Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: What’s the Right Pick?

Getting your ad on the right platform is key to success in an online world. So which platforms are best for running digital ads?

Every business owner wants their digital strategy to stand out. Whether you are running Google ads or doing organic SEO, the goal is to get as many conversions as possible. If you are investing time and money into advertising, you expect it to deliver results.

If you are looking to get the most out of your Google Ads, then having a UK based Google Ads agency will help you get more conversions. The same can be said if you choose to go with Facebook ads.

Both Facebook and Google ads have the potential to get you results, but which one is better. This article will explain just that!

What are You Paying for in Each Platform?

Before choosing whether to go with Google Ads or Facebook ads, you must know the pros and cons of each. You should also know when to use each platform according to your requirements. This article will cover both platforms in detail and give you helpful tips on how to maximize your ROI from each.

Google Ads

Google is the market leader when it comes to paid advertising, thanks to its immense reach. With billions of search queries being done daily, using Google Ads is a no-brainer. Google Ads can be used for a wide range of businesses from electricians and plumbers to consulting corporations and lawyers.

What makes Google Ad campaigns truly unique is that you can target customers who are actually looking for your product or service. This gives Google a major advantage when it comes to ROI.

Types of Google Ads

Let’s talk about the types of Google Ads before we get to the pros and cons.

Google Search Ads

Google search ads are those ads that come just before the organic search results. They are the most common types of Google ads, but also the most expensive. Learning which keywords to target and how to maximize ROI can be difficult.

A good UK based Google Ads agency can help you with keyword research, customer targeting, and budgeting.

The best thing about search ads is that they target customers who are already looking for a product or service so the conversion rate is higher.

Display Ads

Display ads are those ads that you see in apps, web pages, and videos. They include banner ads, pop-up ads, and other types, but are generally put on websites using AdSense.

Video Ads

Video ads are becoming quite popular thanks to their ability to target specific categories. Video ads can be well placed and may have many conversions. For example, if you are selling a cooking course, then Google may use a video ad on a YouTube cooking tutorial to get qualified leads.

Local Google Ads

Local Google Ads include Google My Business and Google Guarantee. Both these are used to target customers looking for local services. For example, customers looking for local plumbers, electricians or similar services can find you through local Google ads.

While you can do local SEO to get your business on the first page of Google My Business, this may take ages if you’re not an expert.

Just as with search ads, having an expert UK Google Ads Agency for local ads will help you maximize your ROI.

Facebook Ads

With close to 3 billion Facebook users, Facebook ads are a great way to reach a wide audience. The average user spends close to an hour on Facebook each day, which gives advertisers more opportunity to target them.

Besides, being a social platform, Facebook is a great way to identify users with specific patterns and buying preferences. This helps enhance user targeting, which can help increase conversions.

Let’s explore the different types of Facebook ads and how they can be used effectively.

Types of Facebook Ads

Here are the various types of Facebook Ads:

Single Image

The single image ad is the simplest of all Facebook ads. It consists of a large image with a line or two of text on top and the ad title at the bottom. When using image ads, make sure to follow the 80/20 rule, which is 20% of the ad should be text and 80% should be the image.

Single Video Ad

Facebook Video ads are a captivating way to deliver your brand message to a target audience. You can create a video ad of up to 60 seconds along with ad copy which may contain a link to your website.

Studies have shown that video ads are more effective at getting customers' attention as compared to image ads. If you aren’t an expert at creating video ads, then you can always hire a professional to do it for you.

Slideshow Ads

The slideshow format is essentially a video consisting of a few images. It is great for brands that want to advertise a collection of different items. Having more items on display allows you to target users with different needs.

Carousel Ad

Carousel ads are similar to Slideshow ads, but they can also contain different videos. Each image can have its link, which is great for businesses that are selling multiple products.

Creating carousel ads takes time and effective targeting, but if you have an expert agency handling it for you, then there’s no need to worry.

Advantages of Google Ads

  • Targeted Audiences

How do you know if you are targeting the right customers in your ads? It’s simple. Google tracks user search history and which websites they visit and targets them accordingly. If you are selling shoes online, then Google will show your ad to customers who have previously searched for similar products.

It’s no secret that the more you narrow down your targeting, the better your conversion rate will be.

  • Better Conversion Possibility

Google Ads has excellent conversion rates, especially search ads. This is because you are targeting users who have shown intent or interest in a certain product or service.

  • Variations in Ad Formats

With Google ads, you can choose to use display ads, search ads, banner ads, video ads and so much more! With the wide range of Google ad types, you can use multiple ways to target users.

If you are not sure which format will get you more conversions, then you can always use a UK based Google Ads agency to take care of that for you.

  • Great tracking capability

Having a Google Ads Manager Account allows you to easily see the number of searches, clicks, and conversions that you have received through the ad campaign. You can add the code to your website to effectively track website visitors as well.

 

Advantages of Facebook Ads

  • Better Audience Profiling

Facebook allows you to create specific profiles based on gender, location, user preferences, and other factors. This allows you to narrow down your target customer base for more conversions.

  • High ROI

Better targeting means a higher ROI. Because Facebook ads are cheaper, they allow you to target a wider audience within a small budget.

  • Better Integration With Website

With new tools such as Facebook Pixel and other tracking systems, Facebook allows you to track clicks to your website. This can help with retargeting as well. In fact, the average conversion rate of retargeted ads can be up to 10x more effective than the initial ad.

Disadvantages of Google Ads

  • High Chance of Fake Clicks

Unfortunately, Google ads have been known to garner a lot of fake clicks. This could be done by window shoppers, competitors, or even bots. Fake clicks can lower your ROI significantly and are a nuisance for advertisers.

Expert marketers know how to deal with fake clicks and minimize their damage. By using a UK based Google ads agency, you can minimize the number of fake clicks on your ads.

  • Time-consuming

Creating the perfect Ad campaign requires a lot of time and effort. This time can be better spent managing other areas of your business. If you don’t have the time to handle a Google ad campaign, then you can always have a UK Google ads agency manage it for you.

  • Lack of User Segmentation

While Google ads target search intent, they cannot segment users according to gender, age, and other demographic factors.

Disadvantages of Facebook Ads

  • You Won’t get Results Without a Substantial Budget

While Facebook ads are generally cheaper than Google ads, you won’t have the same reach as many larger companies unless you have a similar budget.

Of course, this varies according to your product or service offering and geographic location.

  • High Chance of Negative Publicity

Unlike with ads, customers can see likes and dislikes on your Facebook post. If an ad campaign goes wrong, it can have a significant effect on your brand image.

This is why having a reputable PR agency to manage your social media is so important.

  • Low-quality Leads

Many people browse Facebook to pass time and as such the quality of leads from Facebook is often lower than that of Google ads.

Verdict: Which One is Better?

While each platform has its benefits and downsides, in reality, it's difficult to choose a single platform to fulfill your marketing needs. A good balance between Google ads and Facebook ads can help you achieve the best marketing results.

If you have a UK based Google ads agency, then they will assess which platform is ideal based on your campaign goals, target audience, budget, and other factors.

How to Maximize Your ROI From an Ad Campaign?

Maximizing your ROI from different ad platforms may be your ultimate goal. Here are three actionable steps you can take to get the most out of your ads:

  1. Use an Expert UK Based Google Ads Agency

With the level of sophistication required to optimize your ad campaigns, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to manage yourself. An expert UK based Google ads agency will help you achieve your campaign goals effectively.

  1. Narrow Down Your Target Audience

Narrowing down your target audience is a great way to increase the conversion rate of your ads. Try to be specific when doing so. Instead of targeting customers based on gender or age, try and create specific parameters like buying preferences, search history, etc.

  1. Use Retargeting Effectively

Retargeting is an effective way of maximizing your conversions. Research has shown that retargeting campaigns perform much better than other campaigns and have a better conversion rate as well.

If you are in search of the perfect platform for targeting new customers, then being flexible with your strategy will get you the best results.

By - 04 Nov 2021

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