Facebook Ads Vs. Google Ads: Which Should You Choose?

Facebook Ads and Google Ads are both giants in the digital advertising landscape, and both have their benefits. But determining which is better for your business depends on a few key things. 

Is your goal raising brand awareness or drawing bottom-of-the-funnel traffic? If it’s the former, Facebook, with its slew of engagement and ad design options, seamless visual integration of ads with regular content, and a user base accustomed to sharing things they’re interested in, is the ideal option. And if it’s the latter, go with Google. Because when people google, they’re actively looking to answer a question. If that question is “custom mugs,” your custom mugs Google Ad, complete with a website link, will land right in their line of sight. 

And on that note, how do you want to target your ads? While both Facebook and Google offer demographic targeting, that’s where the similarities end. Google, for instance, offers keyword targeting (so with “custom mugs” as your keyword, your ad will show up to people who’ve googled custom mugs or visited custom mugs related sites). But Facebook takes the cake when it comes to advanced targeting options. Behaviours, interests, relationship status. Custom and Lookalike audiences. Facebook is a goldmine for companies needing refined targeting, like businesses operating in niche markets. And it’s a goldmine for companies still trying to figure out who their customers are. 

What’s your budget, and how do you want to spend it? On average, Facebook CPCs and CPAs tend to be 50% cheaper than Google Ads’. However, exact costs can vary wildly depending on industry and ad placement. For instance, while the average CPCs of auto industry ads are nearly the same, a consumer services ad on Google will be 2x more expensive than on Facebook. Ad placements on Instagram will come at twice the price of those on Facebook, and Google matches this with an average CPA of $75.51 for Display ads compared to $48.96 for search. You should also take your goal into account here. Google’s higher costs come with the benefit of a higher CTR as you’ll be reaching customers at the end of the buying journey. And as Facebook is geared toward brand awareness, it comes with a conversion rate of 9-10%, compared to Google’s 3-4%.

There isn’t a definitive answer as to whether Facebook Ads or Google Ads is better. But we hope that these points helped you determine which is the better option for your business.