Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: Which should you use?

Google Ads and Facebook Ads are popular platforms that marketers use to shout about their products and services. If you’re thinking about starting an advertising campaign, it’s no doubt that these platforms would have sprung to mind.

But, which one is the best for my business?

It’s all down to what you want to achieve for your business.

The good thing about advertising is that it doesn’t just showcase your product but can build awareness and brand identity. To gain the most out of your campaigns, you should set goals so you can see which areas you want to develop – this will aid your decision on which platform to use. Both platforms have different features which can benefit alternative aspects of your business, but how are they different? Keep reading to find out.

Formats

If you’ve got a creative flair, Facebook ads are perfect. 

With plenty of different ad layouts, you can choose from images, videos and carousels to promote your products and increase engagement. 

Additionally, using Facebook Instant Experience to create immersive ads allows you to give your audience an engaging full-screen experience. This type of advertisement is only viewable on mobile.

We used this unique system to increase website traffic for one of our clients. We reached 202,847 Facebook users of which 1/3 then clicked through to our client’s website, proving that Facebook ads can work. If you’re stuck on where to start and need a hand, we’re more than happy to help you with your advertising! Click here to contact us.

Watch the video below to see how we used Facebook Instant Experience.

Building brand awareness is one advantage of creating original advertisements like the one above. Facebook ads support your social media presence because they are linked to your page – meaning two birds, one stone.

The Google Ad platform offers a variety of ad formats.

One of those is Google Display ads, simply the ads you often see on Youtube and floating around on web pages. Google Display Network has over two million websites available to show ads (wow!).

Similarly to Facebook ads, Google Display ads can be in text, image, video or rich media formats. Your ad will display on websites relevant to your business or to those who search for similar keywords, boosting the possibility that people will convert.

Google Display ad on Youtube

The most commonly used Google Ad is the search ad, which appears on search engine result pages relevant to your product or service. 

Since Google is frequently used by consumers to conduct product searches, having your advertisement appear in the search engine results typically leads to higher conversion rates. Comparatively speaking, Facebook focuses on a passive audience, which can result in lower conversion rates.

Google Search ad

Audience Targeting

Facebook Ads have refined targeting options, including interest, behaviour, demographics and location, which ensures your ads appear on the correct feed – rather than becoming lost in the Facebook abyss. 

While you can target an audience, this doesn’t necessarily guarantee buyers’ intent. Facebook promotes to people who may be looking for your product instead of those actively searching for it. On the contrary, Google Ads target an audience seeking your products or service. 

Costs

Typically, Facebook ads are cheaper than Google ads. Facebook ads work on a cost per-impression, charging you when people see your ad. Google ads, on the other hand, operate on a cost per-click, which means you’ll be charged when someone clicks on your ad.

Since Facebook ads are cheaper, you can spread your budget further, but the reach is smaller, meaning no guarantee of return on investment. Google, while being more expensive, has the potential to reach a much larger audience.

Conclusion

Ultimately, which you should use depends on your budget and goals for your business. 

If you’ve got a higher budget, Google Ads generates quicker sales. Facebook ads create brand awareness, and while they don’t have as much of a reach, they do have specific targeting options. 

Since both platforms grow different areas of your business, using both platforms would be the ideal scenario. 

However, to begin with, if you’re newly starting on a lower budget, Facebook Ads can help build your foundation. Once your business begins to flourish, invest in Google Ads to push sales!

You’ve got your advertising covered, but what about your overall social media marketing strategy? Read our blog post to optimize yours.