Thanks to advanced technology and growth in the digital marketing world, you no longer need to pay for expensive billboards or ads in the newspaper. Digital advertising has become one of the most accessible, affordable, and successful marketing tools for any company. Two of the most popular advertising platforms are Google and Facebook, and in this article, we will compare the benefits, goals, and industry trends for each.
Facebook Ads
Created in 2004, Facebook is the largest social media platform, involving 2.6 billion users worldwide. With countless groups, pages, and user accounts, chances are your audience can be reached here. Take a look at a few more benefits of Facebook advertising below.
- Senior demographic: Unlike Twitter and Instagram, Facebook is unique because it reaches almost every generation, including seniors. In fact, the demographic 65+ is the fastest-growing age group on Facebook.
- Targeting & retargeting options: Facebook offers many targeting options and custom audience lists which allow customers to be reached based on interests, demographics, and multiple stages of the marketing funnel. Whether your goals are brand awareness, lead generation, or retargeting, Facebook will ensure your ads get placed in front of the right audience at the perfect time.
- Ad formats: Having a wide variety of ad formats allows you to personalize your ads to reach customers at each stage of their journey. For example, video and carousel ads draw customers in and help gain awareness of your company. For customers in the consideration stage, a call-to-action button such as learn more, or buy now will encourage the customer to take the next step.
- Metrics: Facebook also has an integrated metric system to auto-optimize campaigns and provide you with the most relevant reports and data.
Google Ads
When you have a question or are looking for a service where do you go? For most people, the answer is Google. As the largest search engine worldwide, Google Ads is the number one paid digital advertising platform reaching countless audiences. Here are a few more benefits of advertising on Google.
- Increase leads: Because Google is the largest search engine with an innovative algorithm, it places your ads in front of quality leads looking for your services at the exact moment they’re looking.
- Control your budget: Google Ads allows you to add a daily, monthly, and overall budget and will never spend more than it’s told. It is also a pay-per-click platform which means you only pay when your ad gets clicked.
- Transparency & Metrics: Google Ads partners with Google Analytics to provide every metric and detail you need, all in real-time. From website clicks to keywords searched Google Ads shows you a comprehensive analysis of how well your campaign is performing and even offers optimization recommendations.
- High Traffic: Google has countless integrations and partners and can display your ads across Youtube, Gmail, App Store, and more. Not only is it a great place to gather leads, but it is also great for increasing brand awareness across networks.
- Search Ads: Search ads, which are text ads shown at the top of search engine results pages, have a much higher click-through and conversion rate. Unlike Facebook Ads, customers on Google are actively searching and may be more interested in seeing your ads.
Platform Comparison
To get a visual comparison of performance between Facebook and Google, take a look at the chart below.
| Click-Through Rate | Conversion Rate | Cost Per
Acquisition |
Cost Per Click | |
| Facebook Ads | 0.90% | 9.21% | $18.68 | $1.72 |
| Google Search Ads | 3.17% | 3.75% | $48.96 | $2.69 |
| Google Display Ads | 0.46% | 0.77% | $75.51 | $0.63 |
| Google Search Ads (Mobile) | 4.10% | 3.48% | $80.89 | $2.67 |
| Google Display Ads (Mobile) | 0.60% | 0.72% | $148.68 | $0.60 |
*data depicted across all industries between 2016-2019. Full data is found here and here.
A few takeaways from the chart:
- Facebook has the highest conversion rate (9.21%) and lowest cost per acquisition ($18.68), making it an affordable and effective platform choice.
- Google has the highest click-through rate and cost-per-acquisition, making it a valuable platform for those with an appropriate budget.
- Statistics show that 52.2% of website traffic comes from mobile devices, so having mobile-friendly ads and landing pages is vital.
Industry Trends
To dive a little deeper, notice the industry trends for healthcare and employment services across different platforms.
| Healthcare | Click-Through Rate | Conversion Rate | Cost Per
Acquisition |
Cost Per Click |
| 0.83% | 11% | $12.31 | $1.32 | |
| Google Search Ads | 3.27% | 3.36% | $78.09 | $2.62 |
| Google Display Ads | 0.59% | 0.82% | $72.58 | $0.63 |
| Google Ads Mobile (Search) | 3.79% | 4.24% | $95.92 | $3.24 |
| Google Ads Mobile (Display) | 0.51% | 0.80% | $99.05 | $0.68 |
| Employment Services | Click-Through Rate | Conversion Rate | Cost Per
Acquisition |
Cost Per Click |
| 0.47% | 11.73% | $23.24 | $2.72 | |
| Google Search Ads | 2.42% | 5.13% | $48.04 | $2.04 |
| Google Display Ads | 0.59% | 1.57% | $59.47 | $0.78 |
A few takeaways from industry comparison:
- Compared to all industries, the healthcare industry seems to do well on Facebook, with a slightly higher conversion rate and lower cost per click and cost per acquisition. On Google, we see similar statistics across the board but a higher cost per acquisition.
- Employment services have a higher than average conversion rate across platforms with similar costs per click and acquisition.
Many factors go into deciding which digital advertising platform to use. Whether it is budget, reach, engagement, or conversions, you will need to evaluate what makes the most sense in accomplishing your company goals. If you’re still lost and need a second opinion, give us a call or contact us. We would be happy to help you set up, manage, and optimize your ad campaigns to be a success.
