You must be wondering if Google ads or Facebook ads are better for the promotion of your products and services? If your head is full of questions regarding Google search ads vs Facebook Ads, this article will help you clear the clouds.
We know that online marketing can be a little bit puzzling. Since it is now considered to be the best way for popularising business. No one would want to miss a chance.
We all agree that Online advertising is what everyone needs to meet the right customers for their product.
By putting your Ad online, you see an increase in sales of your product in very short span of time.
It is the fastest way to get traffic on your website, building brand awareness, and increase your sales.
Running ads is considered a better alternative to SEO as it provides instant results.
Many of our clients reap the benefits of online advertising services and we strive to provide them the best results through pay-per-click advertising.
But the real question is, how to choose between Facebook ads and Google ads for advertising your products and services?
We are here to help you with the same. This article is all about Google Ads vs Facebook Ads.
What is Google search Ad?
Well, everyone knows that Google is the ultimate search engine with about 5.6 billion searches per day.
Google search ads is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform or you can also call it paid search advertising.
It means that for every click on their Ad the advertiser has to pay the bid amount.
Google search ads are intent-based. That means your ad will only be visible when someone search for it.
In Google search Ads, keywords are at play. It requires you to select relevant keywords for your products and services.
Google Ads are managed via Google Adwords
What is Facebook Ad?
Facebook is the most popular social media app used all around the world.
People connect, share posts and messages through Facebook. It has proven to be a delight for every generation of people in today’s world.
Facebook Ads are the advertisements that come your way when you are scrolling down on Facebook. These Ads are known as paid socials.
The Ads on Facebook are visible on Facebook Newsfeed, Instagram Newsfeed, Facebook Marketplace, Video Feeds, In-articles, Right-hand column, and Messenger inbox.
Facebook Ads are managed via Facebook Ads Manager.
What are the major differences between Google Ads and Facebook Ads?
Both Google and Facebook have huge audiences.
About 1.7 billion people visit Facebook daily and approximately about 2.7 billion people use Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Whereas Google holds about 5.8 billion searches per day.
One similarity that they both share is that both the platforms are for paid online advertising. You need to pay if you want to show your product’s advertisement on any of the platforms. It means that you need to select which one is worth the cost.
But there is a list of differences that we are going to talk about in detail.
Targeting approach on Google Ads vs Facebook Ads:
Google AdWords is an intent-based advertising platform. It shows ads to the consumers who are searching for particular products or services. It is done with keyword targeting. People type in what they are looking for and google shows the Ads related to that search only.
Whereas Facebook is an interest-based advertising platform. People on Facebook are not specifically looking for any products. Facebook shows ads based on the interest of the user in similar products that might attract the user’s attention.
In short, Google ads connect customers to brands and Facebook ads connect brands to customers.
Cost per click (CPC) and return on investment (ROI):
The average Google Ads CPC is about $2.69 for search ads and $0.59 for display ads. The average CPC on Facebook Ads is about $0.45.
Google AdWords is a bit more expensive than Facebook Ads. Mainly because the CPC (cost-per-click) on Google Ads depends on the search volume of keywords. Those keywords can cost you from $1 to over $50. Whereas on Facebook, it is done by targeting user interests.
Return on investment depends upon the cost you are paying for advertising. The more you spend, the more you earn. And everyone aspires to have greater profit on the amount they spend.
You need to calculate the conversions carefully to determine the ROI and strategize the campaigns accordingly. The ROI needs to be greater than the investment to run a business profitably.
Paid search and paid social
Google is a paid search. It means your Ad will pop up on the SERP when someone will put the relevant keyword in the search section. You will only pay when someone will click on your Ad.
Facebook is a paid social. It means it will display your ads on its platform to users who might be interested in your products. You will pay for the number of times your ad is seen called ad impressions. Generally, you have to pay for every thousand impressions. It is called cost-per-mile (CPM) but you can optimize your campaign to pay per click.
Google can help to display your Ad on other platforms like YouTube, Google Display Network, and even Google Maps. Whereas Facebook can display your Ads in front of millions of users on Instagram, Messenger, Marketplace, News Feed, and In-Article.
Recently Google started showing ads on Google My Business listings as well.
Cost per mile (CPM)
CPM stands for cost-per-mile or cost per thousand impressions. It is a metric used in advertising that determines the cost of Ads per thousand impressions.
CPM focuses more on building brand awareness. It is usually used for campaigns to build brand awareness. But since CPM doesn’t guarantee measurable results such as link clicks, sign-ups, sales, CPC is considered a better choice.
In one of the researches, it was calculated that the median CPM of Google is much higher than the median CPM of Facebook.
Ad formats
There are different types of Google ads, primarily display ads and search ads.
Google display ads contain videos, images, and moving elements and are shown primarily on Youtube, Apps, and Websites using Adsense advertising.
Google search Ads are mainly textual. There are no visual images and videos in its ad campaign. But you can add extensions like phone calls, location, links, and additional text to your ads for increasing the clicks on your ads.
All these extensions are for no additional cost. They show snippets that give a short description of the business with the link. The link provides all the information about the product.
Whereas Facebook ads are both textual and visual. It could be an image or a video according to your targeting preference.
Well, anything with an image and a video seems attractive to the eyes.
The carousels, images, and videos increase the interest of people towards your product and they are compelled to click and view what you are offering to them.
Business examples
Google AdWords is intent-based.
You can advertise to people who are directly searching for the services you provide.
Some commonly searched services are insurance, accounting, or any products that customers commonly search on Google like mobile phones, headphones, sunglasses, etc.
On the other hand, Facebook ads are for a broader audience.
It is better for companies who want to find customers and create their brand awareness. You can target audiences based on their interest.
Facebook ads are suitable for all kinds of niches except a few, like drugs, alcohol, weapons, adult products, or any unsafe supplements.
Please research before promoting your products on Facebook.
Conclusion: Facebook Ads vs Google Ads
If you all have gone through the complete article, I believe you will also agree that there is no single winner. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
One is costly but will be able to serve your business needs better. The next one may be a bit cost-effective but may not suit your business goals.
One has to properly analyze all the pros, cons, business needs, the audience they want to reach, money they want to spend, etc, and then decide which you want to go with
Needless to say, you can always go with both. Just keep a check on the cost. Choosing both will help you reach the biggest possible audience but spending too much will not give you the best ROI.
Both these networks excel when it comes to delivering results because when it comes to online advertising, they both dominate the industry. This is the reason it’s very hard to choose a clear winner.
But if you consider the absolute returns, Google Ads beat Facebook ads with significant advantages.
You are directly targeting clients who are already looking for your services and ready to make a purchase.
If you have a proper Google Ads campaign set up to target those clients, it will bring you good results.
