To those new to the world of online marketing and advertising, it may seem daunting to explore all the options available to you. Facebook Ads and Google Ads dominate the online advertising space, and for a good reason, the platforms combined have billions of users every day. But what is the difference between the two? Read on for the critical difference between Facebook Ads and Google Ads and which platform may be right for your business.

Online Advertising Is Important

These days customers want answers fast, and with the rise of smartphones and personal computers, Googling is the best bet for when people are ready to make a purchase. To stay viable as a business, it is essential to advertise online. Now more than ever, it is easier to find and search for products and services online, which means it is even more competitive for brands like yours. This is where online advertising comes in, to get your brand in front of the eyeballs of prospective clients who may want your product or service.

With the continuing shifts in the way consumers purchase and look up brand information, the customer journey has shifted, and brands need a way to stand out amid all the online noise. This is why online advertising is so important.

According to AdEspresso, online advertising (Facebook and Google) can help you to:

• Build brand awareness.
• Drive buyer behaviour.
• Provide reminders to curious buyers.
• Use repetition to improve sales.
• Provide multiple purchase pathways.  

Before we get into the difference between Facebook Ads and Google Ads, let’s first discuss what each platform offers to advertisers.

Google Ads

Google is the world’s largest search engine. According to Website Builder, Google processes over 63,000 search queries every second. This essentially amounts to 5.5 billion searches per day and an astounding 3 trillion searches per year. That’s a lot of people to advertise to.

The different types of campaigns you can use with Google include:

• Search network campaigns
• Display network campaigns
• Google Shopping Ads
• Video campaigns
• App campaigns.

According to Lyfe Marketing, Google Ads has become one of the world’s largest and most popular pay per click advertising platforms. This means that advertisers on Google only pay when a user clicks on their ad.  Other search engines use similar methods, but Google is the most popular and successful option available for this type of marketing and advertising.

Facebook Ads

Facebook remains the world’s largest social media network. There were over 2.7 billion active users in the second quarter of 2020. According to Forbes, over 180 million businesses use Facebook to connect to and advertise to customers.

While Google Ads focus on paid search, Facebook Ads is about paid social. The behaviours and patterns of your target audience are what makes paid social advertising so effective. Through Facebook, you can tap into the personal experiences of your customers and their interactions with your business.

The different types of ad formats you can use on Facebook include:

• Videos
• Photos
• Slideshows
• Carousels
• Dynamic product ads
• Lead form ads.

The Difference Between Facebook Ads and Google Ads

It is crucial that you understand the difference between Facebook Ads and Google Ads, and we touched on this primary difference briefly above. Facebook Ads is paid social meanwhile Google Ads is paid search.

Paid search focuses on targeting keywords and the use of text-based advertisement. Advertisers using Google Ads bid on keywords. These keywords are the specific words and phrases entered into Google by users in their search queries. Advertisers bid to have their ads displayed alongside search results for these queries. Google Ads users are paying to find new customers based on keywords and search terms people enter into Google.

Meanwhile, paid social is the practice of advertising on social networks. Paid social helps users to find businesses based on the things they’re engaged with.

WordStream breaks down the difference between Google Ads and Facebook Ads as this: Google Ads help you find new customers, while Facebook Ads helps new customers find you.

Which Platform Should You Choose?

Now you know the difference between Facebook Ads and Google Ads, they are not in direct competition with each other but provide different types of advertising options. How do you decide which platform to advertise on?

This depends on your brand goals.

On Google, you can bid on millions of keywords to get your ads to rank higher, reach new people and increase your exposure. Meanwhile, on Facebook, people share so much information about themselves that you can use this data to target people. In simpler terms, Google focuses on lead conversion, and Facebook relies on brand outreach and awareness. Therefore, it depends on where you are in the sales and marketing funnel and how you want to target potential clients.

For example, if you are a new company, then brand awareness campaigns on Facebook will garner a better return on investment, than a Google Ad. Meanwhile, an established product or service that is searchable on Google is better for a client with Google Ads.

 Key takeaways

The conversation should never be Google Ads vs Facebook Ads, in an adversarial way. Instead, focus on the needs of the company and the industry you are in to determine if paid search (Google) or paid social (Facebook) is better for your business.

Sources: WordStream, AdEspresso by Hootsuite, Website Builder, Forbes, Lyfe Marketing, Statista and Search Engine Journal.