If you’re ready to advertise, but aren’t sure what ad network is best, you’re in a common place. There are so many places to advertise. Of course, Google is an easy answer and has many options for ads, but you can advertise on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more. How do you know what’s right for you?
The difference between Google and Facebook Ads
Google Ads: With Google Ads, you are targeting keywords and search phrases. If I go to Google and type in ‘aquariums’ then I’ll get a list of results about aquariums. If I’m selling aquariums, and I want people to come to my website and buy aquariums, then I might want to target that keyword because the person who types it in is looking for what I offer.
Facebook: With Facebook ads, you aren’t targeting keyword searches, you’re targeting a demographic of people. Maybe you sell nifty aquariums, and you’d like folks who like fish to see photos of them. This would be a way to get your product in front of people who have an interest in your product already.
The Google ad network is targeting searches, and the Facebook ad network is targeting people.
When might you choose one over the other?
I was talking to someone recently who had created a great product that they thought would be useful for teachers. However, teachers wouldn’t be looking for this product because they didn’t know it existed. This is a case when a search based ad wouldn’t be as useful, since nobody knows about the product to be searching for it.
If you have a product or service that people don’t know they want or need, then Facebook ads is a great choice. In the scenario above, we could create a target audience that includes people who have identified themselves as educators, and put those ads in front of them.
If people don’t know to look for your products, then Google ads are unlikely to be useful for you.
On the other hand, if you have a service you offer that you know people need, and it can be useful to anyone regardless of their profession or interests, then Google is the way to go. If someone is Googling “Window Cleaning” and you offer window cleaning, then it’s easy to get an ad in front of them that meets their needs. It’s harder to target a demographic on Facebook that would be interested in window cleaning at any given time. Yes, you can target homeowners within your service area, but it’s with Google, you’re able to put your ad in front of the person who is literally looking for what you offer.
Both ad networks are great opportunities for you to get your products and services seen by potential customers – you just need to know which one is likely to yield you the most results. (And sometimes both is the right answer!)
Amy Masson
Amy is the co-owner, developer, and website strategist for Sumy Designs. She's been making websites with WordPress since 2006 and is passionate about making sure websites are as functional as they are beautiful.