Whether Google Ads or Facebook Ads, it’s important to know when to use them, and how to maximize both because they are essential in the growth of your online business presence and getting ideal customers to your business website.
In the digital advertising space the biggest names are Google and Facebook, because of their immense data from the billions of users that use their services.
Indeed, the audience sizes and targeting capabilities of both Google Ads and Facebook Ads are stupendous but deciding which to use, could be difficult especially when you want to use just one.
But before we get to sharing their different features, and identfying which could be more suitable for you, let’s get to understand what Facebook Ads and Google Ads are.
What Are Facebook Ads?
With more than 1.6 billion individuals and businesses operating on this powerful social media platform, Facebook has been an avenue for all businesses to connect its billions of users.
Facebook advertising is a platform used to create and run campaign Ads using the Facebook Ads Manager tool.
It offers services that allow you to choose the location online where your Ads will run, which could be on Messenger, Facebook, Instagram, and Audience Network on your target customers’ devices.
It functions by locating the target audience based on the profile data, demographics, and location used.
When it involves brand engagement and awareness, increasing traffic to your website, increasing content reach, generating awareness for events, and creating leads.
What Are Google Ads?
Until 2008, Google Ads was referred to as Google AdWords. It is a paid advertising platform functioning as an auction system.
By “auction system,” it means an after an ad has been created and an audience or user searches for a keyword. Your business or website comes up, but depending on the most optimized Quality Score and the bid amount of your website compared to that of competitors.
It is sometimes called pay-per-click, PPC, or Cost-per-thousand impressions, CPM because you pay for every click you get or for every 1000 impressions your ad gets.
Google Ads are excellent ways to bring in traffic to your online store or website, and it is most likely that the user’s keywords lead to a purchase.
What’s the Difference Between Facebook Ads and Google Ads?
Good knowledge of how these advertisement platforms differ will help you know how to use them and how to maximize both. Here are some key differences between Facebook Ads and Google Ads:
The buyer intent for Facebook Ads is inclined towards brand awareness, while for Google Ads, it is better for purchase intent.
Facebook Ads get more exposure and click but for a lower cost. For Google Ads, on the other hand, you pay for more clicks, and it could be expensive, but you will be getting users who are likely to convert.
The audience targeting for Facebook Ads is limited to the data inputted while creating the ad. But for Google Ads, you get a wide-range target by keywords, including some demographics targeting capabilities.
The Size Audience for Facebook Ads is about 1.59 billion daily active users and 3.5 billion searches for Google Ads every day.
While for audience engagement, a survey carried out by Databox reported that 52% of marketers said their audiences are likely to be involved with their Ads on Facebook than on Google. In comparison, 45% of marketers admitted that their audiences were likely to click on their Ads on Google rather than on Facebook.
Unique Ad Placements for Facebook Ads are Messenger Ads and for Google Ads, Shopping Ads. Low-cost products and products with social components and high-cost products and retargeting Ads work best for Facebook Ads and Google Ads, respectively.
Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: How to Select Which Is Best for Your Business
Knowing what Facebook Ads and Google Ads are and having an idea of their differences is just one step to using and maximizing them; what is most important is knowing when to use them.
Weighing on the buyer intent, cost, audience targeting of both Ads platforms will help you select which is best for your business.
Buyer Intent
Consider the part of the marketing funnel you’ve set for your target. For brand awareness, it is essential that you know Facebook Ads are better. This is because Facebook collects detailed data on past and potential users interested in your business.
You can retarget people who once visited your pricing page or features page on your website; by doing this, your brand is at the top of their minds as they continue in their search for a perfect solution.
Google Ads are preferable and better for purchase intent. The traffic Google attracts as users actively search for a keyword is usually intending to make a purchase.
The high level of intent from Google’s users is taken advantage of here so your products or services can be placed in front of people who are actively looking at them and who are likely to make purchases.
The tip behind Google Ads is that customers are likely to turn to Google for research when purchasing.
Audience Targeting
Targeting the right prospects will produce effective advertising. With Facebook Ads, you are at an advantage at targeting the exact audience you need, usually referred to as Granular Targeting Options.
You get a more precise option where you have enough control over who sees your Ads. The wealth of data Facebook controls allows the Facebook Ads Manager tool to process the interest, behaviors, and more of past and present users, which will be used to attract new audiences.
Companies make use of a very detailed demographic profile of users to attract their target market.
The detailed data of Facebook’s targeting capabilities will be of no use to you if you have no profile for an ideal customer. Facebook Ads will answer the “who is most likely to buy my products?” question.
However, if you are not sure who your audiences are, Google Ads will serve you better. Google Ads target the keywords people search on Google’s search engine, which indicates that you don’t need to know who your audiences are before you can get your ads in front of interested prospects.
If your objective is to increase leads and traffic for a wide-range audience, a Google Ads campaign will most likely help with that.
The downside to Google Ads is its cost, as some companies spend too much above budget in targeting branded keywords which could be a waste of a large sum of money.
Cost
Cost determines how far your plans go and is the most crucial detail to consider when deciding which ad platform to use.
Facebook Ads are more Cost-Efficient and could get you a lot of impressions, videos views, engagement, amplification, and website traffic for a small amount.
While Google Ads for the same small amount offered by Facebook Ads, you might get a very small number of clicks on your website. A lot of marketers agree that when it comes to cost, Facebook is the lead