Google Ads or Facebook Ads: which platform to use for my online advertising?
If this is your question, by reading this article, I will provide you with clear directions that will allow you to make a more informed and informed choice.
Over the years, a strong rivalry has mounted between the two companies and, as a result, fierce competition between the two advertising platforms.
This fierce competition between Google’s and Facebook’s advertising platforms has generated confusion among entrepreneurs, particularly those new to the Internet and different forms of digital advertising.
For many, it is not easy to decide on which platform to invest time and resources.
In reality, the two platforms are different and operate on different objectives, and many companies have decided to take advantage of the strengths of both.
In this guide we will look at how Google Ads and Facebook Ads work and the differences between them in order to improve knowledge and understand which one to focus on based on the business.
Table of contents hide
What is Google Ads
Strengths and benefits of Google Ads
How much does Google Ads cost
What is Facebook Ads
Strengths and advantages of Facebook Ads
Differences between Facebook Ads and Google Ads
Audience type
Cost of click
Ad format
Targeting options
Summary differences Facebook Ads and Google Ads
Facebook Ads and Google Ads, which one to use?
How to divide resources between Google Ads and Facebook Ads
What is Google Ads
Google Ads is the rebranding that the Mountain View company did in 2018 of the old Google Adwords platform.
Google Ads is the world’s largest pay per click (PPC) platform as it is carried by the world’s largest search engine.
With more than three billion searches per day, Google Ads is a great place to submit your advertisements.
There are other pay-per-click platforms as well, such as the one that relies on the Microsoft-owned Bing search engine, but Google Ads has been the undisputed leader in the industry for years and garners a hugely larger share of the market than its competitors.
Google’s advertising platform is based primarily on search keys.
Advertisers bid on certain keywords of interest to them, and when a user types a query into the search engine that contains one of the selected keywords, the advertisers’ ads are published.
To simplify, whoever bids the most is entitled to have their ad in the first position and the other advertisers to follow, but this is not exactly the case.
In fact, this criterion is supplemented with the concept of quality score, the quality score.
The quality and relevance, with respect to the search query, of the ad and landing page are rewarded (read this article of mine on landing pages for more on this topic).
The best user experience and user satisfaction have been the focus of all Google’s patents and activities for years.
This means that when publishing, for equal bids, ads with high quality and relevance will be rewarded, i.e., will cost less than others.
You can read this article of mine on Google Ads to learn more about this topic.
Strengths and benefits of Google Ads
The Google Ads algorithm has evolved a lot since it used to show simple text ads.
Moreover, relying on the search engine, it can rely on an immense audience.
40000 search queries are made on Google per second, more than 3 billion per day.
Even in the future perspective, Google fears no rival.
It holds the best search and machine learning algorithm, a fact that increases its leadership and market share, compared to other search engines.
And logic tells us that the audience will increase in the future.
Google ADS provides some interesting features such as reconnecting with those who interact with your site, such as those who place without purchasing, products in the shopping cart.
Simple interface and advanced auction features.
All this makes Google Ads a great tool for your marketing strategy.
How much does Google Ads cost
Google ADS does not have a fixed cost, it depends on various factors, mainly the cost of the keywords and the niche market.
Some niches are very competitive and keywords cost more.
The good news is that you can set a maximum spending limit and you can stop running your ads when your budget runs out.
You also only pay if the user takes an action such as a click, site visit or phone call.
What is Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads is a tool that allows you to run paid ads on the main existing social, ads similar to Google ADS but run only on Facebook and Instagram.
They are not invasive ads and go to integrate with Facebook and Instagram feeds.
We voluntarily provide Facebook, a set of data about our interests and this allows the creation of ads that do not disturb the consumer, but are targeted to an audience interested in the topic, service or product offered.
I have written an article on Facebook Ads to understand all aspects of it.
Strengths and advantages of Facebook Ads
The main advantage of Facebook Ads lies in the potential audience of 2.7 billion users.
In addition, people share all sorts of personal information with their friends on social media.
From romantic relationships, to marriage, to the birth of children, to political and sexual orientations, to the joys and sorrows of life.
We may not be fully aware of it, but we share a lot of personal information on Facebook, and this is pure boon for advertisers.
With this information, a Facebook Ads ad reaches audiences based on demographics, behaviors and interests and is therefore more targeted than a Google Ads ad that targets the keyword.
Basically, your advertisement reaches only the people who might actually be interested in buying your product or service.
Another advantage that Facebook Ads enjoys are visual ads compared to Google Ads text ads.
Differences between Facebook Ads and Google Ads.
Both are paid, pay-per-click (PPC) ad platforms.
Facebook Ads is pay per click on social (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger) while Google Ads is pay per click on search engines.
Facebook’s audience is estimated at 1.73 billion users per day, while there are 3.5 billion searches per day on Google.
The type of audience
You must not only evaluate the number of potential users to choose where to place your advertisement, but you must also ask yourself with what intent consumers go to search engines and spend their time on social media like Facebook.
People go to Google to solve a problem, to find out about brands, products, services and prices, to find answers to their questions.
Google immediately connects your business with the potential customer right when they need it.
On the other hand, people go to Facebook to relax and socialize.
To simplify, Facebook should be used to get your brand known and Google to sell your product or service.
Cost per click
The average cost per click for Google Ads, regardless of industry, is about 2.7€.
An ecommerce business should expect an average cost of 1.15€ per click, while the average cost per click of financial and insurance businesses, is about 7€.
This difference in cost per click can be justified by the fact that consumers use Google at the time they want to buy, while they use Facebook for entertainment
Ad format
Facebook Ads adds visual impact to the advertising message while Google Ads offers the option of text ads with limited length.
Targeting options
Both platforms offer targeted targeting options such as, geographic location, gender and age.
That said, Facebook Ads, being able to rely on the personal information we provide it with ourselves, is more precise in selecting the targeting of the ad.
For example, on Facebook Ads, a toy store can target an advertisement to parents who are college graduates, have children between 6 and 10 years old, and have incomes between 50000€ and 100000€ in a given geographic area.
If yours is a niche audience, Facebook Ads is a great way to advertise.
Summary differences Facebook Ads and Google Ads.
Target Audience. Facebook Ads chooses the audience to show ads to based on their behavior and interests, while Google Ads shows ads based on keywords.
Environment. Facebook Ads ads run on the main existing social while Google Ads ads run on the world’s leading search engine.
Usage. People are on Facebook to relate with their peers and to entertain themselves while they go to Google to search for information, to search for brands, products and prices, to find answers and solve problems.
Objectives. Advertisers are on Facebook to grow their brand awareness, go to Google sell their products and services.
Purpose. One can use Facebook Ads to get users to sign up for a mailing list, increase website visits, and increase brand awareness, while one can use Google Ads to sell products and services.
Facebook Ads and Google Ads, which one to use?
Both advertising platforms are powerful and usable for any type of business, if thought of as complementary and not in opposition.
Using the potential of paid search and paid social is a strategy that aims to leverage the strengths of both.
How to divide resources between Google ads and Facebook ads.
Do you have a budget, do you understand the importance of running ads on both platforms, but don’t know how to divide resources?
Much depends on your target market.
I present four scenarios, consider according to your market how to divide resources.
Scenario number one: your audience already knows your brand and your products or services. Focus on Google but without neglecting Facebook. Budget breakdown: Google Ads 80%, Facebook Ads 20%.
Scenario number two: the market does not know your brand focus on Facebook to create awareness. Budget breakdown: Google Ads 0%, Facebook Ads 100%.
Scenario #3: If the market knows your brand but you want to launch a new product or service, invest primarily in Google Ads but carefully evaluate the campaign’s progress to make adjustments based on results. Budget breakdown: Google Ads 70%, Facebook Ads 30%.
Scenario number four: is the market very competitive and expensive? Aim primarily at Facebook Ads but use Google Ads for the most important keywords. Budget breakdown: Google Ads 30%, Facebook Ads 70%.
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