When you’re first deciding to spend some money of paid advertising (or you’re trying to spend your money in a better way), you want to know the ads that will serve you best.
Which is better Facebook Ads or Google Ads?
I want to talk about these 2 platforms, because they are the main advertising platforms right now (when I saw Facebook, that includes Instagram).
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I realize you can advertise on LinkedIn (good for B2B but in my experience are at a higher cost, but test them out if you think they are for you), Twitter, YouTube, etc. but really think that if you’re not sure and just starting out, Facebook Ads and Google Ads are the best place to start.
What is the difference between Facebook ads and Google ads?
First, let’s start with what each ad is, and what they look like.
Facebook Ads
When you are scrolling through Facebook, there are a couple different spots for these ads. In your newsfeed you will notice there are ads and you can identify with the words ‘Sponsored’ on the post.
In the right column, there is also a space for ads. (If you only use mobile, you won’t have any idea what I’m talking about!)
You might also notice in your messenger, that there are Facebook ads throughout.
Google Ads
With Google Ads, they appear at the very top and very bottom of search and you can identify them by the tiny square ‘ad’ beside them.
You can also find Google ads on the ‘display network, which are websites off of Google, as well as video ads.
Which ad platform is best for my business?
First off, you want to really think about where your customers are. Are your customers using social media regularly and on Facebook and Instagram? Or, are your clients more likely to be searching on Google for specific things, services, etc?
For my business specifically, I get a lot of organic traffic from Google, and my website ranks fairly well, which is great. I also know that most people mention that they ‘Googled’ local social media companies. The best bet for me (in my opinion) would be to run Google ads to lead to my website, for my specific services. However, if I was trying to fill a local event, I would likely rely more on creating an ad around an event, as well as share to local Facebook groups, because that is where my suitable clients are hanging out.
If for some reason your business is not ranking on Google for one of your chosen keywords, I would suggest running an ad so that your business at least shows up on page 1. (I highly suggest doing some work on your website and aiming to be on page 1 of Google organically as well).
Facebook ads are ideal for:
- local events
- retargeting people who have visited your website/ online shop
- building up your Facebook page
Google ads are ideal for:
- specific products and services
- a new product or service that you aren’t ranking online for
- e-commerce sales
AdEspresso created this awesome infographic comparing the 2 advertising platforms.
In my opinion, if you still aren’t sure which one is best for your business, split your ad budget in half and spend some on each platform to test and measure the effectiveness of each one. Just make sure to actually measure to see which helped you achieve your goal in the best way.
Have you ran Google ads or Facebook ads before? What was your experience? Share with me in the comments!
