The reason that you are reading this article is that you have decided to start digital advertising. You must have heard about Facebook Ads and Google Ads, but you are still unclear about the differences between the two platforms. Are Google Ads and Facebook Ads the same?
We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each advertising platform in this article, the critical differences to consider, and the key factors to keep in mind.
What is the difference between Facebook Ads and Google Ads?
Generally speaking, Facebook Ads is used for paid social campaigns on Facebook, while Google Ads are used for search ads and display advertisements. Both platforms run pay-per-click (PPC) ads, but they do so on separate channels and often target users in different stages of the buyer’s journey.
Facebook Ads and Google Ads are often pitted against each other, but both offer unique benefits to marketers. If your marketing team is only able to focus on one, there are a few things you should take into consideration.
Campaign Goals
What do you want to accomplish with your campaign? Is it brand awareness, leads, sales, or something else? You will already know what direction you should take once you know this answer.
The most effective way to capture demand is via Google Ads – that is, capturing highly interested users who have a high level of purchase intent. For example, if I search for the keyword “water bottle,” this likely indicates an interest in purchasing one.
This being the case, the ads below are aligned with search intent and can lead to sales. In contrast, Facebook Ads, on the other hand, is great for reaching consumers at the top of the funnel (or for building awareness for brands and products).
It’s possible to use both platforms at the same time to target users at every stage of the journey, but if that doesn’t align with your broader objectives, knowing your campaign’s objective will let you choose which platform is most appropriate to achieve it.
Your Budget
Your goal in any ad campaign is to increase your return on ad spend (ROAS), though some platforms make it easier than others.
With Google Ads, you’ll need to consider keyword competition and keyword price.
In the case the keywords you’re targeting cost a lot per click (CPC), and you have a small budget, this is not the best place to spend your money.
As an example, let’s say you have a daily budget of $100 and want to rank for “hardware store” in your area, but the cost for that keyword is $20. This would mean you would only get a maximum of five clicks per day – certainly not a lot.
On the same $100 budget, you could possibly target more people with Facebook Ads and conduct experiments to learn which strategies work for your target audience.
The key to maximizing your campaign’s return on investment is to determine where your dollars will have the greatest impact on your goals. Tools like HubSpot’s ads software can help you measure your campaign’s ROI and make adjustments to optimize its performance.
Stages in the Buyer’s Journey
As mentioned above, certain platforms work better at certain stages of the buyer’s journey. For example, Facebook is largely a social media platform, so most users aren’t actively searching for products.
The platform, however, allows users to explore and share their interests. With that in mind, it’s a great place for users to discover your brand, especially if you think it doesn’t relate to a topic they are searching.
According to Google, over 5 billion searches occur every day. These searches can fall anywhere on the buyer’s journey, but certain keywords indicate high purchase intent.
As an example, if I search “best water bottle” or “water bottle price,” this suggests that I am interested in purchasing that item. By using this method, marketers can reach users they are sure are at the bottom of the funnel.
Historical and/or Competitor Data
If you are planning your next campaign, it may be helpful to look at historical data to inform your strategy. Knowing what has worked in the past, what hasn’t, and what needs more investigation can serve as a reference and benchmark for the future work.
If you’ve never run an advertisement before, look at your competitors. What ads are they running? Where are they running them? What do their creative assets look like? What’s their messaging?
Competitor intelligence could highlight some opportunities and give you insight into how your competitors are approaching their business.
Benefits of Facebook Ads
In the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2019, marketers reported that Facebook offers the highest return on investment. We’ll explore some of the reasons why this is the case.
Among social media platforms, Facebook has the largest audience base, with over 2.7 billion monthly active users based on a 2021 Statista report. In addition to its large viewership, the platform offers granular targeting capabilities, allowing marketers to target specific users based on demographics, behaviors, life milestones, and interests.
In order to run a campaign on the platform, you must first create a “lookalike audience” that represents your user persona. Facebook Ads will then show your ads to users who fit your description.
You can target advertisers much more precisely with this platform than with Google Ads – it is much more detailed about who to target for your ads.
Beyond that, you may be able to reach more users and get a better click-through rate (CTR) through Facebook Ads. Smart Insights reported that in Q1 of 2020, the median CTR for a Facebook ad in the newsfeed was 1.11% – compared to .47% for Google Display ads in the same period.
Benefits of Google Ads
The company estimated that in 2019, every dollar a business spent on ads could earn them up to $8. In this guide, we will explain why that may be the case, and how to make the platform useful for brands.
Google Adwords, formerly known as Google Adwords, previously offered simple text ads on the search engine, but has evolved to offer many features that can boost clickthrough rates, such as reviews, detailed contact information, a shopping feature, and mobile optimization.
In Q1 of 2020, Smart Insights found that Google search ads had the highest CTR at 1.55% when compared to display ads and Facebook ads. This is likely due to the way Google prioritizes ads for relevance. While you do need to bid on keywords, the highest bid doesn’t always win.
Your bid gets you the foot in the door, but the relevance of your post to the user’s search intent keeps you there.
As a result, remarketing, or reconnecting with users who have previously interacted with your brand, has become much easier with Google Ads. For example, if you had someone visit your site and add something to their shopping cart, but failed to complete their purchase, you can now follow those users as they look for something on Google, watch a YouTube video, or browse a site within Google’s Display Network.
Furthermore, the platform’s simple interface and advanced features, such as search term reports, ads editor, and auction insights make it easy to set up campaigns, launch them, and track their success.
Facebook Ads and Google Ads are not inherently superior to each other, once you account for your needs, budget, and target audience, you will find that each offers unique features that may be valuable to your brand at different stages of its development.
