5.6 billion searches a day on Google. 2.9 billion monthly active users on Facebook.

And these numbers just keep increasing with every passing minute.

In fact, by the time you reached this sentence, Google had already received about 190,000 search queries.

But these are not just numbers, these are potential leads and future buyers.

You want to run digital ads. You have these two amazing platforms for options. Yet you are here, on this page, because you are confused about choosing one.

Facebook ads vs Google ads – which one do I choose?

You choose the platform that aligns with your ultimate goals and preferences. But to get the exact answer and to get yourself out of the fix, you will have to understand which platform is better for which aspect of a digital campaign.

Are you looking for Google Ads vs Facebook Ads revenue or are you wondering about the Facebook vs Google ads cost?

Here are the things you need to consider while finalizing a platform. Read on.

Campaign Goal

Do you want to increase brand awareness? Or are you looking for more leads?

Or is the hike in your product/ service sales that you are looking for?

Your goal for the digital campaign will help you get an answer to the ultimate question: Facebook Ad vs Google Ad – which is better for my business?

Each platform comes with its own features benefitting different aspects of your campaign. But which feature do you want to take advantage of is a question that you will be able to answer only after you’re clear with your campaign goal.

For instance, if you want to build awareness and grow your audience, Facebook Ads would be a better option. But, for immediate sales or leads with each search having high buying intent, Google Ads is your answer.

But, it is not always that easy. Sometimes, you would think that going with both would be a better option but it is exceeding your budget. Other times, you would want to stick with just one platform but are unable to figure out which one.

In such cases, taking help from PPC services would be your best shot. After all, both Facebook Ads and Google Ads are two gorillas of PPC advertising. And to tame a gorilla, you need someone who understands its fluctuating behavior well enough.

Buyer Intent

At which stage of the buyer’s journey is your target audience? Is the Top of The Funnel (TOFU) stage you are targeting through your ads or the Middle of The Funnel (MOFU).

Okay, let’s simplify this.

It is a hundred degrees outside. You are sitting on your couch in the comfort of your home, enjoying the breeze from your AC.

Suddenly, it stops working. The heat kicks in. Getting the AC fixed is now the utmost priority to you.

So, what would you do?

Search on Google to look for AC repair services?

Contact the repairing service, the ad for which you came across on Facebook three months ago?

Should we go ahead and assume that it’s the former?

Now, scenario 2.

This time again, you are chilling on your couch in the comfort of your home. But this time, your AC doesn’t break. You just scroll through your Facebook feed.

You come across an attractive and attention-grabbing ad for the new organic food store that has just opened near your location. The ad is offering a massive discount for first-timers. So, the name sticks with you.

After a week, you have run out of groceries. You are going out to replenish your stock when you remember the new organic food store that you saw on Facebook.

What would you do?

Wouldn’t you go to that very store?

If yes then this is how the buyer intent of your target audience helps you choose a platform for you.

Campaign Cost/ ROI

Budget is one of the main factors to choose one platform over another. Even though both are CPC advertising, one is comparatively cheaper than the other.

As of 2021, the average CPA for Facebook Ads in the US is $11.76 and $9.76 for the UK. For Google, on the other hand, the CPA for a high SV (search volume) keyword can range from $48.96 to $75.51.

As of the CPC game, Facebook Ads is, again, the winner in almost every industry. Check out the graph below to understand it better.

Basically, if your daily budget for a Google Ad is $100 and you are being charged $40 per click then getting about two clicks would produce a great output for you. In that case, you can choose Facebook Ads over Google Ads. However, if you have set a high campaign budget, then it’s a whole different story.

Audience Size

Both Google and Facebook have massive reach. But those massive numbers would be of no value if your audience is out of reach.

So, ask yourself:

Is your product/ service search-oriented or better suited for social?
Which platform is your TA most active on?
What do most of your TAs use? Mobiles or desktops?

Answers to these questions will help streamline your decision effectively.

A piece of advice – Advertising on mobiles is an opportunity you can’t shy away from. Why are we saying so? Because as of 2022, mobile advertising is a 449.64 billion dollar industry. Out of this, the social media advertising mobile contributes 140.92 billion dollars. Too big of a number to ignore, isn’t it?

Competition Analysis and Historical Data

If you are at the developing stage of your campaign, looking into historical data and learning from it would help you prepare an effective strategy.

Find out which strategy and platform worked better for your competitors in the past. This information will not only serve as reference material for you but also become a benchmark for you to surpass.

This is a great source for you to figure out the areas of opportunities and insights into the strategies that have worked in the past.

These are the questions you need to find the answers to.

What kind of ads are your competitors running?
What is their messaging?
Which platform are they using?
Is the chosen platform working for them?

Facebook Ads vs Google Ads: Which One Do I Choose?

After going through all the details mentioned above, you must have understood that one platform is not inherently better than the other. However, one is better than the other for your campaign. Which one? Depends on these factors:

1. What is the goal of your campaign? Do you want to get quick sales or are you aiming at a wider audience by expanding your brand recognition?

2. Which stage of the buyer’s journey are you targeting? Top-of-the-funnel? Facebook. Middle or bottom-of-the-funnel? Google.

3. What is your budget? For competitive industries, Google Ads is comparatively costlier than Facebook. So, choose a platform keeping this in mind.

4. What is the size of your target audience? Based on the audience size, figure out which platform they would be more active on.

5. Which platform has worked for a similar strategy in the past? Do competitive analysis and read through historical data to get insights.

If both the platforms seem interesting to you, by all means, go ahead. In fact, if used together, both of these PPC advertising platforms work better. All you will have to do is track the results from both platforms. This will help you find out your top-performing channel.
And that would become another way for you to answer the question, with which, it all began – Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: Which is Better?