Facebook Ads vs Google Ads, Which is Better for Your Business?

In the realm of PPC marketing, Facebook and Google ads are comparable to Godzilla and King Kong.

However, these systems cater to various use cases and completely distinct users depending on where they are in the buyer journey. Because of this, we shouldn't actually consider them competitors and contrast them negatively. Instead, they work best together because of how well they complement one another.

?Having said that, there are a plethora of reasons why some businesses use a single platform. It can be due to a lack of resources or the fact that they just want to focus on one section of the funnel.

If so, you must consider a few significant differences before choosing between the two.

?The Dissimilarity Between Google and Facebook Ads

Although at first look Facebook Ads and Google Ads appear to have a lot in common, there are really a few significant distinctions that you should be aware of.

Here is a detailed summary:

●?????Pricing

●?????Campaign Features

●?????Ease of Use

●?????Customer Service

Pricing

There is no definitive way to say which platform is more cost-effective, therefore we've listed a few criteria you should consider in order to give you a better understanding of pricing. As you can see, Google Ads are more expensive in terms of CPC (cost per click) and have a lower conversion rate than Facebook Ads.

However, because of their significantly higher CTR (click-through rate), you'll get more clicks and perhaps even more sales, which will more than offset their lower CPC and conversion.

You'll also be able to see a quick return on your investment because Google Ads only targets customers who are ready to make a purchase.

Since the majority of the audience presumably only recently learned about your company, converting the leads you obtained through Facebook Ads often requires a little more effort. Competition is a further factor that will impact your spending.

?Strong competition suggests that you'll probably have to spend a little more to obtain your ad space on the platform because Facebook Ads and Google Ads both employ auctions to decide the advertiser.

Features of a Campaign

Let's examine more closely the campaign elements of Facebook Ads and Google Ads as their audiences are very distinct from one another.

?Public Intent

The audience's active intent to purchase is what makes Google Ads distinctive. Users that perform a keyword search will see related adverts at the top. The possibility of conversions will rise because they will be exposed to your offer immediately if they're interested in purchasing something. Facebook Ads, however, don't have this explicit goal. Users aren't actively looking for a particular good or service; instead, they are browsing the feed. However, if they are genuinely interested in your offerings, you may improve brand recognition and let them know you exist in case they ever require that particular product.

In this case, combining both platforms would be ideal. You could use Facebook ads to introduce people to your brand and Google ads to close the deal.

Targeting of Audiences

Facebook Ads exceed its PPC rivals in this area. Facebook Ads' collection of sophisticated targeting tools enables you to narrow down your target market and connect with people who most closely match your ideal consumer persona.

A few examples of targeting features are demographic information, interests and hobbies, life events, industry, job title, behavior, and geography.

There is some demographic-based targeting available in Google Ads, but not much. For audience targeting, keyword searches are primarily used.

The Keyword Planner Tool allows advertisers to analyze the average CPC of particular keywords and generate hazy traffic projections.

Placements for Ads

When it comes to ad placement possibilities, Facebook Ads are highly versatile. You can find ads in user feeds, the right interface part, stories, streams, etc.

Additionally, Facebook Ads can be seen in all Meta branches, including Messenger and Instagram (both feed and stories). Google search results and Google Display Network are the two main Google Ads choices (including sites like Amazon, NY Times, Washington Post, etc.).

Since they have the most control over ad placement on Google search, marketers will typically choose text-based advertisements there.

Ad Formats

Facebook Ads offers six different ad types:?

●?????Images

●?????Video

●?????Slideshow

●?????Carousel

●?????Collection

●?????Instant experience ads

This emphasis on visual advertisements gives advertisers more creative freedom and the opportunity to use these visuals to better engage their target audiences.

There are four ad formats in Google Ads, which are primarily (but not entirely) text-based:

●?????Text-only ads

●?????Call-only ads

●?????Shopping ads

●?????Banner ads?

The top search results are text-only advertising that is always marked as "Ad" so you can distinguish them from the natural search results.

Shopping advertisements and banner ads provide visual possibilities, and they work well for retargeting website visitors.

Carousel advertising and other ad formats with numerous images or videos are not, however, available on Google. Given that carousel ads have a 72% higher CTR than single-image ads, they have proven to be incredibly engaging. As a result, this is perhaps Google's biggest drawback in this category.?

Utilization Proximity

Due to the abundance of options and ease of getting lost, both of these platforms appear intimidating at first. However, Facebook Ads is a little more user-friendly for beginners and the interface is simpler to use when setting up an ad.

When you look at the interface, it is pretty clear that Google is more data-heavy. Because of this, beginning marketers typically find it more difficult. Contrarily, since there are more ad types, ad locations, and targeting possibilities, it is more difficult to master the sophisticated aspects of Facebook once you become familiar with its basic setup.

Google can be a challenging nut to crack at first, but once you get beyond the initial obstacle, things get much simpler. Additionally, Facebook is well recognized for making frequent platform modifications that are frequently challenging to keep up with.

Overall, there is a learning curve for both systems. Google Ads is harder to learn and easier to master than Facebook Ads, which is easy to learn and harder to master.

How Google Ads and Facebook Ads Work

We should start by pointing out that both platforms use competitive bidding systems (auctions), where companies must demonstrate that their advertising is the most pertinent and deserving of being displayed.

By building and managing ad campaigns using the Facebook Ads Manager tool, you can target your audience based on their geography, profile information, and demographics.

Additionally, you can select your target device type and the platforms on which you'd like to run your ads, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and/or Audience Network.

The reach of your material can be expanded, leads can be generated, visitors can be directed to your website, and you can raise awareness of forthcoming events by using Facebook advertisements. Google Advertisements runs both search and display ads, making it perfect for companies whose target market is already looking for the goods or services they provide. An excellent example would be emergency services like car towing or plumping.

Google advertisements are a great approach to increasing the number of qualified visitors to your website or online store, especially if the selected keywords indicate the prospects' intent to buy.

The Right Time to Use Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads A Comparative Analysis

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Google Ads and Facebook Ads are not competitors. If you use both platforms, they can be strong allies and cater to many use cases.

However, some firms might not have the means to employ both, so it's crucial to be aware of the aspects you should take into account while making your decision.

When we asked our respondents what they thought marketers and company owners should take into account when deciding between Facebook advertising and Google advertising, they weighed in on factors like the pricing and targeting capabilities of each platform—and offered their own tried-and-true techniques and recommendations for getting the most of whichever network you select.

Let’s take a look.

●?????Campaign Goal

●?????Targeting Options

●?????Budget

●?????Audience Engagement

●?????Historical and Competitor Data

Campaign Objective

According to our survey participants, your campaign goal should be taken into account when choosing whether to run Google Ads or Facebook Ads.?

For brand awareness and top-funnel objectives, Facebook ads are more effective

Users begin to learn about your business at the beginning of the sales funnel, and there is no better PPC platform for this stage than Facebook Ads. Because of this, Facebook Ads is the best platform for you if raising brand or product recognition is your main goal.

However, SL Development's Steve Latronica notes that if you're using bespoke audiences, you can even utilize it for middle-of-the-funnel methods?

"Custom audiences can assist you in retargeting website visitors who have already viewed your pricing page or features page. As they continue looking for the ideal solution, they'll keep your brand in mind.”?

Better Google Ads for Bottom-Funnel Goals and Purchase Intent

Google Ads is superior if you want to target customers who are actively considering making a purchase. For instance, if a person's water pipes started to leak, they would quickly search online for plumbing services.

With Google Ads, you can dominate the search results and be the first to assist someone in need. There's a good chance they'll get in touch with you immediately away if you correctly optimize the advertisement and give all the relevant details.

Options for Targeting

Selecting the correct prospects is essential for effective advertising. As was mentioned in the section above, you can target prospects depending on where they are in your marketing funnel, but you should also take other things into account.

Facebook Provides a Great Deal More Specific Targeting Options

On Facebook, people open up a lot about their personal lives: meetings, occupations, partners in marriage, childbirth, hobbies, you name it. Additionally, they look for information that aligns with their values, opinions, and ideas. All of these factors are detected by Facebook's algorithm, which then makes use of them to offer you the previously discussed detailed targeting possibilities (by demographics, job title, life events, interests, etc.).

They will help you immediately connect with your target market and those who are most likely to be interested in your offer.

Facebook has a big database of information that users have essentially provided to it. Additionally, you can use Facebook's existing data to further match your target customers with the lookalike audience tool.

If You're Uncertain About Your Audience, Google Ads Are Better

Of course, if you don't know who to target, none of Facebook's targeting options will be of any use to you. You cannot simply log onto Facebook Ads and find out who your perfect client is. To get the most of Facebook's ad targeting, you'll need to understand who is most likely to purchase your product.?

You don't need to know exactly who your target market is for Google Ads to put your advertisements in front of prospective customers because they primarily target the terms users enter into Google's search engine.

But if the main goal is lead generation and we know that Facebook won't help us locate our persona, then I would conduct a Google Ads campaign. Although most businesses "waste enormous amounts of money on branded phrases," Ed Marsh of Consilium Global Business Advisors cautions against doing so if you do decide to use Google Ads.

According to Marsh, you might be better off "spending most of your PPC dollars in Facebook Ads targeting custom and lookalike audiences of active prospects identified with buyer intent data" if you're running Google Ads for branded phrases.

Budget

In choosing between Facebook Ads and Google Ads, your budget is undoubtedly a major factor. How much do you pay each time someone sees or clicks on your advertisement? How much are you spending to bring in each new client?

Your client acquisition costs may be significantly impacted by the platform you use.

Facebook Typically Has a Higher Cost-Efficiency

We recently conducted a study where we inquired about respondents' typical expenditures associated with Facebook Ads customer acquisition. Two-thirds of respondents claimed that their typical customer acquisition costs (CAC) were $10 or less, with 28% claiming that their typical CAC for Facebook Ads were under $5.

Better for generating conversions are Google Ads

We recently asked advertisers to provide their typical cost-per-click for Google Ads in another study. More than half of respondents reported a CPC of under $2:

While you might only be able to acquire 5–10 hits on your advertising with $10 in Google Ads, there is a higher likelihood that you will convert the majority of those visitors because Google Ads have higher buy intent. As a result of Facebook Ads' potential for a lengthy lead-to-conversion conversion cycle, Google also tends to yield more immediate results.

Engagement of the Audience

It goes without saying that you should run advertisements where viewers are interested. In order to find out which platform has the highest engagement, we polled our respondents. Facebook emerged victorious, albeit by a slim margin.

Data from the past and your competitors

You should review past data as you're planning your next marketing campaign to see if you can glean any insightful information that you can use to inform your approach. Identify the elements that have worked and investigate what went wrong with the tactics that didn't produce anything. If this is your first advertising campaign, analyse your rivals and "spy" on their tactics.

What kind of platform do they employ? Do people prioritise visual or text-based advertisements? See what you can use for your first plan after compiling all of your research into one thorough paper.