For most things in life, there is no single one size fits all solution and the debate between Google ads and Facebook ads is no exception! There is no one clear answer. You could easily choose to sign on to both and reap the unique rewards of each. 

 

But we know that pursuing both avenues costs time and money (that you may not have). And you may not even benefit from trying your hand at both of these.

So we’re here to help you choose the one that’s right for your business. 

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Are You Ready to Get Loved by Google & Facebook?

 

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Let’s get one thing straight, both of these companies are powerhouses in their own right. 

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Very rarely does a website rise to such prominence that it can be used as a verb. Google has certainly done that and more. Google is the top search engine with over 70,000 searches being conducted each second and it shows no signs of slowing down.  

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And while Facebook is newer, it is a behemoth in its own right clocking in at 2.89 billion monthly users (yes, we said billion).

 

It can be a struggle to choose between two great platforms that both offer unique services for your business, so we’ll break it down for you and examine the critical elements of each.
 

Goals: 

 

Let’s start with goals. This is probably the most important element that you need to consider when you’re deciding between Facebook Ads and Google Ads.

 

Each of these services can help you to accomplish a different goal because they’re functionally different. 

 

They serve different purposes.

Say you need a new coffee mug right away and you’ve got no idea where you can find one. Chances are you’ll pull up Google and search for it. Right? We’ve all done it before.

 

You’ll be met with a few advertisements towards the top of the page with the organic results just underneath.

 

When you see an ad for exactly what you want right at the top of the page why wouldn’t you click it? 

 

Google Ads are great at capturing leads who already intend to buy something or who are already seeking out a product or service.
 

Now, let’s say you know you’re going to need to replace a coffee mug in the next couple of months. The one you have now is covered in stains and just doesn’t match your aesthetic, but the budget is tight and you’re waiting until you have more money to spend.

 

You probably don’t have any immediate idea of where you want to buy it from and since it is not a pressing need, you probably won’t be searching for it on Google any time soon.

 

But what if you’ve seen an advertisement for it on Facebook? 
 

What if it seems perfect for you, almost geared directly at you? 

 

When you do finally decide to take the plunge and make the purchase, the mug you saw on Facebook may be top of mind. 

 

But Facebook allows you to do even more than simply show your advertisement. Perhaps the greatest tool Facebook offers is targeting. 

 

If you know your desired audience, you can target your ad right to them. Let’s say you’ve created an app that automatically alerts users if the weather is about to change but only when they’re outside. You want to run an ad to raise awareness around your new app. You may want to target people who have an interest in outdoor activities between the ages of 20-65 and with Facebook you can do that! 
 

With Facebook, you can also change how your ad is displayed, which offers you a little more creative freedom than you’re allowed on Google.
 

In simple terms, Google is great for targeting users where there is already a demand for your product or service whereas Facebook helps you to build that demand. 
 

Budget: 

 

 There is no hard and fast price for either of these, so you’ll need to do some research before you decide which you’ll go with. 

 

With Google, you are paying cost per click. Meaning you’ll pay every time someone clicks on your advertisement! 
 

Every time someone enters a search on Google a mini-auction takes place. Google compares all of the advertisers who want to be shown for that keyword. They evaluate the advertisers based on their bids (how much they are willing to pay for a single click) as well as the ad copy’s relevance to the keyword. Then they show the results that score the highest in their action. 

Prices vary based on what keywords you want to rank for. If you’re going for an expensive keyword (the price usually depends on the competitiveness) you can very quickly run through your budget. So you need to be strategic about what words you pick and make sure they’ll work for you and get you the most bang for your buck. You’ll also need to make sure the keyword that you choose is relevant to your ad copy. 

 

Facebook requires its advertisers to bid for spots, meaning you’ll have to compete against other advertisers (and hopefully win!), similarly to Google. However, Facebook does grant its advertisers a little bit more control than Google. On Facebook, you can choose between cost-per-click, CPC (like you do for Google) or cost-per-thousand-impressions, CPM. According to WebFX, costs to advertise on Facebook average around “$0.97 per click and $7.19 per 1000 impressions.” They also have categories like cost-per-like and cost-per-download. 

 

Ads that are less relevant to users will end up costing the advertiser more, while relevant advertising could result in cheaper costs.

 

Again, just like Google, Facebook runs an auction and decides between advertisements: which advertiser is willing to pay more, which ad is more relevant to the desired audience, which ad is expected to generate action, etc. 

 

They also may charge you more if your target demographic is very broad. Because you’re targeting a large audience it isn’t likely that all, or even most, of them will be interested in your advertisement (which hurts your CTR and your ad performance). 

 

In the example we used earlier (the app that alerts users to changing weather), we set a huge age range to target. It is unlikely that the advertisement would be equally successful through the whole range. If you find yourself targeting a very broad audience, try to do some additional user research to get very specific on who might be interested in your product (your wallet will thank you!).
 

With both of these platforms, your costs can vary greatly depending on your location, your keywords, and who you’re targeting. Our best recommendation, if you’re still deciding between these two platforms, is to take a look at what it might cost you to run your desired campaign on each. 
 

Results: 
 

Both of these tools have comprehensive analytics features that allow you to see exactly how your ads worked for you. They’ll let you look at invaluable metrics like CTR (click-through rate), your impressions, how much you ended up spending and so much more. The results that you see will tell you a story and help you decide how your company moves forward. 

 

All that being said, these two are very hard to compare. When it comes to Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads, Google is primarily used to  target consumers  who are already very inclined to buy your product or service (whatever it may be). So if your ad appeared for them, if you used the right keywords, there’s a good chance that they bought it, right away. And their purchase will be a hard result that you can point to and see almost immediately. You know that your campaign worked and there was a return on your investment. 

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On the other hand, results like brand awareness can be hard to measure. Facebook is great for helping companies spread awareness about their products/ services. It is great for starting conversations and getting people interested with an eye towards buying. It does not however always result in a sale. Not to say that it can’t, but it may take more time to materialize. Just because a user didn’t click on your Facebook ad or buys your product immediately, it doesn’t mean that they won’t consider it in the future. 
 

There are pros and cons to each of these methods, but it boils down to what will help your company achieve its goals. We hope this article will help you hone in on what they are and how to accomplish them. Happy advertising!