Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads: which is best for eCommerce?

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising stands at the centre of digital strategy, particularly for e-commerce businesses striving to expand their reach and boost sales. Among the multitude of PPC platforms, Google Ads and Facebook (now Meta) Ads are titans, each offering unique advantages and challenges. As a PPC marketing consultancy, our expertise lies in navigating these platforms to carve out strategies that align with specific business needs and objectives. Let's lay out the strengths and limitations of both platforms for e-commerce businesses to choosing the right PPC path.

Understanding the Platforms

Google Ads: The Search Engine Giant

Google Ads operates within the vast landscape of the Google Search Network and its affiliate websites such as the Google Display Network, YouTube and more. It is fundamentally intent-based, targeting users actively searching for products or services. This makes Google Ads highly effective for capturing high-intent traffic, leading to potentially higher conversion rates than you would see in Meta Ads.

What are they famous for?

• Keyword Targeting: Targets users based on their search queries based on close match keywords.

• Various Ad Formats including Shopping: Offers text, shopping, display, and video ads. New campaigns like PMax and Demand Gen are constantly being developed and very positive for the bottom line for eCommerce.

• Strong reporting capabilities: Detailed analytics for informed decision-making thanks to Google's sprawling internal data sets (gender, geo etc)

Facebook (Meta) Ads: The Social Media Behemoth

Facebook and Instagram Ads harness the power of data granted to the social network by its users, targeting consumers based on their interests, behaviors, and demographics. This platform excels in brand exposure and audience engagement, making it ideal for building brand awareness and nurturing customer relationships.

Key Features:

• Demographic Targeting: Pinpoints audiences based on detailed personal information that is not available in other platforms. However, there is a limit to how nich it can go.

• Visual Appeal: Prioritizes image and video content for higher engagement and veers away from static image ads

• Retargeting Capabilities: Remarkets to users who have interacted with your brand. While Google is capable of this, the Facebook pixel is more powerful and the audience capabilities much more flexible.

Google Ads for E-Commerce: Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. High Purchase Intent: Users searching on Google often have a clearer intent to purchase and so CVR% will be higher

2. Immediate Visibility: Ads appear at the moment a relevant search is made and the user can be in purchase intent.

3. Diverse Ad Formats: Particularly effective are Google Shopping ads for e-commerce, with campaigns like PMax running across various different formats for maximum exposure.

Cons:

1. Competitive Keywords: High competition for popular keywords can drive up costs and CPCs can be up to 10x higher than in Facebook and Insta.

2. Requires Search and SEO Knowledge: Effective use demands understanding of tje search landscape and some knowledge of SEO and keywords.

3. Limited by Search Volume: Only reaches users actively searching for related terms (other than in Display campaigns etc).

Facebook and Instagram Ads for E-Commerce: Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Extensive Reach: Access to a vast and diverse user base who spend a long time on the platforms.

2. Advanced Targeting Options: Targets users based on a myriad of personal factors thanks to the data they have shared with the platform and therefore advertisers.

3. Engagement and Brand Awareness: Ideal for interactive content that builds brand loyalty.

Cons:

1. Lower Intent Traffic: Users are not actively searching for products and so can require much more exposure to engage.

2. Ad Fatigue: Thanks to lengthy times on the platforms, overexposure can lead to diminished user engagement or even annoyance.

3. Privacy Concerns: Changing data privacy laws could impact targeting effectiveness at a whim, disrupting campaigns.

Strategic Considerations for E-Commerce

When deciding between Google Ads and Facebook Ads, consider:

1. Product Type and Industry: High-intent products may fare better on Google, while lifestyle or impulse buy products could excel on Facebook. Niche products will work better on Google where Meta's data groupings can be too general

2. Customer Journey Stage: Use Google for bottom-funnel strategies and Facebook for top-funnel stages. Thinking about awareness, consideration and purchase intent, Facebook lands in the latter two.

3. Budget Constraints: Balance the cost-effectiveness of each platform against potential ROI. Google can be much more expensive, especially for high return products (therefore leading to a high cost-per-click)

Best Practices for E-Commerce PPC

Google Ads:

• Where budget is an issue, include long-tail keywords for better ROI.

• Utilize Google Shopping ads or PMax for direct product showcasing.

• Continuously optimize based on performance data.

Facebook Ads:

• Create visually compelling and engaging content. Storytell

• Segment audiences for more personalized targeting.

• Use retargeting to nurture potential customers across different purchase intents.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Google Ads and Facebook Ads offer distinct advantages for e-commerce businesses. The choice depends on various factors, including product type, target audience, and specific marketing objectives. A balanced approach, leveraging the strengths of both platforms, often yields the best results.

By understanding the nuances of each platform and implementing tailored strategies, e-commerce businesses can effectively enhance their online presence, drive sales, and achieve sustainable growth. They're both also sprawling platforms built on years of complexity. Therefore, it might make sense to have a no-commitment chat with Paid Search consultants or our Meta Ads agency experts if you're thinking of launching or improving your Google & Meta Ads efforts.