When thinking about advertising online, where do you plan to do so? The most popular options out there are Facebook ads and Google ads– though there are more options, these are the most effective ways to help you attain your business goals.

Which would be ideal for me? This would be the next question on your mind. The answer is, well, it depends on your business goals and the industry you’re into.

Both Facebook and Google ads leverage their strengths to give you an advertising solution that gets the right people through the door. What this means is, Facebook is a paid social system, which shows ads based on users’ habits, preferences, locations, and other factors. On the other hand, Google ads utilize keywords to show ads to people searching for relevant terms. In essence, Google ads help you find new customers while Facebook ads help ideal customers find you.

Google Ads

With more than three billion searches every day, Google is by far the biggest search engine out there. No wonder Google Ads is favored by most marketers.

Google Ads is based on keywords-The keywords you choose determine who, when, and where your ad will be shown to. Also called Cost per Click(CPC), this is based on

The quality of keywords used- The more relevant the keyword is to the product or service, the more likely it will be displayed for a lower CPC.

The competition for those keywords- Keywords used more commonly are more expensive. These include keywords for mortgages, loans, and insurance industries.

Ad rank- Google determines the placement of your ad based on your bid amount, the relevance of your ad, the ad’s expected CTR, your ad’s copy, and the landing page experience.

Ad’s quality score- Google rates your ad based on the keyword relevance, ad copy, expected Click through Rate (CTR), and the landing page quality. These factors are measured on a scale of 1 to 10, and directly affect the cost and ad placement.

Google ads are displayed based on an online automated auction. When someone types your keywords in the search box, your ad is displayed based on the CPC and other factors. High-quality ads with relevant keywords have a better chance of being displayed, even if the price bid is lower than the competitors.

Google advertising includes two primary ad types- search and display. Search are text-based ads shown in the Google Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) and display ads are shown on the more than 2 million websites that let google display ads on them.

Pros of Google Ads

Ad extensions- Besides the ad copy, Google also allows you to add additional details to your search ad. This includes call extension, location details and URL redirect features.

Location targeting- You can show your ads to only that location that is relevant to your business. This is especially beneficial for local businesses like salons, restaurants, retailers, etc.

Shopping ads- This feature allows you to show a relevant product listing directly on the SERPs with an image and redirect link.

Detailed demographics- You can target only those who matter to your business. For instance, you could target physically-active teenagers if you’re a shoe retailer aiming to sell trendy sports shoes.

Cons of Google Ads

Text-based ads- While this should not be a problem, most search ads are ignored as they lack images that stand out.

Keyword-specific high costs- The costs for advertising on Google depends on the keyword’s popularity. Advertising for some keywords can be prohibitively expensive, while others may be fairly easy. The success of gaining leads from your ad investments also varies from industry to industry.

Facebook Ads

Being the world’s largest social media platform, Facebook is a natural choice for most marketers. Facebook uses its user’s data( demographics, interests, professions, and other targeting data) to show ads to relevant people that match your requirements. These are the people who are most likely to interact with your ad.

Pros of Facebook Ads

Higher conversion rates- Facebook’s two billion monthly active users are a colossal audience that no marketer can ignore. What makes Facebook even more favorable is the high conversion rate of about 9 percent against Google’s 2%. No wonder most digital marketing managers and marketers prefer advertising through Facebook.

Detailed targeting- The level of detailed targeting that Facebook offers is unmatched elsewhere. You can target anyone from a retired bank employee to a teenage student of any school with Facebook ads. It even lets you estimate the number of people you can target, along with a ‘lookalike’ audience that matches some of your targeted audience’s attributes.

Adding an existing database- Facebook allows you to add an existing database of email IDs or phone numbers that you can target. This helps to get repeat purchases and simplifies your marketing campaign.

Cons of Facebook Ads

Extreme targeting– The detailed targeting Facebook offers is also its biggest disadvantage. Many people do not like to be bombarded with the same kind of ads whenever they check their Facebook feeds. For instance, if you do a quick search on casual shirts, Facebook can understand this and show you adverts on casual shirts till you make a purchase.

Fake ads- Some unscrupulous people use Facebook ads to con people. Many times, you cannot be sure if the ad on Facebook is true or not.

To remedy the situation, Facebook has made the entire ad creation and authorization procedure quite stringent.

In Conclusion

In all, both Facebook and Google ads have their own strengths and weaknesses. No doubt using Facebook and Google ads can help you achieve your business goals.

To start with, you can invest in organic social media advertising and then move towards paid advertising on Google and Facebook once you have a good list of leads.

If you do not have time for this, you could hire a digital marketing agency that’d help you create a consistent lead-generating ad campaign for your business. However, do not ignore your own website, get it SEO-friendly and easy-to-use for a consistent source of leads.