Difference Between Google Adwords and Facebook Ads

Search Intent vs Awareness

When it comes to Google, searchers are on a mission. They’re looking for something specific and want to find what they’re searching for. In the example below, the searcher is intent on finding a good deal on hotels in London.

It’s in the best interest of the advertisers to show an ad that matches this search intent because they want to send the searcher to a page which shows deals based on London hotels. Why? Because the searcher is specifically looking for a good deal on hotels.

Experienced PPC manager recognise this and  and understand this basic principle and make sure they send the user to an optimised page which can convert that potential customer, whereas rookie advertisers frequently make the mistake of advertising for terms that are loosely related to their product and not matching the search intent as close as possible.

With Google, the goal is to display ads that match exactly what people are searching for and by matching search intent this will hopefully increase click through rates and conversions for the ads.

Facebook Ads

Facebook ads on the other hand are different. Facebook allows you to show your ads to people who are not actually searching for your product. They are basically looking at their friends feeds, watching dog videos, looking at photos, essentially minding their own business and they stumble across your ad in their news feed. They were not necessarily searching for your product but they are still exposed to your ad.

Facebook ads are a brilliant way to generate awareness of your company or brand and generate interest for your product. If people are not aware you exist, they can’t be interested in your product or what you are trying to sell and unlike the search intent of google they are not actively searching for your product or brand.

Pro and Cons of Facebook Ads and Google Ads

PROS OF USING GOOGLE ADS
1. Detailed measuring tool makes your campaign easy to track
2. Large potential audience and Immediate influx of traffic
3. Complete control over your daily budget and instant return on investment
4. Different advertising options

CONS OF USING GOOGLE ADS
1. Setup and management can be very time consuming and costly
2. Limited space within your ad
3. Some industries have a higher cost per click (CPC)
4. You could target the wrong audience

PROS OF USING FACEBOOK ADS
1. Complete control over your daily budget and maximum CPC
2. More targeting options
3. You can use images and videos

CONS OF USING FACEBOOK ADS
1. If set up and managed incorrectly, it can be costly
2. Organic reach has been reduced

To Summarise

Google ads are great for reaching customers where they are displaying a high buying intent. You will probably pay a bit more per click but you know what is going through the users mind when they see your ad and landing page.

Facebook offer very powerful targeting and tracking abilities and permit you to reach an audience of people who dont even know your product exists which is great for discovering new customers.

There is a tradeoff on both platforms. Cost per click tends to be lower on Facebook but you need to keep the CPA (Cost per acquisition) metric in mind. For example, if the cost per click on Facebook is 50 cents and on Google its €2.50 but Google converts at a 10 times higher rate, say 10% compare to 1%, then in this scenario the CPA on Google cost per acquisition is a better ROI (Return on investment).

Neither platform though can guarantee conversions. The conversion rate of your ad campaigns are based on how good your ad is and then how well you can convert them on your landing page.