How is Facebook Advertising Different Than Google PPC Ads

There was a time when the king of online advertising was Google AdWords, now Google Ads. It’s still a major player, but many businesses choose Facebook advertising instead of or in addition to Google advertising.

Digital marketing is always evolving, and online advertising is no exception. Businesses originally treated Facebook and Google advertising like adversaries in the digital Thunderdome, but social media advertising and Google advertising are both essential to a well-rounded advertising campaign.

Let’s examine the differences between these two advertising juggernauts and how you can use them together for a better marketing strategy.

The Ins and Outs of Google Ads

Long before social media advertising became a factor, Google AdWords was the best game in town. Sure, Bing has ads too, but they couldn’t come close to the market share of Google. Today, Google Ads is still the biggest online advertiser using the Pay Per Click methodology.

Google Ads uses search, display, video, and shopping ads across the Internet to help find new customers. If you’ve ever seen a display ad on a website, it’s probably Google. 

The ads on YouTube above and below search results are also Google’s. When you search for a product and see a line of products across the search page, that’s Google Ads too. 

The ads work by choosing various keywords that you bid on in an online auction. When a person searches on Google for that keyword, you have a bid amount and monthly budget used in the auction and Google determines whose ad is displayed.

You can also use audience targeting to narrow down the people that see your ad and use negative keyword matching to make sure your ads only show up for people relevant to your business niche. You can also reach people that recently visited and left your site through retargeting ads.

If someone clicks on the ads and visits your landing page, then you’re charged for the click. The Google Ads platform is complex and easy to spend money without results. That’s why it’s important to have a virtual marketing agency like No To The Quo that has PPC experts that can maximize your returns on investment.

Welcome to Facebook Advertising

Facebook is one of several social media platforms that have advertising options. It includes Pay Per Click ads as well, but also sponsored posts. Unlike Google, the ads are only viewed across the platform or other companies owned by the platform. 

Many businesses choose to invest in sponsored posts to help increase customer engagement and views. Several years ago, a business could post on Facebook and have a significant portion of their followers see it.

The platform changed the algorithm to decrease the number of followers who see the post and now it’s difficult to get viewership of your posts. Countless businesses lament having thousands of followers and only a small fraction seeing their posts.

Businesses pay money for sponsored posts to increase the reach not only to existing followers but to others as well. While we don’t recommend paying money for every post, it’s important to boost posts that are important such as major sales, contests, etc. 

Much like Google Ads, Facebook uses a similar auction process to determine who sees Facebook ads and has an in-depth audience targeting process to help narrow down who sees your ads. The primary difference between Google and Facebook is Google finds customers for you and Facebook helps customers find you.

Advantages of Both Google Ads and Facebook Ads

One of the biggest advantages Google has is the range of ad formats available. While Facebook has ads on the platform and sponsored posts, you see Google ads everywhere. Google handles billions of search requests every day and each one has the potential to be a customer for your suggested keywords.

It also has additions such as retargeting, site links, and more that come regularly. The Google Ads platform of today is far different than a few years ago and it’s likely to be far different a few years from now.

Facebook advertising has unparalleled audience targeting capabilities thanks to the amount of personal data available to the platform. While Google has access to your searches, website visits, etc., it lacks the personalization of Facebook. 

With more than a billion people using Facebook regularly, that’s a massive amount of user data. Facebook targets people based on interests, beliefs, etc. Advertisers can use lookalike audiences to find people with interests like customers in your database.

Use Both in Your Digital Advertising Campaigns

When you examine your advertising goals and audience, one platform seems better than the other, but there is room for both in your advertising campaigns. Don’t think of them as gladiators battling it out for your business, but partners that each bring something to the table.

You can’t beat the reach of Google Ads. You can’t beat the targeting of Facebook Ads. When using both platforms, keep your messaging consistent against both platforms and regularly evaluate your return on investment.

If the platforms are too confusing or you’re not getting what you want out of them, then consider your virtual marketing department. Our experts know everything there is to know about the platforms as well as other social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Leverage the strengths of both platforms to maximize your return on investment. Too many businesses take a create and let it go attitude, but even subtle changes to your ad campaigns have significant benefits to your budget and bottom line.

Their Differences Are Their Strengths

Facebook advertising and Google advertising are different, and those differences are what make them perfect for use in your marketing campaigns. We’ve seen businesses have amazing gains in Facebook advertising, especially for special events and holidays. Google Ads provides consistency and versatility that no one can compete with.

Don’t treat the platforms as adversaries, but instead as two sides of the same coin. Your marketing efforts benefit from both. 

If you want to learn more about these amazing platforms or want to know how we can turn your suffering campaigns into marketing juggernauts, then please contact us today. 

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