Google Ads vs. Meta Ads (Formerly Facebook Ads): How to Make Your Decision

1. Google Ads and Facebook Ads Overview
2. Google or Facebook - which platform suits your product?
3. Google and Facebook in comparison: Advantages and disadvantages of the respective platform
4. How to become successful with Facebook Ads?
5. How to become successful with Google Ads
6. What Are The Alternatives To Google Ads And Facebook Ads?
7. Helpful Tools for Your Campaigns
8. Conclusion: Choose Google Ads and Facebook Ads as needed

Paid ads can be placed on many platforms these days. Although based on product and target group, certain platforms can sometimes deliver better results, Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) and Facebook Ads have established themselves primarily in the German-speaking market. Often, a combination makes sense – but when budget and time are limited, a decision must be made. Here you can find out how Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads can work for your business.

Google Ads and Facebook Ads Overview

Both Google Ads and Facebook Ads fall under the pay-per-click ads (PPC) category, where Facebook or Meta advertisers often use the cost-per-mille billing model: this is paid not per click, but per 1,000 impressions. With a gigantic reach and thus a huge potential for customer acquisition both platforms can score:

• Google is by far the most used search engine worldwide. In December 2022, its market share, measured by page views, was over 84%. About 90% of Germans use Google as their preferred search engine.
• Facebook placed itself in 2022 with over 2.9 billion monthly users at #1 among social networks - although relatively closely followed by Google's YouTube. In a Statista survey, 72% of respondents said they regularly use Facebook.

Google Ads Interface (left) vs. Facebook Ads Interface (right) 

So you see: Using data alone does not tell if Google or Facebook is better compared. In addition, Google Ads and Facebook Ads work very differently - and are therefore suitable for different offers and campaign goals.

Guest authors Claudius Herz and Veronika Berner will show you exactly when advertising with Facebook or Google Ads is the better choice. You can also find suitable tools below to help you implement.

Google or Facebook - which platform suits your product?

The most important difference compared to Facebook vs. Google Ads: Google Ads is a pull channel, Facebook Ads is a push channel.

• Pull: The ads attract people who are already specifically looking for a product or at least a concrete solution to a problem.
• Push: These ads are served to people who want to be entertained or inspired.

Both formats can be interesting at different stages of the customer journey: they can contribute to brand awareness, turn interested parties into new customers or be used in remarketing. However, there are important differences.

What makes Google Ads

Paid ads with Google's standard campaign type 'Search Campaigns' are played out using keywords. A prerequisite for a successful Google Ads campaign is therefore that there is a search volume for these keywords at all. It follows that people are addressed here who are already looking for an established product or a solution.

This is a big advantage, which often also means a high willingness to buy.

Example: Those who specifically search for terms like 'E-Bike' or even 'E-Bike buy' do not need to be persuaded for long. For this person, facts are relevant, they want information to help them make a purchasing decision. Customers who have not yet decided to buy, for example, inform themselves with search terms like 'e-bike pros cons'.

Keywords and their search volume according to Google's Keyword Planner

Google also allows you to reach large, broad target groups and thus open up new, previously unknown target groups. This is achieved through largely matching keywords, monitoring of search queries, dynamic search ads, display and video campaigns. If there is no data on the target group, Google Ads are suitable for collecting it. Last but not least, Google Ads are also relevant in the B2B area.

Tip: You don't have a Google Ads account yet? No problem: Here you can learn step by step how to create a Google Ads account.

How Facebook Ads work

Facebook Ads are not dependent on search volume or website content in the display network and are therefore perfect for efficiently introducing a new product to the target group. One of the goals of Facebook advertising is often to increase brand awareness. If you serve a rather small niche and want to reach a special target group, you have good chances with Facebook Ads.

Especially effective on Facebook Ads can be products that are visually appealing. While Google's text ads can even do without images completely, these are at the center of Facebook ads. This makes sense, after all, most people are not on Facebook (Instagram etc.) to buy a product, but for example to distract themselves after work, to be entertained or to be in social contact.

A Facebook video ad from AdStrive

For Facebook Ads this means: They must be designed in such a way that they interrupt scrolling through the feed and catch attention. This is done through appealing pictures, high contrasts, entertaining videos and stories, both in picture and text format. This way brand stories can be built up, but also spontaneous buying impulses can be served. Facebook Ads are often successfully used to advertise B2C or D2C products from the areas of pleasure, shopping, travelling and leisure, but can also deliver qualitative B2B leads with targeted optimization, if necessary.

Google and Facebook in comparison: Advantages and disadvantages of the respective platform

Here you see the advantages and disadvantages of Google vs. Facebook Ads at a glance.

Google Ads: Advantages

• Varied ad placement, naturally in Google search results, but also via Google Shopping, in the display network, on YouTube / Discover / Gmail and Play
• Target group that goes beyond Meta users
• Insights that facilitate optimization: Search queries, auction data and placements, depending on the campaign type
• Fast support, which is also accessible by phone
• Resource-saving, as successful ads can run for a long time

Google Ads: Disadvantages

• No ad success for keywords without search volume, potentially less success with small and very pointed target groups
• Depending on the category, very high costs per click (for example over 86 € for the term 'economic detective agency Frankfurt')
• Depending on the product and campaign type, high effort for optimizations (search queries, placements)
• Limitations regarding the length of the texts (usually between 30 and 90 characters)
• Guidelines limit Ads in certain areas (e.g. alcohol, finance, health)

Feel free to also look at the article about the 50 most expensive German Google Keywords.

Facebook Ads: Advantages

• In some cases, more precise targeting is possible (although new restrictions since 2021 for example in the areas of religion, health, politics)
• Depending on the execution of the campaign, cheaper traffic is possible
• Also suitable for unknown products without search volume
• Well suited to tell stories, show testimonials or present the application of the product

Facebook Ads: Disadvantages

• Campaign success is dependent on the size of the target group
• No success without appealing creatives (images, videos etc.), which have to be changed often, therefore resource intensive
• Community management - e.g. by responding to comments - is important, but also resource intensive
• The associated page should be well maintained and equipped with high-quality organic content, which in turn costs time and possibly money
• Guidelines limit Ads in certain areas (e.g. alcohol, health)

Interim conclusion: You see that in the race Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads, no platform positions itself as a clear winner. Rather, it depends on your product or service, on the target group and on the campaign goal. In the following, you will find useful tips on how you can proceed in both cases.

How to become successful with Facebook Ads?

If you want to create a Facebook campaign; consider above all: You need to interrupt the flow of the person who is scrolling through their feed right now. In the next step, you need to hold the attention you've gained and successfully steer the person into your sales funnel.

To capture attention, you should attach great importance to the creatives: Whether single images, videos or carousels - they all have to be attractively designed, targeting mobile phone users and changed regularly. For catalog campaigns, properly maintained product data is essential. Depending on the product, humor, unexpected headlines, questions and emotional pictures are further valuable approaches. Of course, they need to be adjusted to the target group, which is why the authentic custom content (User-Generated-Content) usually achieves the highest interaction rates.

Tip: For targeting, or the selection of the target group, remarketing and customer lists as well as lookalike audiences can be useful. If you already have data from a group of people who are interested in your product (e.g. website visitors, buyers or users who interacted with the ads), you can create a similar target group based on this. The ads are then delivered to this group. Lookalike audiences should not be missing in your Facebook Ads strategy.

Creating a Lookalike Target Group on Facebook

When it comes to clicks, make sure not to lose the person interested again. Therefore, Facebook Ads only make sense if the underlying landing page is of equally high quality: images, texts, call to action (CTA), navigation and loading speed - everything has to be right here to make buying decisions or the decision to leave contact details as easy as possible for the interested party. With the Facebook Pixel and Conversions API, you can track which actions people perform on your websites. Based on this, you can continually optimize your Facebook Ads.

How to become successful with Google Ads

Optimally set up Google Ads campaigns are based, among other things, on a thorough research. The target groups and keywords, the search terms for which the ads should be displayed, play a large role in this. It is also important in the selection that you are competitive for the respective keyword. With very competitive keywords such as 'buy car', usually only the big players with large budgets and a trust advance have a chance.

The ad placement is also not to be neglected. With the help of Google AdSense, the operators of websites (publishers) have the opportunity to place advertising on their online content and thus generate income. Since these websites have different quality standards, advertisers have to watch and narrow down the ad delivery. In what environment are your ads delivered? How does the traffic convert? With regard to the two main questions, advertisers decide about the selection of networks, campaign types and possibly specific placements.

One of the limiting options for ad delivery with Google Ads under account settings

Just like the Facebook Ads, Google Ads also need: a appealing ad design. The texts, which are only allowed to have a certain length, must contain relevant keywords (with a search volume) for the target group. A suitable CTA, numbers, dynamic content such as location entry, but also the ad extensions usually increase the click rate. The product images for Google Shopping must meet certain guidelines and should still stand out - this also applies to the display and video advertising. The success of ads that are automatically created from feeds depends, in addition to the product price, on neatly stored, optimized product data. For dynamic search ads, the product data and content-rich websites including metadata are relevant.

Regular optimizations are another lever. Using the data, you can find out, for example, which search terms you should add or exclude and how best to distribute your ad budget across campaigns.

Tip: To make the most of your budget in search campaigns, you should pay attention to the Quality Factor in Google Ads and implement measures to increase it. At the same time, the notes can be partly transferred to other campaign types. For example, the keywords you use in your ads should also be found on the landing page. What is also helpful is the visual and stylistic consistency between the ad and the landing page, so that the interested person finds his way around immediately and trusts. Track here if possible, and after consent, the behavior of your visitors - and always think of the CTA! Allows a deeper entry into the topic Fundamental SEA Guide for Google Ads. It is important to note the current developments in 2023 regarding Google Ads.

In summary the following points are relevant for successful campaigns on both Meta and Google:

• Targeting
• Appealing Ad Design
• Sensible Ad Placement
• Quality Landing Pages, a Match Between Ads and LP
• Tracking
• Continuous Optimization

What Are The Alternatives To Google Ads And Facebook Ads?

Even though the focus of this post is on Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads, there are of course other platforms where you can display paid ads. Here are some recommendations:

• LinkedIn: especially suitable for the B2B sector
• Pinterest: optimal for lifestyle, beauty, and health products
• TikTok: helpful if you want to reach a younger target group
• Outbrain, Taboola: for health products, as long as you can provide quality content
• Microsoft Advertising: if you want to appeal to an older audience
• Twitter Ads: especially relevant in the tech sector
• Amazon Ads: for e-commerce

Helpful Tools for Your Campaigns

Google Ads belong to the field of SEA: Search Engine Advertising. We have compiled for you the seven most popular SEA tools by OMR Reviews that you can use to create and optimize your campaigns.

In addition, here are a few tips for tools that can help with various aspects of your Paid Search and Paid Social campaigns:

• Competitive Analysis: It is often skipped, but will help you a lot to design successful campaigns. What do your competitors*innen do? What keywords do they use? When, how and what do they write and show? Tools like SimilarWeb Pro and Semrush will help you with the analysis. Check out the article specifically on competitive analysis for Google Ads. If you run Facebook ads, be sure to take a look at the Ad Library. Here you can find current ads from other pages and get inspired. Similar opportunities also exist on Pinterest and LinkedIn, for example.
• For E-commerce: Feed management can take a lot of time and nerves. Fortunately, there are tools to help you keep track and optimize delivery - for example Productsup , Feed Dynamix and Channable.
• For the design: Canva Pro is an easy-to-use tool that also allows those with little design experience to create interesting ads. The ad templates also make sure you use the right sizes and aspect ratios.

Conclusion: Choose Google Ads and Facebook Ads as needed

You now have an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of Facebook Ads and Google Ads. Often, it makes sense to combine ads on both platforms in order to use push and pull effects - but there is no blanket answer. In addition, despite their market dominance, Google and Facebook ads are not the only possibilities.

For whichever platform you decide: Both need care. This refers not only to the ad texts, but also to the creatives, the product data, the landing pages, the tracking and more.

Our recommendation: If your budget allows it, do not always stay on one platform. Even if it works well, this creates a dependency. Abrupt changes in the 'rules of the game' can potentially ruin your business. It is foreseeable, for example, that privacy measures will make it more difficult to collect certain data in the future.

The combination of several platforms has not least a very positive effect: your learnings (for example on the message, on working creatives etc.) you can at least partly transfer to other platforms and thus not start at zero with a campaign there, but save time and money with the accumulated knowledge.