The two giants of the internet world are often pitted against each other and judged by the other’s successes or failures. Both companies offer cutting-edge technology and can play a vital role in the running of your business. Although Facebook ads and Google ads are positioned as long-standing competitors, that doesn’t mean we have to use them as competitors. Many companies have recognized this fact and have opted to use both platforms in cohesion to boost their business overall.
When these platforms are used in harmony, leveraging the strengths of both, a business can achieve maximum reach and visibility and increase sales. If done correctly, a business can see an astonishing return on their advertising investment.
In this blog, we’ll examine Facebook ads and Google ads individually and what sets them apart from each other. We’ll look at the benefits of ads on Facebook and the benefits of Google ads. Ultimately, you’ll be able to see why you should consider using both platforms as part of your dynamic marketing strategy.
What are Google Ads?
Google is the internet’s leading search engine. It is used by nearly 70% of all online users to search for whatever their heart desires. The platform executes more than 40,000 search queries per second. It filters each search by content related to the query and returns millions (if not more) of results in a matter of seconds.
Google Ads for business, which was formerly known as Google Adwords, is the world’s most popular pay-per-click (PPC) platform. Advertisers can avail of this system to market their product/business, and they will only pay for the ad if someone clicks on it. Handy right?
Considering that you are reading this blog post online, I have no doubt in my mind that you know what a Google ad looks like. However, if you need a refresher, Google ads appear at the top of your search results and say the word “ad” beside the result to differentiate from the organic results.
What are Facebook Ads?
Facebook is undeniably a powerhouse in social media, boasting almost 2.4 billion active monthly users.
What set Facebook apart from the very beginning was its ability to analyze users’ social behavior. Everything from users voicing their concerns, connecting with friends and family, and engaging with businesses or the media is analyzed to create profiles on each individual.
The value of this enormous database is invaluable to advertisers and Facebook knew that. Hence, the introduction of Facebook ads, a software that changed the way we used the internet forever. It allowed advertisers to specify their target audience to newfound precision, meaning millions of dollars saved and a higher likelihood of conversions.
Facebook Ads Vs. Google Ads Work – A Comparison
We’ve seen that both Google and Facebook are advertising platforms that operate using a PPC system. From the outside, it seems like both platforms are pretty similar in concept, which is true.
But the question remains, which one is right for your business? The answer might not be so simple and may depend on a number of factors, most importantly which one suits your business better.
Here, we’ll examine the pros and cons of the platforms are decipher the difference between Facebook ads and Google ads.
Audience Reach
The more people that your advertisement reaches the more likely you are to see conversions, statistically speaking. Both Facebook and Google have an enormous audience reach:
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Facebook has ~ 1.4 billion daily active users
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Google has ~ 5.8 billion searches every day
Realistically though, your target audience more than likely uses both of these platforms if it uses one. This reach is so big that it becomes redundant when choosing which is better for your business.
Instead, you should analyze whether your product is search-oriented or social-oriented.
Remember, even though Google boasts higher numbers, unless your product is well-known and users search your specific product, you can very easily get lost in the millions of other search results.
If you’re a new brand, Facebook may be a better starting point for you to get the word out about your product.
Costs
In terms of cost per click (CPC), Facebook tends to be cheaper than Google in the Facebook ads vs Google ads battle.
Costs fluctuate hugely depending on what industry your business is in. Prices range from Apparel being the cheapest CPC at around $0.45, to Finance & Insurance averaging at $3.77.
Average Cost Per Click By Industry (source: Wordstream)
In the Google space, price fluctuations are even larger. Prices vary due to the industry in which your business operates and the keywords in your advertisement.
The cheapest industry is eCommerce. with an average CPC of $1.16. If you’re in the legal industry, however, expect to pay much more, with an average CPC of $6.75.
Average Cost Per Click By Industry (source: Wordstream )
If you’re interested, the most expensive keyword in the world is “insurance” with a CPC of up to $54.91!
Audience Targeting
Which is better Facebook advertising vs. Google ads when it comes to targeting? Both platforms offer in-depth specific targeting for your potential customer.
You can set up ads in Google ads to target age, gender, location, income level, search history, and more.
However, Facebook wins this for the level of targeting available. You can set up ads on Facebook to target all the options Google offers but with many more unique extra options.
Given that Facebook is a social network it holds data about much more than Google would be able to obtain on an individual, such as interests and behaviors.
Facebook allows you to get to another level of precision with targeting your audience.
If you’d like to read more about Facebook targeting, check out our blog on how Facebook targeted ads work.
Facebook Advertising vs. Google Ads For Your Business
So now that you have the numbers behind Google ads vs. Facebook ads, which is better for your business?
Well, as I said earlier this is a personal (to your business) question and both platforms have advantages and disadvantages.
Consider asking yourself some of these questions to help you decide:
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What are my advertising campaign goals?
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Where are my clients more likely to be active?
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What stage of the funnel are your clients?
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How much is your advertising budget?
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What style of advertisement will you use (graphic or text)?
Our Verdict
Facebook ads and Google ads are the two best options available for PPC advertising. However, when you put two great things together, you get an even better thing!
These two platforms work immaculately together and when used properly you should see extremely positive results for your advertising campaign.
Things can get pretty complicated though when running campaigns on two separate platforms. That’s why here at Optily we handle all the hard work for you. Our cross-channel advertising optimization software allows you to seamlessly and efficiently run campaigns on both Facebook and Google.
Conclusion
Facebook Ads will help new customers find and explore your products and culture. It allows you to build a bond with your customer and will give you a better ROI in the long run.
Google Ads helps you find new customers who are looking to buy straight away. In turn, this will give you an instant return on your marketing investment. However, this return will only happen if a customer searches for your business specifically.
About Optily
Optily is the only single-click ad spend optimizer for eCommerce. Our plug-and-play online platform quickly links all of your Google and Facebook ads together and helps you easily determine which campaigns are working. With just one click, you can apply our optimization recommendations–like moving budget from a lower performing Google ad to a better performing one on Instagram.
Optily saves you time and money by instantly optimizing your ad spend.
