While a layperson sees Google and Facebook as sources of information or ways to connect with people, advertisers view them differently. For them, it’s a way to attract more customers to their business through their ads feature.
For long, companies have often been confused about which is the best platform for them to use for ads to make more money. If you are new in the business industry and are confused about which platform to use for Ads, this post will surely help you decide.
Read on to learn which is better between, Facebook Ads vs Google Ads.
Difference between Facebook Ads and Google Ads
Before diving into the obvious difference between both platforms, let’s first look at the first and most basic difference by understanding what these platforms actually are.
Facebook Ads is a platform by Facebook, now known as Meta, which allows companies to pay for social campaigns that can be run on Facebook.
On the other hand, Google Ads, which was earlier known as Google AdWords, is one of the most popular PPC platforms used by Google to run search and show ads.
While they both have a different purpose, they also have some similarities, where they run PPC ads which, they do on various platforms by targeting different buyer’s journey stages.
Additionally, Facebook or Google Ads work the same way and are just like any bustling marketplace where advertisers bid to showcase their products.
Think of it like an auction where everyone wants a spotlight. When things get competitive, it’s like a race where the fastest spender wins the prime advertising spot.
So, if you’re up against a lot of other bidders, be prepared to set aside a bit more budget to make sure your ad shines bright and grabs attention.
Now, let’s dive in and look at the essential differences you can expect between both channels:
Service Cost
Starting with the cost of service in both. Google Ads is said to have a higher CPC (cost per click) than Facebook Ads, but the plus is that Google Ads has a lot more CTR (click-through rate). This means more clicks will be on the ads, and visitors will most likely convert to customers.
There are different needs of customers you will be targeting through ads. If you want to focus on those sections of users you know will immediately give returns on your investment, Google Ads will do the work for you.
In Facebook vs Google Ads turning leads into actual customers through Facebook Ads requires more time. This is because people might not fully trust your brand, especially if they’re coming across it for the first time and haven’t built up enough confidence in it yet.
There is undoubtedly a considerable difference between the service costs of Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads, but it’s your budget and the objective that will decide which platform to use.
Different Campaign Attributes
Now that we’ve discussed the costs, let’s see what various features they offer. Both platforms offer different types of campaigns for companies to choose from to advertise their products and services depending on different purposes.
Type of ads available:
Since Facebook Ads concentrate on visual content, advertisers can use their creativity to deliver a visually appealing ad to grab their audience’s attention. This can be through videos, images, carousel ads, slideshow, instant experience ads, and collections.
For Google Ads, the main focus is text-based and displays its ads in different types, such as text-only ads, call-only ads, banner ads, and shopping ads.
One of the primary shortcomings of Google Ads is it does not offer a feature where you can add multiple videos or images to your ad.
And since carousel ads are much more engaging, they have the possibility to increase the CTR by more than 70% compared to single image ads, which is a plus point for Facebook.
The intent of the audience:
When comparing Google vs Facebook Ads, Google works by analyzing the intent of the audience, whereas Facebook shows what the customers want along with additional ads that are not very relevant to the customer’s needs.
While using Google, if a user types in a keyword to look for a product or service, the platform will show them relevant ads according to their intent.
If you have a business of bags and the users are looking to buy “bags,” they will immediately be exposed to the products you offer. This will eventually increase the chances of conversion.
However, with Facebook, the platform does not actively work on intent. This means that users will just scroll through their feed but not specifically search for that product.
But this platform can be a great place, to begin with your brand awareness efforts and allow the users to know that you have what they need if they want anything in the future.
Targeting of audiences:
While Google can be an excellent place for conversion, Facebook surpasses its PPC competitors. With multiple high-tech targeting tools, Facebook Ads allows you precisely aim for the people who match your ideal customer vision.
You can play around with age, hobbies, job title, and where they live. And there’s more – you can even get into their interests, life events, and other details.
Google Ads works by its unique algorithm; it, however, depends on keyword searches to target its audience. Advertisers mostly use Keyword Planner Tool to see how popular specific keywords are and how much it might cost to show ads for them.
Alternatives for Ad Placement:
Facebook Ads and Google Ads both display their ads on different channels.
As for Facebook, their ads show up on the feed of a user, Messenger, stories, Instagram, and other Meta channels.
On the other hand, Google Ads appear on Google search along with Google Display Network, such as Amazon, YouTube, Ask.com, Wal-Mart, Target, and other Google search partner platforms.
User Friendly
When you open both platforms for the first time, things can look quite complicated, with several options spread around the page.
But here, Facebook Ads steps ahead, offering a user-friendly and intuitive experience that’s welcoming to beginners. It’s easy to use, and navigating the options is much easier compared to Google Ads.
However, it has its cons. While it may seem effortless to use the tool at first, moving on to the advanced features becomes tricky as there are multiple options to choose from and work on. Also, since it constantly updates itself, it can become challenging to cope with the speed of the changes.
On the other hand, when you begin with Google Ads, it might seem like stepping into a puzzling labyrinth, leaving you wondering where to start. But once you understand how to play around with the options, things will get much easier for you – the more you explore the options, the clearer you know what to use, when, and how to use it.
To use both platforms, you must invest time to understand how they work. While Facebook Ads might look easy at first, going with it in depth can be difficult, but it’s quite the opposite for Google Ads.
Customer Care
When talking about customer service, Google Ads consistently takes the lead over any other services. The support team is available round the clock for assistance. They even occasionally get in touch with their users to discuss more possibilities regarding your ad campaign and how you can improve them for a better reach.
Google Ads has active phone support where you can reach out to them anytime when you have an issue, which can be time-saving and highly appreciated.
Both Facebook Ads and Google Ads offer help centers, live chat options, and email support. Through these channels, you can connect with experts who are ready to guide you in fully optimizing your advertising campaigns.
What Are The Strengths Of Facebook Ads?
Although Facebook started as a social media platform, it now serves many different purposes. It has become an essential strategy for many business owners to sell their products or share brand awareness to a broader audience through a single platform. And why do digital marketers prefer it when it comes to Google vs Facebook advertising? Let’s have a look at it:
Unmatched Audience Focus
Facebook is nowhere behind Google in having a global audience on its platform. When it comes to the sheer size of its user base, Facebook stands unmatched.
Yet, its value goes beyond merely presenting advertisers and their messages to this extensive audience. The real power of Facebook’s massive user base lies in the remarkable precision advertisers can achieve when targeting specific segments of these users.
From sharing their personal stories to personal beliefs, Facebook gives freedom to their users to share anything on the platform. This, in return, gives the advertisers a chance to understand what the users want and personalize communication strategies to connect easily with their target audience.
Facebook’s most powerful feature or even strength, we can say, is its capability to create “lookalike audiences.” Using this feature, advertisers can upload a customer’s information from their own database based on the data provided by third-party data sources so they can use information similar to their customers.
This creates a lookalike audience that allows advertisers to maximize the reach of their ads by focusing on new customers with similar interests as their existing customers.
To use this feature,
Step 1: Log in to your Facebook Ads account.
Step 2: Hover the cursor on the left side of the page. A column will appear from which you have to choose “Audiences.”
Step 3: Click on “Create Audience.”
Step 4: From the dropdown box, select “Lookalike Audience.”
Step 5: Fill in the required details and hit on “Create Audience.”
And in just a few simple steps you will create a lookalike audience to improve your advertising strategy.
It’s a Visual Channel
The most effective ads are those that work together with the correct text, image, or videos, and Facebook ads do just that. Compared to basic PPC ads, Facebook ads are much more engaging. These ads show up on the user’s News Feed, allowing advertisers to use visual elements in such a way that it delivers the message of the brand but also makes the ad captivating.
Facebook also continuously works on different ways to improve its users’ experience on its platform regarding advertisements.
Back then, Facebook insisted ads should have just 20% text in the whole ad space. They’ve loosened up on that rule now.
But you know what’s cool? Facebook’s still all about the visuals – and that’s a big deal for a lot of advertisers out there.
Offers an Impressive ROI
After Facebook introduced its advertising features, many marketers and businesses were impressed by the detailed targeted ads they could create with the creative tools to make their ads more enticing.
But here’s the cool part: advertisers new to the platform are usually surprised by how much they can get back from what they put in and make their ad money stretch really far on Facebook.
The cost of a Facebook advertising campaign can differ based on various aspects. Nevertheless, Facebook Ads are surprisingly budget-friendly, especially considering their potential influence and the precision in targeting specific audiences.
This cost-effectiveness is particularly appealing not only to big brands with significant marketing budgets but also to small businesses and companies with limited resources.
And when a platform offers affordable features, it’s evident that the ROI will skyrocket.
What Are the Strengths Of Google Ads?
When it comes to online advertising, hardly any platform can match up to the reach of Google. Advertisers have always been using Google as their ultimate advertising platform, and Google has not disappointed them. For them, it’s like having a golden ticket because they can reach tons of people who are actively searching for things to buy. There’s more to it, which we have discussed below:
Wide Audience
One of the greatest strengths of Google between Facebook vs Google advertising is that it has a vast audience that no other platform can have. The number of potential customers you can reach on Google is a big win for your digital marketing plan.
But wait, there’s more! When you factor in how precise Google’s search results have become, it’s crystal clear why Google Ads stands out as the top dog in the world of pay-per-click platforms.
Using Google ads is a smart move to bring in visitors who are really interested in what you offer. This is especially true when the keywords you aim for show that people are ready to buy. It’s like directing the right people straight to your online store or website.
Quality over Money
Many advertisers may think that those with a lot of money to spend, have a higher chance of succeeding in making a place on Google Ads. However, that is not the case! Google is a platform that does not promote biasness and operates by seeing if the ad is relevant and of good quality.
It doesn’t matter if you spend $1 or $100. If you are not able to fulfill the requirements of Google Ads, your advertisement won’t be seen.
Here’s the scoop: when an ad really clicks with a user’s interests, it enhances their experience on the search engine. And guess what? That incredible experience often makes people keep choosing Google for their searches.
So, Google Ads is all about giving high-fives to ads that match what users are looking for and are super high-quality. That’s why the clever advertisers who create smart, top-quality, and on-point ads usually don’t have to bid as much as those with not-so-great ads.
Different Ad Formats
When Google Ads was first launched in 2000 as AdWords, it did not have many ad elements we see today. However, now, though Google still focuses on PPC ads, there are multiple features that advertisers can use.
Advertisers can now use:
Ad extensions: Extra information that is shown along with the ads.
Social proofing: Shown in the form of reviews.
Sitelinks: To allow users to delve deep into a website through Google ads.
Location targeting: Enabling advertisers to display their ads in different geographic areas.
Shopping ads: Advertisers can use this feature to create ads from their product data.
But wait, this is not all! There are many other features you can use while creating ads that you can personalize according to your business type.
There is something for everyone. From using high-resolution images to interactive maps, you can now add various features to make your ads more engaging and attractive.
Factors to Consider For Choosing Between Facebook and Google Ads
Before you choose one channel for your advertising strategy, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Budget
Budgeting is important if you want to get the best bang for your buck. This will help you understand how much you can afford on your advertising efforts. Otherwise, you’ll end up spending more than what you expected. The main objective of running ads is to increase the return on ad spend, also known as ROAS.
In the case of Google Ads, keyword price and competition play a huge role. This is because you will target the customers and create ads based on the keywords. And if the keywords you plan to use have cost-per-click (CPC) on the higher side and you have a limited budget, using Google Ads may not be the right option.
If you have a limited budget, it is good to use Facebook Ads, as you can run ads with a trial and error method and decide on the ones that are working for you. This also lets you engage with a broader audience, opening possibilities for you to get more customers.
Let’s say you have a budget of $50, and the keyword you plan to use is $2 per click. This restricts the use of your keyword, as you can only run 25 ads. But the same when you use Facebook Ads; you can explore much more possibilities under your set budget.
Aim
The most important thing you need to consider before using any of the platforms between FB vs Google, is your ultimate aim. Why are you using an ads campaign? What do you want to get out of it? Do you want to expand your brand visibility or improve your leads and sales? Once you have answers to these questions, you can easily choose which direction to go.
If your goal is to attract users actively looking to make a purchase, Google Ads might be your ideal choice.
For instance, imagine a user searching for the keyword “compact powder.”
This search indicates a strong desire to buy, aligning perfectly with their search intent and potentially resulting in successful sales.
But with Facebook Ads, it’s a bit different, as this platform is a good option if you want to enhance your brand awareness and increase the visibility of your products. This platform usually targets those on top of the marketing funnel who do not know much about your brand or products.
Both platforms are helpful in their own ways. You can use them separately or even together to target different users in different buyer stages based on the main objective of your ad campaign.
When you have a clear aim, it becomes your compass for picking the platform that perfectly matches your needs. This way, you’re setting yourself up for success and getting the results you’re aiming for in a breeze!
Buyer’s Stage
As we’ve given you a slight glimpse of the buyer’s stage in the previous point, let’s explain it in more detail now! Understanding the buyer’s journey of the user and in which stage they are is important as it ultimately helps you know which platform is the best for you to go forward with.
Facebook vs. Google Ads platforms works differently for buyers in different stages of the funnel, having a specific role to play in a particular stage in a buyer’s journey.
When we talk about Google Ads, they work well with those users who can be at any stage in the funnel. Google can get hundreds and thousands of searches daily, but only specific keywords can suggest which stage the buyer is at and how high the purchase intent is.
Let’s say a user searches “budget-friendly compact powder” or “best compact powder.” This will show that the user is willing to buy the product, and you, as a marketer, will understand that they are at the bottom of the funnel.
With Facebook, it’s not the same. Facebook is a social media platform, and people usually use it to connect with others rather than looking for products to buy. Here, users are just starting out in the funnel to search for brands that interest them.
Users can share their interests on Facebook and explore products and services that align with their likes and preferences. It’s an excellent platform where your brand can be discovered, even if it might seem outside of what users are actively searching for.
Brand’s Reputation
This point is somewhat related to the previous one. More people will know and look for you when your brand is reputed. But if it is otherwise, people will choose your competitors above you.
Customers will usually go for more reputed brands. For example, customers see your brand’s ad and your competitor brand’s ad at the same time. Which one would they choose?
Of course, the ones they already know! The simple reason is that the other one will be much more successful and have a higher click-through rate.
Therefore, it is important that if you have not secured your brand’s place in the marketplace, you should do it as soon as you can.
You can simply use Facebook or other social media platforms to build your brand’s reputation. And once you see yourself established, move on to Google Ads to bring customers to you.
Facebook vs. Google Ads- Which is Better?
The battle between Facebook Ads and Google Ads continues to intrigue businesses and marketers alike in online advertising. As we’ve dug deeper into the details of these two industry titans, it’s clear that each platform has its own advantages that cater to various advertising requirements.
While Google Ads excels with its broad reach, intent-based targeting, and unrivaled search feature, Facebook Ads stuns with its granular targeting skills, creative flexibility, and engagement potential.
So, which one you say is a better strategy to use? There is no one-size-fits-all answer because the key is to develop a plan that is consistent with your company’s personality and goals while using the advantages of one or even both platforms to establish your position in the online market.
FAQ
Is Facebook Ads better than Google Ads?
There is no correct answer to this, as it all depends on the industry you are in, the customers you are trying to target, and the business goals you have. Both platforms are unique and fulfill different purposes where. Google Ads are good if you are looking to increase your sales, but if you are focusing on increasing your brand awareness and interacting with your customers, Facebook Ads can be a better option.
How can I know which platform is better for using ad services?
To know this, you need to keep in mind a few factors:
Start by understanding your audience size and how they are targeted. If it’s through keywords, go for Google Ads, and if it is based on a customer’s interest, location, and behavior, use Facebook Ads.
Furthermore, if you are only creative and want to attract your customers through engaging ads, choose Facebook Ads, as you can play around with multiple visual elements. But if you want your ad to be text-based, Google Ads will do the job for you.
Finally, if you have a limited budget for Facebook Ads, you can get many features compared to Google Ads. But if you can bid smartly and have a good quality ad, you can definitely benefit from Google Ads.
What is Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads conversion rate?
The conversion rates for Google Ads and Facebook Ads differ based on aspects such as the goals of a campaign, ad quality, industry, and audience targeting. Facebook Ads have an average conversion rate of 7%- 9%, whereas Google Ads have 3% – 4%. However, since Google Ads have a higher CTR, it makes up the difference by getting much more purchases.
