Google and Facebook offer very popular advertising platforms, but users on each platform are oriented towards different tasks with different levels of intent to engage with their ads. This means you may also need to adjust your advertising.
Google Ads, formerly Google AdWords, offers four different methods of advertising. This includes search advertising, image ads, YouTube video, and Google's proprietary network called Discover. Search is Google's first and most popular ad offering. When someone types something into the Google search bar, Google loads a “Search Engine Results Page” with selected results links to provide the best answer to their query. The first results listed show an “Ad” label that indicates they are sponsored results. You can access the ability to serve your own ads on the search engine results page by creating search campaigns on Google Ads that contain ad groups that link specific chosen keywords to the text ads you create.
Facebook Ads provides access to create and run advertising campaigns on two proprietary social media platforms: Facebook and Instagram, as well as an “Audience Network” of mobile apps. Facebook Ads use web browsing behavior, buying behavior, job information and many other user characteristics to target people who are likely to be interested in engaging with your brand, product or service.
Knowing your ad's conversion rate is key to deciding whether or not your ad was effective and worth the money. Both Google Ads and Facebook Ads have tracking systems that allow you to see your reach, click through rate and price per click. You'll also find other useful data, such as the days and times your ad was most effective.
So who has the biggest ROI: Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads?
The answer to that question - annoying as it is - depends.
It depends on your type of business, your target audience, your marketing goals and your experience. It also depends on how you assign sales to each channel and the customer journey across the ad networks.