Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads: Which is Better for Lead Generation?

Understanding Google Ads

Google Ads are paid adverts where you bid on your keywords. You only pay when a visitor clicks on the link and is directed to your landing page. It is essential that you monitor this campaign carefully using Google Analytics to ensure your campaign is performing at its best.

Google Ads Pros

Google Ads is effective at helping you reach users who are actively searching for products and services you provide, offering a variety of advert types to reach high-intent traffic, which is great for lead generation. Google Ads pros include:

• High intent audience
• Excellent reach
• A choice of advert formats including display or search 
• Advanced targeting
• Good ROI for service based and high ticket industries
• Fast results
• Great  conversion tracking
• Excellent for retargeting

Google Ads Cons

Google Ads does have some cons you need to be aware of before making a final decision:

• Higher cost per click in competitive industries
• Complex set up and management
• Limited visual appeal
• Higher risk of click fraud

Understanding Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads offer various formats with excellent targeting opportunities. This PPC platform enables you to pay for results, reaching a wide audience through feeds, messenger, and Reels.

Facebook Ads Pros

Facebook Ads can be a beneficial opportunity for businesses to reach their targeted audience:

• Advanced targeting
• Lower cost per click
• High visual formats
• Improves brand awareness
• Excellent retargeting
• Scalable
• Easy to set up
• Fantastic for impulse purchases

Facebook Ads Cons

While Facebook Ads offers a choice of amazing benefits, including being more cost-effective than Google Ads, but it does have some disadvantages you need to be aware of:

• Lower buying intent 
• Privacy challenges
• Advert fatigue
• Algorithm dependent
• Limited ecosystem

Main Differences Between Google Ads and Facebook Ads

Now that you have a better grasp on the basics of Google Ads and Facebook Ads, let's look at the main differences between the two, enabling you to decide which is better for your lead generation campaign:

• Audience size – Google manages more than 22 billion searches daily, while Facebook has over 2.1 billion active users daily
• Cost and ROI – The average cost per click (CPC) on Google Ads is around $1.66, while Facebook Ads cost around $0.29 CPC. Please note this fluctuates based on industry and competition
• Buyer intent – Google Ads tends to win when it comes to buyer intent, as people are actively searching for products and services, they are ready to commit to a purchase
• Facebook Ads tends to be less effective at getting leads to convert quickly
• Targeting – Facebook offers advanced targeting options, based on audience behaviours and interests, based on data collected by over three billion active users
• Advert Formats – Facebook allows for more creativity, ideal for boosting brand awareness

Google Ads vs Facebook Ads – Which Should You Choose?

In order to decide on which pay per click advertising platform is right for your business, you need to focus on the following?

• Campaign goals – If you are looking to make sales quickly, Google Ads is a great choice. If you want to boost brand recognition and reach a wide audience, then Facebook Ads is the way to go
• Industry – B2B and B2C businesses find Google Ads effective, yet Facebook Ads work best for B2C businesses
• Advertising budget – a monthly Google Ads campaign can cost over $1,000, while a Facebook Ad monthly spend can be in the region of $760

Conclusion

Google Ads and Facebook Ads are excellent PPC platforms, often working well when combined. In order to maximise lead generation, we recommend Google Ads, as the users are actively searching for solutions, more inclined to take a desired action. On the other hand, Facebook Ads is excellent for boosting brand awareness and recognition. Do you need help with your lead generation campaign? The Genie Crawl are here to help you push your business forward. Complete our online contact form now and secure a free evaluation and quote without delay.