Google Ads and Facebook Ads are two of the most popular digital advertising platforms used by businesses today. Many companies utilize both platforms as part of their overall digital marketing strategy. But an important question arises – do Google Ads and Facebook Ads actually work well together? Or should you focus on just one platform?
How Google Ads and Facebook Ads Work
Before diving into whether Google Ads and Facebook Ads work together effectively, it helps to understand how each platform functions on its own:
Google Ads
Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is Google’s advertising platform that allows businesses to display ads on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) and other Google-owned properties like YouTube and Gmail. Some key things to know about Google Ads:
- Ads are displayed based on keywords – advertisers bid on certain keywords relevant to their business. When those keywords are searched, their ads may show up on the SERPs.
- Placement is determined by an auction – advertisers bid on how much they’re willing to pay for a click on their ad. The highest bidding advertisers for a keyword will get the best ad placements on the SERPs.
- Pay Per Click model – advertisers only pay when their ad is clicked on, not when it’s displayed.
- Reaches people actively searching – Google Ads is intent-based, reaching people already seeking products/services using relevant search queries.
Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads allows businesses to display ads across Facebook’s family of apps and services (Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network, etc). Some key aspects of Facebook Ads:
- Placement is more flexible – ads can be targeted to appear in Facebook newsfeeds, Instagram feeds, Stories, Messenger, and more.
- Ads are displayed based on detailed targeting – advertisers target users based on location, demographics, interests, behaviors and more.
- Auction model similar to Google – advertisers bid against each other for ad placement and only pay when the ad is clicked/viewed.
- Reaches people where they socialize – Facebook Ads is great for brand awareness campaigns trying to reach users in a more passive context.
In summary – Google Ads connects businesses with people actively searching for products/services, while Facebook Ads reaches users passively browsing social media.
Benefits of Using Google Ads and Facebook Ads Together
While Google Ads and Facebook Ads each have their own advantages, many advertisers find combining the two platforms very effective. Here are some of the benefits of using Google and Facebook Ads together:
Expanded Reach & Awareness
With Google’s widespread search dominance and Facebook’s enormous user base, using both networks significantly widens the potential audience that can see your ads. Each platform reaches different users in different contexts.
Comprehensive Marketing Funnel Coverage
Google Ads is great for targeting users at the top of the marketing funnel who are actively searching for products or services. Facebook Ads excels at middle-of-funnel brand awareness and further down the funnel with lead gen and retargeting campaigns. Using both provides more comprehensive funnel coverage.
Gain More Data & Insights
Running campaigns on Google Ads and Facebook Ads provides more data points and user insights that can be used to optimize and improve future ad performance. The platforms have different targeting and reporting features which provide more holistic insights.
Take Advantage of Platform Strengths
Google Ads provides robust keyword, demographic and placement targeting options. Facebook has detailed interest, behavioral and lookalike audience targeting. Using both allows you to capitalize on the unique targeting strengths of each platform.
Drive More Conversions
With expanded reach, more data-driven optimization and comprehensive funnel coverage, running ads on both networks can drive higher conversion rates than focusing on just one platform. More impressions and clicks across channels means more chances to convert users.
Challenges of Running Google Ads & Facebook Ads
While there are many benefits to using Google and Facebook Ads together, it also comes with some unique challenges, such as:
Requires Increased Budget & Resources
Effectively managing campaigns across two large platforms requires a larger budget and more human and technical resources. Many small businesses may not have the budget or team to run robust campaigns on both networks.
Complex Campaign Management
Keeping campaign messaging, targeting, bids and other settings optimized across two platforms makes management more complex. What works on Facebook may not work on Google and vice versa.
Difficulty With Attribution
It can be challenging to attribute conversions and revenue to the correct ad source when running both networks. This makes it harder to calculate true ROI.
Risk of Overlapping Audiences
Google Ads and Facebook Ads may target some of the same users, leading to wasted ad spend. Strategies are needed to minimize overlapping audiences.
Platform Policy Differences
Each platform has its own policies around approved ads formats, content and targeting. This requires tailoring ad creative and strategy specifically for each platform.
Best Practices for Running Google Ads & Facebook Ads
Here are some top tips to consider when running ads across Google and Facebook to maximize performance and results:
Set Up Conversion Tracking
Use conversion tracking, custom audiences and UTM campaign tags to better track users across channels and optimize towards key conversion events.
Tailor Ad Creative
Customize ad copy, design, landing pages, etc. to adhere to the best practices and audience expectations of each platform.
Align Campaign Strategies & Goals
Ensure Google and Facebook campaigns target similar audiences in a complementary way and ladder up to your overall marketing objectives.
Specialize Channel Roles
Give each platform a specialized role and focus – for example, Google for demand generation and Facebook for retargeting current customers.
Monitor Overlapping Metrics
Keep an eye on metrics like click through rate and conversion rate across channels to assess performance.
| Metric | Google Ads Benchmark | Facebook Ads Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Click-Through Rate | 1-3% | 0.9% |
| Conversion Rate | 2-4% | 1-3% |
Align Bidding Strategies
Use similar bid strategies across platforms, like target return on ad spend or straight cost per conversion bidding.
Regularly Review Performance
Check reports regularly and reallocate budget towards better performing platforms and campaigns.
Should You Focus Spend on Just Google or Facebook?
While there are certainly benefits to using Google Ads and Facebook Ads together, some businesses may find better results concentrating spends on just one platform. Here are some of the reasons you may want to focus on a single network:
Limited Budget
Businesses with smaller budgets can see better results and ROI out of optimizing campaigns on just one platform rather than spreading spends across two networks.
Target Audience Uses One Platform Heavily
If your target buyer persona is known to be very active on Google search or Facebook, focusing on ads there could make more sense.
Specific Campaign Goal
Certain campaign goals like driving site traffic or retargeting work better on Google vs. Facebook so focusing on just one aligns better.
Easier Campaign Management
Running campaigns on one network requires less resources and can make optimization much simpler compared to managing two platforms.
The Verdict on Google Ads vs Facebook Ads
In the end, deciding whether to focus on just Google Ads, just Facebook Ads or use both platforms together depends highly on your specific business, products, target audience and campaign goals. Here is a quick summary:
Better for Google Ads Only
- Search-based business with very targeted keywords
- Technical/complex products that require detailed research
- Goal is to drive inbound site traffic and calls
- Limited budget or resources
Better for Facebook Ads Only
- Strong visual brand and products
- CPM/reach goal vs direct response
- Existing social media following
- Goal is engagement and brand-building
Better Together
- Large budget to spend across platforms
- Varied product line and target audience
- Brand awareness + direct response goals
- Looking for wider reach and impact
As with most digital marketing questions, the answer depends on your specific business context. Test different channel combinations and spending allocations to see what provides the best results for your goals. Over time, you can optimize your allocation towards Google Ads vs Facebook Ads vs a combination of the two to maximize your return.
Conclusion
Running campaigns across both Google Ads and Facebook Ads can provide benefits like expanded reach, fuller funnel coverage and added insights from each platform’s unique audiences and features. However, effectively managing and optimizing two large platforms requires significant time, resources and effort.
Businesses need to closely evaluate their target audience, typical customer journey, campaign goals and overall budget to determine if they should focus spend on just one platform or utilize both together. Regular testing and performance reviews can help optimize the right channel mix over time. While using Google and Facebook Ads together has advantages, it may make more sense for some businesses to concentrate their efforts on mastering just one platform.