Facebook and Google ads are the two gorillas of paid campaigns that drive significant business traffic. So, out of the 78% of marketers, about 29% use Google ads, while 22% rely on Facebook ads.

If you plan to run both in congruence to maximize the reach, that would be impossible because money and time are limited.

So, where would you need to start to get the most out of your paid advertisement?

Whether you are just getting started or are an expert, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each platform will help you make the right decision.

Let's read this article to learn about the key differences, pros, and limitations of both. You can also find here how Abyssale empowers you to create a remarkable ad campaign for both platforms and helps you grow.

Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: An Overview

Google and Facebook are two of the most popular and robust advertising platforms. Before deciding which platform will be better for your business’s needs, let’s first understand them both in detail here:

Google Ads

Google Ads is Google's online paid advertising platform, which lets users create PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns. Ad campaigns can be created in various formats, including video, text, and banner ads. These ads can be displayed across search engines (Google Search) and non-search mobile apps, videos, and websites.

Google Ads reaches up to 90% of the world’s internet users. So, it significantly increases the chances of turning a casual browser into a potential customer. But what makes Google Ads so successful? Let's see it here:

#. Advanced Targeting Options:

With this platform, precision in targeting goes far beyond keywords. Businesses can tailor ad campaigns based on languages, locations, devices, and in-market audiences, ensuring that ads reach the most relevant audience.

#. Expansive Reach:

You can also extend your ad visibility and reach across the Google properties network, which includes Gmail, YouTube, and partner websites through Display Network. So, a business can be sure that its ads will reach targeted customers anywhere on the internet.

#. High-Intent Targeting:

Google Ads is the king of getting high-intent traffic. When users search anything on Google, they are seeking a solution, making a decision, or researching. By targeting their search queries, Google Ads search intent lets businesses present their solutions where they are most needed.

Facebook Ads

Meta has about 3 billion active users per day, and of all the social media platforms, Facebook stands out as the most well-known. The platform offers businesses a golden opportunity to reach the target audience through Facebook ads.

Facebook Ads are targeted ads across Meta properties (Instagram and Facebook). They can appear in Stories, main feeds, or Reels on Instagram and Facebook. Facebook Ads audience reach is tremendous as these ads reach more than 27% of the world's population.

Below, you can find the reasons behind the success of Facebook ads:

#.Targeting flexibility:

These ads offer considerable flexibility in reaching wide audience segments. Businesses can target the audience based on general interests, location, demographic categories, and engagement on the platform. This approach has effectively boosted brand awareness and connected with targeted buyers.

#. Cost-Effectiveness:

Social media advertising has lower CPC (cost-per-click), so you can engage a wide audience without spending much. It also lets businesses experiment with different ad strategies and creatives.

#. Visual Appeal:

Facebook ads engage the target audience through compelling ad formats that drive interaction and capture the attention within the user's social feed. The ads usually appear as videos, images, story formats, or carousels.

Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: Cost Comparison

Ad cost varies depending on various factors, including competition, industry, and targeting specificity. On average, Google ads vs Facebook ads cost is about 56% lower.

The average CPC on Google is $0.63 for display and $2.69 for search (depending on the industry). At the same time, the average CPC of Facebook ads has dropped from $0.83 to $0.77 this year.

The cost per click Google Ads vs Facebook Ads is lower because of the precise targeting and extensive user data. This cost can also be decreased further through the bidding process. Bidding lets advertisers decide how much they want to spend on impressions, clicks, or conversions.

On the other hand, Google Ads are expensive because the competition for keywords is high, which raises the bids. This cost is particularly high for certain industries. For example, the average CPC for finance, legal, tech, and insurance is higher than others. Though the price is high, Google Ads brings higher-quality leads that are ready to be converted.

To choose between these platforms based on your budget, compare the Google and Facebook Ads CPC within different industries. To help you out, we have scrutinized five industries (finance, business, education, home and garden, and internet and telecom).

The highest CPC among the five industries in Facebook ads is for finance ($3.89). Banks and mobile payment systems want to offer great value to their customer base, so they spend a lot to get the audience to click on their ads on Facebook.

Google Ads follows a similar trajectory, and finance leads the peak with $5.16 per click. In the business industry, advertisers pay $3.8 per click for Google Ads and $2.5 per click for Facebook Ads.

The CPC for the education industry is $2.11 for Facebook Ads and $2.45 for Google Ads. Likewise, advertisers will pay $3.0/click for internet and telecom and $2.69/click for Google Ads. For the same industries, CPC for Facebook ads will be $3.07 (internet and telecom) and $2.78 (home and garden).

Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: ROI (Return on Investment)

Google ads vs Facebook ads ROI is significantly lower. So, with higher ROI (return on investment), Google Ads lets businesses drive direct conversions through targeted keywords. However, these ads cannot help you build brand awareness.

Facebook Ads help boost brand awareness, offer a cost-effective route for broader reach, and improve engagement. The other benefit of these ads is the targeting option, which lets you segment the targeted audience precisely. It is vital for creating impactful ad campaigns. However, Facebook Ads may not lead to direct leads, sales, or conversions.

So, which platform you should pick?

The answer to this question depends on your business needs and goals. For example, if you aim to generate leads, Google Ads will be a good option. Facebook Ads are a better option if you want to boost brand recognition.

Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: Audience Targeting

Choosing the right advertising platform between Facebook Ads and Google Ads can greatly impact a business's online marketing success. Undoubtedly, both platforms offer you extensive reach and robust targeting. Regarding Google Ads vs Facebook Ads audience targeting, both platforms serve differently.

For example, Google Ads operates through search engine queries and excels in capturing demand by targeting specific keywords (related to user's searches). As a result, Google Ads targeting capabilities let businesses reach customers who intend to find or purchase a specific product or service. That’s why Google Ads are effective in driving conversions.

Besides the Google Ads keyword targeting, you can also target the audience based on their locations, previous interactions, and devices. It lets you build more effective and refined targeting strategies, especially for B2B buyers. With an [average conversion rate](https://www.tripledart.com/b2b-ppc/google-ads#:~:text=Despite the complexities%2C Google ads,drive revenue for your business.) of 7.04%, businesses can easily reach potential customers, acquire qualified leads, and generate revenue.

On the other hand, Facebook outshines the competition in creating demand. The platform utilizes interest-based and demographic targeting to reach a specific audience who may not be actively searching but are interested in your products.

For example, with Facebook, you can target the audience based on location, age, interests, and online behavior. This deep granularity enables you to reach the target audience, making the ads more effective and relevant.

To target Lookalike audiences Facebook, you can also create groups similar to your present customers and reach new users interested in your services. Isn't this one of the best Facebook Ads targeting options?

Although Facebook is well-known for B2C advertisement, you cannot underestimate its power for B2B advertisement. That's because Facebook Ads are cheaper and offer an average conversion rate of 10.63% for B2B Facebook marketing strategies. It also lets B2B companies reach their target businesses depending on job titles, interests, and specific industries.

Ad Placement: Google vs Facebook

Ad placement refers to the locations where the ads are displayed, including ads on websites like YouTube videos or blogs. It plays a key role and can greatly maximize your reach. You should place ads strategically so that your target audience can easily see them. Ultimately, it will increase brand awareness, traffic, and sales.

Both platforms offer various options regarding Google Display Network vs Facebook Ads placement. Let's look over them in detail here:

Google Ads

In the case of Google ads, the ads can be placed on the following:‍

#. Google Search Network

The Google Search Network includes different apps and search-related websites where your ads appear. When you advertise, ads appear beside, above, or below the search results when someone searches with the terms related to your keywords. These ads can also appear on Google search partners, including hundreds of non-Google websites, other Google sites, and YouTube.

The Google Search Network can show different types of ads, such as text ads, responsive search ads, call-only ads, shopping ads, and dynamic search ads. Compared to Facebook ads, most marketers prefer Google search ads as they offer better control over ad placement.

#. Display Network

The Display Network is a collection of about 35 million websites, apps, and mobile sites. It also includes specific Google websites such as Gmail, Google Finance, and Blogger, where display ads are shown. Therefore, you must have seen these ads in Gmail or new sites. It is because all these platforms are part of the Google Display network.

The ads appear on the websites depending on the targeting methods advertisers choose. In the case of Display advertising on Google, there are various ways to target the ads, for example:

  1. You can select the specific pages or websites
  2. Select the topics and keywords related to what you are offering
  3. Advertisers can choose specific audiences depending on their demographics, interests, or whether they visited their website earlier.
  4. YouTube

That is also possible if you want ads from your Display campaign to appear on YouTube. However, you must edit the ad placements, and your ads will appear on specific channels, such as YouTube or all of YouTube. Plus, you can also exclude the ads from appearing with certain content.

Facebook Ads

For the Facebook Ads placement, you have various options, including the following:

#1. Instagram

When the ads scroll on the main feed, Instagram feed ads appear to the target audience. Unlike the Facebook news feed ads, the ads on Instagram are only available on mobile applications. The ads appear like regular posts, but you add the CTA (call to action) buttons.

Instagram news feed attracts the most traffic, so these ads will be a great way to reach your target audience. The engagement rate of these ads is ten times higher than that of Facebook ads, which is another advantage.

#2. Messenger

The Messenger Inbox ads appear between conversations in the home section of the app. They are marked as ads with users' chat logs. Advertisers can add CTAs to these ads so users can easily open and access them.

The Messenger Stories ads appear between the stories shared on the Messenger platform. Messenger will be a great option for ad placement if your business uses Messenger to communicate with customers.

#3. Facebook Feed

Facebook news feed placement is one of the common choices for Facebook ad placement. That's because it is the first place a person sees after logging into the account. Desktop news feed ads have higher CPC and CTR (click-through rates) than other Facebook ad types. Mobile news feed ads have higher click-through rates but lower cost-per-click than desktop news feed ads.

#4. Audience Network

Audience Network ads will appear on external applications through Facebook SDK (which hosts Facebook advertisers on the apps). App publishers can choose the ad formats they want to integrate into their app experience.

The available ad formats are rewarded video ads, native, interstitial, and banner ads. These ads are shown in different applications across various industries. Facebook SDK places these ads where they are most effective for the users of a specific application.

Ad Performance and Metrics Comparison

There are different ad performance metrics that you can use to monitor the success of your campaigns on both Facebook and Google like:

  1. Cost Per Click (CPC): You pay the cost per click. Remember that CPC (cost per click) will decrease, leading to a high-quality score and an improvement in the ad rank. To achieve your marketing goals, try to maintain a lower CPC.
  2. Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM): The cost of reaching one thousand customers via digital advertisement. Higher CPM means your ads reach internet users at a lower cost, and lower CPM means low cost. Marketers can use CPM to compare the cost of advertisement across different platforms. After that, a budget can be created to maximize the reach and reduce the expenses.
  3. Conversion Rates: This rate measures the digital engagement of your products or brand to enhance your marketing strategy. It measures the transition from passive browsing to actions taken by your potential customers on apps, websites, or other digital platforms. The more customers engage with your ads, the higher the conversion rate, which shows the success of your marketing campaign.

Besides these, there are various metrics which you can track to monitor the Google Ads performance like:

  1. Conversion Tracking: Conversion occurs when an ad achieves its purpose. With Google Ads conversion tracking, advertisers can see how effectively clicks lead to desiring action. So, set up the monitoring conversion tracking and monitor the success of your marketing campaign.
  2. Click-Through Rates: The click-through rate is the percentage of people who saw your ads and clicked on them. A good CTR for Google Ads ranges from 7% to 9% and can vary depending on the industry. You are on the right track if your CTR falls in this range.

You can track engagement to monitor the performance of Facebook ads. Engagement tells you how well your ads appeal to the audience. The total number of comments, shares, clicks, and reactions that your ad receives can also be helpful.

Retargeting Capabilities

Retargeting helps you keep your products or brand at the top of your mind and encourages conversions by staying in front of the target buyers. Both platforms (Google and Facebook) offer various options for retargeting the specific audience. But here, retargeting with Facebook Ads is hands-down the winner for its advanced retargeting options.

Facebook, for example, uses the pixel to track visitors. If visitors leave without taking any action (purchase), they will be presented with relevant ads the next time they log in to Facebook.

Custom audiences let you connect and retarget people who have already shown interest in your products. You can also source Facebook lookalike audiences from custom audiences. The lookalike audience lets you reach new customers who resemble your present audience.

If you run display advertising on Google, there are various options you can benefit from. For example, you can leverage the Display Network and Google’s reach to reach your retargeting audience.

Retargeting with Google Ads uses visitor data collected from your apps or websites through a pixel. The data is then used to find the same audience and show them your ads.

Best Platform for Your Business: B2B vs B2C

Google Ads are an ideal choice for B2B customers. These ads let you reach the audience interested in your brand by targeting browsing behavior or specific search queries. It increases the chances of conversions significantly. Also, by understanding customers' intent, you can effectively tailor messages or B2B advertising strategies to address their needs.

On the other hand, Facebook Ads are best for B2C businesses because of their social proof. Facebook Ads with user-generated content have a 300% higher CTR, 50% lower CPA, and 50% lower CPC. Remember that Facebook is a social platform where people come to connect with other people. So, if you integrate customer content with your ads, your target audience will see the ads as recommendations from their friends.

You should also add Facebook Ads to your B2C advertising strategies, as they help you boost brand awareness. These ads are visually more engaging and help you engage more people. Ultimately, they always keep your products and brands in the minds of those you want to sell to!

Which Platform Is Best for eCommerce?

For now, you must be thinking about the best platform for eCommerce ads. Facebook Ads and Google Ads allow e-commerce businesses to achieve their marketing goals.

For example, Facebook dynamic ads allow you to create personalized ads for every potential buyer who visits your store. Resultantly, you can automatically promote the most relevant products to the audience.

Facebook Ads with social proofs also make your customers feel more comfortable while purchasing. E-commerce businesses can take advantage of Facebook SDK to retarget potential customers.

In the case of Google Ads, product listing ads let you provide detailed information rather than text-based ads. It encourages them to click through advertisers' websites.

Likewise, you can also take advantage of shopping campaigns to boost traffic to your website, get better-qualified leads, and promote the inventory. Google Ads also enables eCommerce businesses to target people interested in their products using high-intent keywords.

So, choose Facebook or Google ads; both can help you maximize your reach and revenue!

Tools to Maximize Your Ads’ Performance

If you want to scale up your ad production and create eye-catching ads within seconds, automate the ad production process using tools like Abyssale. Abyssale lets you generate all the ads within a few seconds from the available templates. Plus, it provides different tools that you can use to generate different images and variations in batches. It cuts down on repetitive tasks and frees up time.

The other plus is that Abyssale lets you create highly personalized images. You can use the URL parameters to create customized visuals and boost marketing campaigns. You have to select the layers of the template, and that's it. You can also scale up marketing videos. With Abyssale, you can create powerful workflows. You can integrate anything from the tool stack inside Abyssale.

Whether you choose Facebook or Google for your marketing campaign, the visual ad creation process can be automated for both with Abyssale. Ultimately, it will enhance efficiency and let you stay ahead of the competition!

Conclusion

Though Facebook ads are cheaper, they have a limited reach. While Google ads let you target a larger pool of potential customers, they often cost more. Likewise, Facebook ads are a better option for building brand awareness, and Google ads are best for making sales. So, in this scenario, choosing between Facebook and Google ads will depend on your marketing goals, budget, ad placement, and target audience.

Whether you choose Facebook or Google ads, running the marketing campaigns on both platforms will be difficult. So, seamlessly automate your ad creation process with Abyssale and design ad campaigns for any of the two platforms. The tool boosts the ad creation speed 10X, saves time, and lets you launch more ad campaigns. Plus, you can connect the Abyssale with your existing tools to generate thousands of asset variations within a few seconds.

So, what are you waiting for? Get Abyssale today and launch incredible ad campaigns without relying on the designers!