Are you wondering which of the two giant advertising networks is better to use? In this week’s blog post we put Google Ads and Facebook Ads against each other to find out which is the better option. To compare the two, we are going to look at a few aspects.
When it comes to the audience size, Google gets about 3.5 billion searches per day whereas Facebook reaches 1.85 billion daily active users.
We can look at Google and Facebook separately, or together with their two sibling companies that are interconnected in the advertising functions. Instagram with its 1 billion monthly active users, which is owned by Facebook, and YouTube with 5 billion videos watched daily is owned by Google.
Alright, so we know that both or either attract a massive number of people. What we want to know more about is - do they attract the right people and what do they do once they are on the platform?
People who type in searches in Google are normally looking for either an answer to a question or a solution to a problem. Not everyone is looking to buy something, but those who do, are many times ready with their wallet in their hand and are very likely to buy once they have found the product or service.
On Facebook, on the other hand, people log in to socialize, watch their news channels, watch stories, read about “tips & tricks” and things alike. They want to be entertained while doing passive scrolling. This is a great crowd for impulsive, or spontaneous, sales. If you’re selling something fun, trendy, or emotionally engaging like a party game or a “teddy bear holiday gift” - Facebook could be the better marketplace. Although, if you’re selling something specific or generic, like “water boiler” or “white socks” it’s not as easy to be successful here.
So, for specific and often more practical products and services - Google Ads is the better option. Facebook Ads are great for pretty or trending products, and socially/emotionally engaging services.
Also, think about what your goal at this stage is. If it’s brand awareness, then Facebook Ads can be a great option. If you rather want a high sales number, then Google Ads is better suited because Google searchers are ready to buy.
Remember though, people need to get to know you and your business before you generate more sales. Make yourself popular and the customers will come to you. It’s a common say that if you get a customer to come back a third time, the likelihood of them becoming a regular customer is most likely set! You don’t always have to be the best of the best, but more importantly, the most known and convenience is also a key factor.
Also, if you are doing B2B targeting, it’s been shown that Google Ads give better results. If you on the other hand are doing B2C targeting then Facebook could offer an advantage.
When it comes to Google Ads, most of us know that simple text ads are the most popular. With Google Ads, we can also make display ads that show on other platforms in form of images. We can also use video ads through YouTube.
Facebook allows for more text in their ads and a greater variety of media content, which can make Facebook Ads more visually appealing, especially if we also use Instagram.
The overall average cost per click for Google Ads is $2.69 and for Facebook Ads, it’s $1.72. Although, the average cost per click primarily depends on your niche and competition. The price difference between niches is lower for Facebook Ads.
Below we see two charts that represent the average click price on the respective advertising platforms:
In the end, marketing today is much about trial and error. You need to experiment until you find something that works for you and your business. The final conclusion is that both Google Ads and Facebook Ads offer great methods of advertising. Which one to choose depends more on your business model, needs, goals, and the way you want to approach your target market.
Still confused and not sure which one to pick? Try both and see which one works the best. Keep in mind though that what works best today may not be the best at a different time and stage of your company. Or, you might stick with the same for years! Either way, it’s a good idea to always be responsive prepared to adapt.
Both platforms we’d say are quite complex and there is much to keep in mind. Therefore, as experienced digital marketers, we are here to help you!
Sources: Lyfemarketing (website), LYFEmarketing (YouTube Channel), Webfx, Statista.
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