Google AdWords vs Facebook Ads: The Ultimate Showdown

If you’ve come to this page looking for a cage match between these two giants, then I apologize for the misnomer. Fact is, many businesses use ad platforms from both of these tech giants to increase sales leads. So, the better question to ask is, what’s the best ad outlet for you?

Strengths of Google AdWords

Google is the gold standard of search engines with no signs of being dethroned any time soon. Let’s take a look at what makes them the best:

  • Audience Base – According to a July 2019 Oberlo market share report, Google holds 92.18% of all searches on the web, equating to 3.5 billion searches per day. This gives advertisers access to an unparalleled audience base of users looking for products and services every day.
  • Equal Opportunity For All – Google focuses their efforts on returning quality and relevant results to the user, not whatever company paid the most for the ad. Remember, Google is a business and the user is their end customer. They want to show ads that have the highest possibility for the user to click. If they showed irrelevant ads that were based on how much a company paid, it’s unlikely that the user would follow the link which means Google doesn’t get paid.
  • An Ad Format for Everyone – Google AdWords remains primarily text-based, but advertisers have access to an incredible array of features to optimize the ads. Ad extensions, location targeting, shopping ads, site links, and other features offer the ability to tailor your ad to your target market.

Strengths of Facebook Ads

Although Facebook has been refining their advertising platform for several years, when compared to Google, Facebook is the new up-and-comer.

  • Super-Granularity – People share virtually every detail of their lives on Facebook. It’s no wonder they have a walled garden of data that is at every advertiser’s disposal. Businesses have the ability to target individuals based on their personal interests, beliefs, values, and more. Are you a catering company that wants to target newly engaged couples in your area? Facebook is the tool for you.
  • A Visual Platform – When compared to the, dare I say, boring text ads from Google, Facebook’s are inherently visual. Their ads have the ability to combine persuasive text as well as powerful imagery to connect with your audience.

Which should you be using?

When broken down, the primary difference between these two platforms is this: Facebook Ads help new customers find you, while Google AdWords help you find new customers. Both of these outlets are a part of any successful digital marketing campaign. They are complementary, not opposing forces. Harnessing the power of both can create an extremely effective digital strategy to maximize leads and ROI. It’s important to understand how to leverage both outlets in order to get the most out of your campaign. You should consider hiring a top digital marketing agency like Decibel Blue to assist in the creation and optimization of your campaigns to maximize results and reach your goals.

Carson Renstrom

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