If you have been considering Google Ads vs Facebook Ads, you probably wonder which one is better for your particular niche. Below is a close look at both types of Facebook Ads or google ads so you can make an informed decision.
And when the time comes to manage your Google ads campaigns, it’s important to select the best ad management services to obtain the best ROI.
You’ve seen both ad types mentioned when you go into Google or Facebook Ads, but how do they operate?
Both advertising platform use a PPC or pay-per-click model. When you make advertisement on either platform, you go into an auction where you type in a bid for how much you want to spend on ad/ad spend space. Next, you’re charged a certain sum every time a person clicks on your ads/Google ads. Easy, right?
It’s essential for making your marketing decision.
Google Ads is a paid search advertisement method, for the most part. This means that you pay to have your ad listed on the Search engine results page for Google.
When you do a paid Google search campaign, your advertisement is served to searchers based on targeted keywords rather than by target audience. However, you can alter your campaign settings in paid Search engines/Google search to target a specific audience based on geographic location and other particulars.
However, Google Ads isn’t just about paid search; you also can serve your ads on:
On the other hand, Facebook Ads provides you with paid advertising. As Facebook has changed its algorithm settings, particularly for Facebook retargeting, it’s more complicated than ever to get your products in front of customers organically.
This is where your paid social campaign comes in. With Facebook Ads, you pay to get your ads/google ads in front of customers on major social networks rather than them finding you organically.
As you may know, Facebook isn’t just putting ads on your newsfeed. Some other channels that you can advertise are:
Now that we’ve covered the basics of these two advertising channels let’s compare them.
Google and Facebook have massive audience reach. Google gets almost six billion searches per day, and Facebook boasts about 1.8 billion daily users.
Mobile advertising on Facebook makes up almost 90% of the company’s ad revenue. However, mobile advertising isn’t the only method that you should try.
Usually, your target users/audience spends time on both Google and facebook ad/Online advertising platform, so you cannot determine which platform is ideal for you based only on audience’s size.
So, ask yourself, how is your target audience effective on these networks? And is your product oriented towards Google search or social?
Even if Google gets six billion searches per day, it doesn’t help you if no one is looking for your product there.
Have you released a new, exciting product? Have people heard about it? If not, then Facebook Ads could be the best option for you for now.
Cost is another significant consideration; the average cost-per-click on Google Advertising/|Google Ads is $2.70, but this varies widely by industry.
It can range from $2.46 for auto to $6.75 for legal services. Also, note that the most costly search term in Google Ads today is ‘insurance’ for $54 per click!
Facebook can be a bit cheaper per click than Google. For example, a company in the apparel local businesses could pay only .45 per click on Facebook. Insurance and finance are more expensive, but the typical CPC is only $3.75.
Also, Instagram feed advertisements are almost double the cost of Facebook ads/Google ads.
CPC is often pricier on Google Ads, remember that people clicking each Google or facebook ad could be further along in the purchase cycle. Facebook ads excels at building awareness, but Google Ads may be better at reaching the user when she is ready to buy.
But CPC is only part of the consideration. Another factor to consider is CPA or cost per action to determine if you have a sufficient ROI for your Google or Facebook advertising campaign.
CPA varies by each campaign you start. It depends mainly on how well you targeted each campaign and if you can convert a lot of viewers.
Wordstream has put together average CPA for most industries to give you a benchmark for how your Facebook or Google ad is performing.
The average CPA for all Facebook advertisements is about $18.75. It can range from $44 for auto to $12 for healthcare to $55 for technology.
Again, Google Ads will cost you more than Facebook Ads, but Facebook Ad management is typically more expensive. The typical CPA in Google Ads is $49 for search and $75 for display. This can range from $34 for auto to $72 for education to $133 for technology.
Regarding buyer intent, Google Ads usually beats Facebook Ads. Think about the type of business you have. Do your potential customers search for products or services when they are ready to buy?
For instance, if your car’s air conditioner breaks, they will start looking for car AC repair services. Google Search ads would put your company in front of customers exactly when they need your Google’s local service ads.
But that person won’t repair that AC repair business in six months that they saw on Facebook. Google wins here.
Facebook Ads are not as effective at getting leads to become sales quickly. Most people go to Facebook to hang out and socialize, not to shop. But this robust platform is critical for building an audience over time. If you can create a feeling of community around your company on Facebook, people are more likely to buy when they need your product.
If you want to create brand awareness for your company, Facebook wins.
To decide, you need to ask yourself some questions.
First, think about the goal of your campaign. Do you want to make sales fast? Then Google Ads is probably for you this time. But if you want to grow brand recognition or reach a vast audience, Facebook Ads may be the choice.
Next, think about your industry. B2B and B2C companies use free Google Ads with great success. But Facebook Ads may work better for B2C companies, especially for people selling less pricey products and services; consumers are more likely to buy these products impulsive after they see them two or three times.
Also, your audience matters. Do people look for your firm with the idea to buy today? If so, Google is the right choice. But if you want to build a new audience, then Facebook will fit you better.
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When this apartment complex client partnered with PPC.co, their goal was clear: generate more qualified leads through Google Ads. In just 60 days—from January to March 2025—we transformed their paid acquisition performance. Total conversions more than tripled, jumping from 10 to 32, while the overall conversion rate soared by over 300%. At the same time, we drove down the cost per conversion by 44%, delivering significantly more leads at a much lower cost.
By strategically combining Performance Max and high-intent Search campaigns, we not only increased lead volume but improved overall efficiency and ROI. This rapid and measurable improvement underscores the value of data-driven optimization and expert campaign management.
This case study is a testament to what can happen when a well-structured campaign meets expert strategy and continuous optimization. Whether you're launching a new property or looking to boost occupancy in a competitive market, PPC.co delivers real results—fast.
Ready to grow your leads and lower your cost per conversion?
Contact us today to schedule a free audit and discover how we can help you achieve similar results.
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If you’re running an e-commerce or retail business, you already know that visibility is everything. The best product in the world won’t sell if no one sees it. That’s where paid ads for ecommerce comes in.
Done right, they drive traffic, conversions, and repeat customers.
Done wrong, they drain your budget and leave you wondering what went wrong.
Whether you’re spending $500 a month or $50,000, your goal is the same: profitability. Not just clicks, and certainly not just impressions. You want to turn ad dollars into real, predictable revenue.
So how do top-performing e-commerce and retail brands make their paid ads work?
What are they doing that you’re not?
This guide breaks it down step-by-step, so you can start running profitable ads with confidence.
Before you launch a single campaign, you need clarity on your audience and goals. Are you trying to boost first-time sales? Increase average order value? Each objective requires a different strategy and metrics for success.
Don’t fall into the trap of launching ads just to “see what happens.” Paid media works best when it’s part of a bigger strategy. So before you log in to Google Ads or Meta Ads Manager, get specific about what success looks like.
If you want to run profitable paid ads, knowing your numbers is the foundation of your entire strategy. Without a clear understanding of your margins, break-even points, and how much you can afford to spend to acquire a customer, you’re essentially gambling with your ad budget.
And in e-commerce, that can get expensive fast.
Let’s start with the most critical numbers you need to know:
Your break-even ROAS tells you the minimum return you need on your ad spend to not lose money. It’s calculated by dividing 1 by your gross profit margin.
So if your margin is 50 percent, your break-even ROAS is 2.0. That means for every $1 you spend on ads, you need to make $2 in sales just to break even.
For example, let’s say you’re running Facebook Ads and spending $1,000 on a campaign. If your break-even ROAS is 2.0, you need to generate at least $2,000 in revenue to avoid losing money. Anything above that is profit. Anything below that eats into your cash.
Once you know your numbers, you can reverse-engineer your ad strategy instead of throwing money into the void and hoping for results. For instance, if your AOV is low (say $25), you might struggle to profit from ads unless you have a very low COGS or high conversion rates. In that case, you might want to:
On the other hand, if your AOV is $150 and your margins are strong, you have more room to compete in ad auctions, bid more aggressively, and test multiple audiences and creatives without instantly wiping out your profit.
A lot of beginner advertisers focus entirely on immediate return from ads. That’s understandable – but short-sighted. If you’re breaking even or slightly losing on the first sale, that might still be a smart move if you’re building long-term customer relationships.
That’s where Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) comes in. If you know that your average customer places three orders a year, each worth $60, then their LTV is $180. If you spend $40 to acquire that customer with your first ad, but earn $140 more over the next 12 months, that ad was extremely profitable in the long run.
Top e-commerce brands build their paid strategies around LTV-to-CAC ratio – how much they earn over time compared to what they paid to acquire the customer.
A healthy ratio is usually 3:1 or higher. So if you’re spending $50 to acquire a customer, you want to earn at least $150 from that customer over time.
Once you understand your numbers, you can plan your ad spend with precision. You’ll know exactly:
Let’s say you want to make $5,000 in profit this month, and your product has a 50 percent gross margin. That means you need $10,000 in sales. If your target ROAS is 2.5, you can spend up to $4,000 in ad spend to hit that goal. With those numbers in hand, you now have a roadmap for campaign budgeting, not just a shot in the dark.
Every ad platform has strengths. But if you try to use them all at once, you’ll burn through your budget without learning much. Instead, pick one or two that align best with your business model and customer behavior.
If you’re selling visually appealing products like apparel, skincare, or home goods, platforms like Instagram and TikTok can deliver strong returns – especially with the right creative. If you’re focused on high-intent buyers, Google Search and Shopping Ads are goldmines. And if you’re targeting professionals or B2B retail buyers, LinkedIn may offer surprising results.
Test channels strategically. Start with the one that matches where your customers spend their time and scale from there. The best platform for you is the one where your ideal customers are already shopping, scrolling, or searching.
One of the biggest mistakes retailers make is casting too wide a net. You don’t want everyone to see your ad – you want the right people to see it.
On Google, this means targeting high-intent keywords that signal buying behavior. Focus on terms like “buy,” “best,” “free shipping,” or product-specific searches. On Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, you’ll want to dial in your custom audiences using demographic data, lookalikes, interests, and behavior.
Don’t forget retargeting. Most people won’t buy the first time they visit your site, but retargeting brings them back when they’re ready. Set up ads that follow people who viewed a product, added to cart, or engaged with your brand but didn’t check out.
The more relevant your targeting, the more efficient your spend and the higher your return.
Creative is the make-or-break factor in most e-commerce ad campaigns. You can have perfect targeting and the right product, but if your ad doesn’t grab attention in the first two seconds, it won’t convert.
Your creative needs to do three things quickly:
Use high-quality product photos or videos. Show your product in action. Highlight a clear benefit or solve a specific problem. Incorporate customer reviews or user-generated content to build trust.
For paid social, test multiple creatives at once – video vs. image, UGC vs. branded, short-form vs. long-form – and let performance data guide your iterations. On search platforms like Google, focus on copy that’s compelling and packed with relevant keywords. Test different headlines and descriptions to see what gets the best click-through rate.
Sending paid traffic to your homepage is a rookie mistake. You want every click to land on a page that’s designed to convert. That means fast load times, mobile optimization, and a clear call-to-action.
If you’re promoting a specific product, send users to that product page and not your full catalog. If you’re offering a bundle or a seasonal deal, create a dedicated landing page with copy, visuals, and layout tailored to that offer.
Remove distractions. Reduce friction. Make it stupid-easy for people to buy. The less effort it takes, the more sales you’ll see. And don’t forget to A/B test. Sometimes a simple tweak to your headline or CTA can double your conversion rate overnight.
Once your ads are live, your job isn’t done. In fact, this is where it really begins. You need to monitor performance regularly, looking at more than just the surface-level metrics.
Click-through rate (CTR) tells you how well your ad is capturing attention. Conversion rate shows how well your landing page is sealing the deal. ROAS tells you how profitable your campaign is. And CPA helps you compare efficiency across different products or audiences.
Watch for early indicators of success – or failure.
Treat your campaigns like living systems. Tweak, test, and improve them continuously.
Once you find a winning combination – an ad, offer, and audience that works – it’s time to scale. Increase your budget gradually while keeping an eye on performance. Scaling too fast can tank your results, so go step by step.
Duplicate high-performing campaigns to test new audiences or creatives. Experiment with upsells, bundles, or time-limited offers to increase AOV. Layer in email or SMS marketing to retarget paid traffic and drive repeat sales.
And just as importantly, don’t be afraid to kill underperforming ads. If something isn’t working after a reasonable test period, cut it. Your budget should be flowing to what works – not what you hope will work.
One of the biggest mistakes in paid advertising is chasing one-off sales without thinking about the bigger picture. Winning e-commerce brands think in terms of customer lifetime value.
If your first sale breaks even, that’s fine. (As long as you have a plan to turn that customer into a repeat buyer. ) You can use post-purchase emails, loyalty programs, and retargeting ads to bring people back.
At the end of the day, when you view paid ads as the beginning of a customer relationship – not the end – you unlock real long-term profitability. And at PPC.co, that’s where we want to help you! We offer industry-leading PPC management services for ecommerce and retail brands who want to stop wasting ad spend and start generating real ROI.
Contact us today to learn more!
