Meta Ads vs Google Ads: 5 Key Insights to Decide Which is Better for Your Business?

A Basic Overview: Meta Ads and Google Ads

Meta Ads and Google Ads are two of the most popular digital advertising platforms used by businesses to reach their target audiences. The outcomes expected by both platforms may be similar, but there are varied differences between Meta Ads and Google Ads. Meta Ads use platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Messenger based on users' online activity and browsing history in the form of visually appealing and interactive content. On the other hand, Google Ads utilize search engine and browsing behaviour, allowing business to capture their customers at the moment they are searching for similar products or services.

The first step in creating a Meta Ad and Google Ad is to decide on the campaign objective. This is designed to attain a specific marketing goal, and it depends upon each platform and user behaviour.

The options for Campaign objectives that the Meta Ads provide are

• Awareness
• Traffic
• Engagement
• Leads
• App Promotion
• Sales

The options for Campaign objectives that Google Ads provide are

• Sales
• Leads
• Website Traffic
• App Promotion
• Awareness and consideration
• Local store visits

Meta Ads vs Google Ads: Budgets

Here, the budget is the amount spent on ads; it acts as a cost-control tool that helps control a campaign's overall expenditure. The budget setup differs in Meta and Google Ads.

Budget setups that Meta Ads offer are

1. Campaign Budget: Campaign Budget allows one to set a budget for an entire campaign. This makes budgeting easier and reduces the need to manage multiple campaigns manually.
2. Ad set budgets: Ad set budgets allow one to set a budget for each ad; this is especially useful when each ad has different bidding strategies, goals, and target audience.
3. Daily Budgets: The Daily Budget is the average amount that one needs to spend on an ad on a daily basis. It is ideal for consistent daily results.
4. Lifetime Budgets: A Lifetime Budget allows one to invest for the entire runtime of a campaign or ad set, and it is helpful for those who are flexible with daily amounts.

Budget setups Google Ads offer are

1. Average daily budget: The average amount you set for each ad campaign per day.
2. Shared budget: A shared budget is a single average daily budget that’s shared by multiple campaigns in an account.
3. Campaign total budget: The campaign budget allows one to invest for the entire campaign or ad set runtime.

There are also limitations on how much one can spend on Meta Ads and Google Ads. On Meta Ads, your minimum spend limit needs to be equal to or less than your campaign budget. On Google Ads, the maximum amount you can be billed for a campaign on a given day is the average daily budget multiplied by 2. The maximum amount you can bill for a campaign over a month is the average daily budget multiplied by 30.4.

Meta Ads vs Google Ads: Targeting

Both Google Ads and Meta Ads have the option to automate the audience targeting. This gives the platform permission to show the ads to people beyond those it thinks are likely to convert. Google Ads calls this Optimized Targeting, and Meta Ads calls it Advantage Detailed Targeting.

Meta Ads vs Google Ads: Ad Formats and Creativity

Meta Ads and Google Ads are similar in offering multiple ad formats. However, the key difference between Meta Ads and Google Ads is that the former is more visual-driven, whereas the latter is less reliant on visual creativity. Because of the nature of Meta platforms, it is more flexible towards creativity to ensure more engagement. Meta Ads grab higher user interaction and brand loyalty through these interactive formats. At the same time, Google Ads are more intent-driven and focus on capturing potential customers at the perfect moment. Google Ads is not completely rejecting creative content; it does provide creative spaces in display and video ads to expand the target audience.

Meta Ads vs Google Ads: Conversion and Sales Impact

Customer Journey: On Meta Ads, the customer journey starts with awareness, then interactions, and finally, purchasing. Meta’s targeting tool tries to re-engage users who were not earlier converted. With Google Ads, the customer journey starts with a search query seeking a solution or a product. With this ad, brands can position themselves in the decision-making of the users, creating awareness and making them consider.

Optimizing for Conversions: In meta Ads, tools like Lookalikes Audience target users similar to existing customers, which helps boost conversions. On the other hand, Google Ads use relevant keywords and Google’s Bidding Strategies, like Target CPA and ROAS, to maximize conversions.

Tracking & Improving Conversion Rates: Meta Ads provide detailed analytics with tools like Meta Pixel. This allows businesses to track user behaviour, measure conversion events, and optimize ads based on that. It also helps narrow the target audience and enhance conversions. Google Ads can be tracked and monitored using tools like Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, which provide in-depth insights into conversion tracking.

Both Meta Ads and Google ads provide unique advantages, but deciding between these solely depends on the business’s strategy. To maximize your advertising potential and achieve exceptional results, explore Inqnest's Paid Media Services for expert guidance on Meta and Google Ads strategies. Visit the Inqnest website to discover how we can help you grow your business through tailored digital marketing solutions.