Till now, Google Ads and Facebook Ads were often seen as competitors, perpetuating a false notion that businesses had to choose one over the other. However, this adversarial perspective is misleading.
In practice, many businesses have realized the benefits of using both platforms simultaneously to maximize their online presence, generate leads and sales, and reach new customers.
They employ distinct strategies that align with each platform's unique features, resulting in a significant return on investment.
In this guide, we will explore the distinctions between Google Ads and Facebook Ads, how these platforms function, and why it makes sense to incorporate both into your broader digital marketing strategy.
Google Ads Vs Facebook Ads
To begin, it's essential to grasp the fundamental difference that sets Google Ads and Facebook Ads apart.
Google Ads: Paid search
Google Ads, previously referred to as Google AdWords, is the world's most extensive and popular pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform. It's so widely used that it has practically become synonymous with the term "paid search," often used interchangeably, despite the existence of similar platforms like Bing Ads.
Paid search primarily revolves around the targeting of keywords and the deployment of text-based ads. Advertisers on Google engage in a competitive bidding process for specific keywords and phrases that users enter in their Google search queries.
The objective is to have their advertisements displayed alongside the search results for these queries. When a user clicks on one of these ads, the advertiser is charged a certain amount of money, hence the term "pay-per-click advertising.
" While the intricacies of PPC bidding and bid optimization are complex and beyond the scope of this guide, in essence, users pay for the opportunity to connect with potential customers based on the keywords and search terms entered into Google.
Facebook ads: Paid Social
Facebook Ads fall under the category of "paid social," which refers to the practice of advertising on social networks. Facebook, with the highest number of monthly active users globally, has become a fiercely competitive and potentially lucrative component of many businesses' digital advertising strategies.
While there are some similarities between advertising on Facebook and Google Ads in the sense that both involve promoting businesses online, the comparison largely ends there.
Unlike paid search, which aids businesses in discovering new customers through keyword targeting, paid social assists users in discovering businesses based on their interests and online behaviors.
To put it simply, the primary distinction between Google and Facebook Ads is this: Google Ads helps businesses find new customers, while Facebook Ads helps new customers discover your business.
Now that we've clarified the fundamental difference between Google and Facebook Ads, let's delve into the strengths of each platform and how these online marketing tools can be effectively utilized.
Google Ads strengths & advantages
Google, being the most widely used search engine globally, is the undisputed leader in online advertising. With over 3.5 billion daily search queries, it provides advertisers with an unparalleled opportunity to reach an active audience actively seeking products and services.
Google's advertising options are divided into two primary networks: the Search network and the Display network. The Search network covers the entirety of Google as a search engine, enabling advertisers to bid on millions of keywords and phrases to target potential customers.
On the other hand, the Google Display Network offers more visually oriented ads, spanning around 98% of the World Wide Web. It is an excellent choice for advertisers aiming to achieve broader marketing objectives like brand awareness through banner ads rather than focusing on direct conversions like PPC ads.
1. Vast Audience: Google's significant advantage as an advertising platform is its extensive reach. It manages over 40,000 search queries per second, totaling more than 1.2 trillion web searches annually.
With Google's increasing sophistication, driven by proprietary AI and machine learning like RankBrain, this search volume is expected to grow. This vast potential audience makes Google an invaluable component of any digital marketing strategy, particularly when combined with its precise search results, explaining its popularity as the world's most widely used PPC platform.
2. Fair Competition: A common misconception among newcomers to PPC is that the advertiser with the largest budget automatically prevails in Google Ads.
However, Google Ads prioritizes the quality and relevance of ads over ad spend. The more relevant an ad is to the user, the better their experience, fostering user loyalty to Google as their preferred search engine.
Consequently, Google rewards ad quality and relevance, allowing smart advertisers with high-quality, optimized ads to bid less, making it a worthwhile investment. While certain keywords may have higher costs, how much advertisers bid depends mainly on the quality and relevance of their ads, with metrics like click-through rate serving as indicators of an ad's overall quality and appeal.
3. Diverse Ad Formats: Despite its initial launch with rudimentary text-based ads in 2000, Google Ads has evolved significantly. While PPC ads remain text-based, advertisers have access to numerous features to make their ads more compelling.
These include ad extensions, site links, social proof such as user reviews, location targeting, Shopping ads, and more, offering unparalleled customization and control to advertisers.
Google has even introduced ad formats tailored to specific business types, like vehicle manufacturers and hotels, which incorporate rich visual elements like high-resolution images and interactive maps.
Regardless of your offering or target audience, there is likely an ad format or feature that can enhance your appeal. Google continually introduces new ad formats and features, providing advertisers with tools to reach fresh audiences and drive business growth.
The strengths & advantages of Facebook ads
Compared to Google Ads, Facebook Ads is a relatively recent entrant into the advertising arena, but it has been continuously refining and enhancing its advertising solution over the years. Today, Facebook Ads is at the forefront of paid social advertising and has become a central component of many businesses' digital marketing strategies.
1. Unmatched Audience Precision: Similar to Google, Facebook boasts a vast global audience with more than 1.55 billion monthly active users, which amounts to over one-fifth of the world's population, excluding inactive or infrequently used accounts. However, what sets Facebook apart is its exceptional ability to target users with remarkable granularity.
Users share an extensive array of personal information and interests on Facebook, allowing advertisers to tailor their messaging in ways previously thought unimaginable. A powerful application of this is the creation of "lookalike audiences.
" Advertisers can upload customer data to Facebook, which then matches this data with users who exhibit similar interests and behaviors, effectively expanding the reach of their ads to new potential customers.
2. Visually Engaging Platform: Unlike text-based PPC ads, Facebook Ads are inherently visual. The best Facebook ads seamlessly blend into users' News Feeds, incorporating images and videos to convey compelling and aspirational messages.
Facebook continually strives to enhance the user experience and provide a satisfying platform for advertisers, making it inherently visual and visually appealing.
3. Impressive Return on Investment (ROI): While businesses and marketers often appreciate Facebook Ads for their precise targeting options and the tools available for creating captivating ads, what often surprises newcomers is the potential for a high return on investment.
Savvy advertisers can achieve excellent results and extend their ad budgets effectively on Facebook.
In Summary,
Facebook Ads offers advertisers a powerful platform for reaching a vast, detailed, and engaged audience with visually appealing and highly targeted ads, all of which can lead to an impressive return on investment.
While the budget for a Facebook advertising campaign can vary significantly based on factors like campaign scope, messaging, and objectives, Facebook Ads are notably cost-effective, particularly when considering their potential impact and the precision with which advertisers can target their desired audiences.
This affordability makes Facebook Ads an appealing option not only for major brands with substantial marketing budgets but also for small businesses and companies with limited resources.
When coupled with the platform's potential for high returns, Facebook Ads stand out as one of the most cost-effective online advertising solutions available today.
When it comes to comparing Google Ads and Facebook Ads, both platforms are potent tools suitable for a wide range of businesses. It becomes evident that viewing them as complementary, rather than competitive, is a more effective approach.
Some may draw parallels between Facebook Ads and the Google Display Network, but their unique evolution highlights that Google and Facebook should be used in harmony, not as rivals.
Leveraging the capabilities of paid search and paid social in unison creates a highly effective advertising strategy. However, it requires a dual advertising approach that capitalizes on the strengths of each platform.
While maintaining consistent marketing messaging across both Google and Facebook Ads is important, understanding how to maximize each platform's potential for optimal return on investment and business growth is crucial.
To delve deeper into optimizing your Google Ads and Facebook Ads campaigns, explore the free resources available at WordStream's PPC University. PPC U offers comprehensive guidance for mastering paid search and paid social, even for advertisers with modest budgets, helping you achieve more with your advertising efforts.
