purchase immediately. However, when they next encounter their worn-out towel, they decide it’s time for an upgrade.

They then turn to Google, searching for “bathroom towels,” and encounter a retargeted Google ad featuring your client’s brand once more.

Conversely, a user might click on a Google search ad, add a product to their cart, and later receive a Facebook Ad reminding them of their previous interest, nudging them towards completing the purchase.

The benefits of leveraging both Facebook Ads and Google Ads are substantial. Implementing this strategy can yield impressive results for your clients.

Tracking Your Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads Results

Managing both Google Ads and Facebook Ads presents a challenge for agencies, as it involves tracking data across two complex platforms. Consolidating this data is essential to provide clients with a comprehensive understanding of campaign performance.

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

Customize your dashboard according to your client’s needs. For deeper insights, utilize the Facebook Ads Reporting Tool, Google Ads Reporting Tool, or other PPC integrations to access detailed platform-specific data.

Additionally, leverage pre-built report templates for monthly summaries, including Facebook Ads report template or comprehensive PPC report template, for streamlined reporting.

In conclusion, while Google Ads and Facebook Ads are effective individually, combining them often yields the best results. Accurate tracking of campaign performance across platforms is essential to identify top-performing channels for your clients.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, harnessing the power of both Google Ads and Facebook Ads offers a potent strategy for maximizing the effectiveness of PPC advertising campaigns. While each platform has its strengths—Google Ads excelling in targeted search intent and Facebook Ads in building brand awareness and engagement—combining them allows for a comprehensive approach that targets audiences at various stages of the buyer’s journey. 

Ultimately, leveraging both Google Ads and Facebook Ads together enables agencies to reach broader audiences, drive engagement, and achieve higher ROI for their clients’ marketing initiatives.