Google Shopping Ads and Facebook Ads are two of the most preferred options for online advertising. They drive traffic, capture leads, amplify sales, and whatnot! Over 44% of merchants use them for their eCommerce store.
However, both these platforms operate very differently. From their targeting capabilities to their cost—ads on Google Shopping and Facebook have their own unique nuances. As a marketer, you must consider them to meet your business goals.
So today, let’s discuss Google Shopping vs Facebook Ads. This blog discusses the key differentiating factors between these platforms to help Shopify merchants like you choose the right one for paid ads initiatives.
Table of Contents
Understanding Google Shopping Ads
Every month, approximately 1.2 billion searches are made on the platform for purchasing purposes.
When you search for something on Google, you come across Google Shopping displaying relevant ads on the SERP. Those ads are called Product Listing Ads (PLAs) or Google Shopping Ads.
Unlike Google Search ads, Google Shopping Ads are visually more aesthetic. They also provide more product details and show up only on select Google Ads channels.
A typical Google Shopping Ad looks something like this:
Screenshot of a Google Shopping Ad
We searched for “headphones,” and this is what Google Shopping Ads came up with. You can see a list of the product and their details, such as the brand name, price, seller, special offers, etc. Additionally, users can also filter their preferences for more personalized results.
As these ads heavily depend on images to achieve user attention, they tend to be right for merchants looking to advertise their physical products online. For instance, clothing, accessories, electronics, furniture, books, etc. Advertising services is not possible through Google Shopping Ads.
Understanding Facebook Ads
Facebook is a popular social media platform of the Meta network, with a monthly user base of around 2.9 billion users worldwide.
Just like Google Shopping Ads leverage different Google Ads channels to advertise a product, Facebook Ads (or Meta Ads) leverage Facebook and other Meta platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. Thus, they can be considered as Meta equivalent of Google Shopping Ads.
A typical Facebook Ad looks something like this:
Screenshot of a Facebook Ad
Facebook Ads show up on an individual’s newsfeed and have the word “Sponsored” tagged below the merchant’s name. These ads can also appear on other places such as the Marketplace, Stories, etc.
To start running a Facebook Ad, you need a verified business account. These ads are managed by the Facebook Business Manager tool or Meta Business Suite and can be displayed all over the Meta network, including Instagram and WhatsApp.
Facebook Ads offer advanced targeting solutions. As a merchant, you can specifically target a user based on their demographics, interests, and behavior. Moreover, you also get multiple ad formats to choose from. For instance, you can run a simple image ad or a detailed carousel ad.
Moreover, Meta offers advanced advertising features like Meta Advantage+, which offers a dynamic way to create and run your ad campaigns.
Owing to this versatility, Facebook Ads for ecommerce are a great option for ecommerce businesses to explore.
Comparing Costs and ROI
Both Google Shopping Ads and Facebook Ads are paid ad types. Here’s how they compare in terms of costs and ROI:
Google Shopping Ads:
Google Shopping Ads support free listings and paid ads. Paid ads that are based on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis. For these ads, you only have to pay when a user actually clicks on your ad.
However, unlike conventional paid search, Google Shopping Ads do not wholly depend on keyword bidding. As an advertiser, you merely have to upload your product feed on the platform. Google uses it to automatically display your products whenever a user makes a similar query.
Having said that, it’s still essential to optimize these ads for keywords to achieve the best results. So, you will need to target a few high-ranking keywords. However, as they are generally expensive, the CPC also increases. However, there’s one way you can efficiently manage it.
Since the purchase intent of shoppers on Google is usually high, you can churn out great ROI if you sell expensive, high-ticket products through Google Shopping Ads. Statistically speaking, the average CPC for Google Shopping Ads is $0.66. Thus, if you sell products that are $500+, you can generate substantial ROI.
Facebook Ads:
Facebook Ads are a “paid social” ad type that also follows a CPC pricing approach. However, they have nothing to do with keywords.
Facebook Ads appear on a user’s feed who expresses interest in products similar to yours. This means, this ad type relies on user interests and their online behavior. So, instead of paying for keywords, you pay for targeting options and ad placements.
The average CPC for Facebook Ads is $0.97—slightly higher than Google Shopping Ads. But you can efficiently generate considerable ROI if you use these ads to promote low to medium price point products that trigger impulse buying.
As for the bidding strategy, Facebook Ads are not as rigid as Google Shopping Ads. They also let advertisers pay on a cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) basis.
Target Audience and Reach
Let’s see how Google Shopping Ads vs Facebook Ads compare in terms of audience and reach:
Google Shopping Ads:
Google Shopping Ads appear on select Google Ads channels, like the Shopping tab, Google Search, Google Images, Google Search Partner websites, and Maps.
However, they only target users with high purchase intent. This implies your ads will only show up on the SERPs of people who are actively hunting for a product like yours. Besides this, you can also define your target user base by specifying their demographics.
Retargeting old users is another option. With Google Shopping Ads’s dynamic remarketing feature, you can retarget visitors with personalized ads based on their behavior using retargeting pixels. In this context, you can use AdNabu’s Dynamic Google Ads Retargeting Pixel for expert help. By using it, you can run remarketing ads based on user behavior, automatically create retargeting audiences for easy targeting, and much more!
However, despite all of this, Google Shopping Ads’s targeting capabilities are mainly based on keywords and ad relevance.
Now, this user-targeting framework does limit your reach. But despite this, the traffic quality tends to be better. That’s because Google Shopping only shows your product ads to users who are most likely to buy. So, the chances of lead conversion are quite high.
Facebook Ads:
Facebook Ads appear all across the Meta network. This comprises Facebook Feed, Marketplace, Stories, Messenger, Instagram, and even WhatsApp!
As for the available targeting options, Facebook Ads have many advanced features. You can target audiences based on their demographics, search intent, digital behavior, geography, and so much more.
With its Meta Pixel feature, you can track visitor activity and gather data to optimize Ads. That’s not all. You can also use the “lookalike audiences” feature to push your ads to audiences who resemble your current customer base! So yes, there’s no cap on where and whom your ad can reach.
But that doesn’t necessarily guarantee high-quality traffic.
Well, unlike Google Shopping Ads, Facebook Ads do not specifically target users with a strong purchase intent. They openly prospect all kinds of users. Therefore, the chances of converting a lead is 50/50.
How to Setup Google Shopping and Facebook Ads?
Google Shopping vs Facebook ads—here’s everything you need to know about their configuration and management:
Google Shopping Ads:
To start an ads campaign on Google Shopping, follow these steps:
- Create a Google Merchant Center (GMC) account.
- Next, create a product feed. You can either do it manually or use automation tools to simplify the whole process. Once done, upload your product feed to GMC.
- Now, you can start creating your Google Shopping Ads campaign. For this, you first need a Google Ads account.
- So, create one and log into your account. Next, click on the “Switch to Expert Mode” option.
- Then, click on “Sales,” and after that, click on “Shopping.” Next, enter your GMC account details.
- Now, you’ll have to select either of the two Google Shopping Ad campaign types—Standard Shopping and Performance Max.
- Once done, click on “Continue”.
- Next, select your preferred bid strategy—manual CPC, target ROAS, or maximize clicks. Once done, set your campaign budget.
- Then, specify your exact campaign priority—low, medium, or high.
- In the next few steps, you will be asked to specify more about the placements and the reach of your ads. Make your choices based on your campaign type.
- Once done, enter a name for your ad campaign and click on the “Create Campaign” option.
Facebook Ads:
To set up a Facebook Ads campaign, follow these steps:
- Create a Facebook Ads Manager Account. To do so, you first need to create a Facebook Business page.
- Once done, select an ad type from the list, like video ads or Facebook carousel ads, and tap “Create.” This will start a fresh ad campaign.
- Next, choose your ad objective. It could be gaining brand awareness, increasing engagement—anything.
- Now, set up a budget and schedule for your ad campaign.
- After that, select your target audience. You can do so by specifying their location, gender, age, occupation, and other demographics.
- Once done, select your ideal ad format to create the campaign. It could be images, videos, slideshows, carousels, collections, or instant experiences.
- Finally, set up reporting to monitor your analytics. (Learn about Google Ads Reports & Metrics).
Although the number of steps is fewer in Facebook Ads, setting up and managing a campaign is still more complex there. That’s mainly because of two reasons.
- On Google Shopping Ads, you can use a single product feed to ad campaigns for multiple products.
- Google Shopping’s ad targeting is mostly automated. So, unlike Facebook, you do not have to specify demographics to reach your target audience manually.
Considerations for Shopify Merchants
As a Shopify merchant, you must consider factors like your target audience, budget, bidding strategies, ad objectives, campaign goals, compliance and policies, and competition to land your ideal ad platform between Google Shopping Ads and Facebook. However, you can also implement both of these tools if you have the budget.
Target Audience: Facebook Ads ate great for reaching wider audience and Google Shopping ads is suitable for audience with high purchase intent.
Ad Objective: Facebook Ads is suitable for objectives like brand awareness, engagement, lead generation, and conversions. Google Ads is primarily focused on sales and conversions.
Bidding Strategies: Facebook ads offers various bidding strategies like CPC, CPM, CPA whereas google ads is CPC based bidding.
Steps to Integrate Google Shopping Ads with Shopify:
- Create a Google Merchant Center (GMC) account.
- Log in to your Shopify Admin account.
- Go to the Shopify App Store and install the Google and YouTube app.
- Open the Google channel app. Follow the on-screen instructions to integrate your GMC account.
- Now, use the Google channel app to sync your product listings.
- Once done, link your GMC account to Google Ads. Go to “Settings” > “Linked Accounts,” and do as instructed to link your accounts.
Steps to Integrate Facebook Ads with Shopify
- Log in to your Shopify Admin account.
- Go to “Settings” > “Apps and Sales Channel.”
- Now, tap on the “Shopify App Store” option and download Facebook & Instagram.
- Once done, plug in your Shopify account to your Facebook Business account.
You can consider AdNabu to connect with Google Shopping and Facebook ads.
AdNabu is an all-in-one feed tool and AI feed management software. This feed management software is suitable for small and large companies with huge volumes of data. It is trusted by over 10,000 store owners and has a ‘Built For Shopify’ badge. It has over 652 reviews with a 4.8 rating.
With AdNabu, you can achieve:
- Create error-free feeds across Google Shopping and Facebook ads.
- Take advantage of AI product feed optimization.
- Instantly sync product updates from Shopify to Google Merchant Center.
- Generate up-to-date feed URLs to use in marketplaces like Facebook.
- Customize product descriptions for advertising purposes.
Pricing:
The app offers a free plan and a 14-day free trial.
- Basic Plan: Costs $29.99/month.
- Advanced Plan: Costs $79.99/month.
- Plus Plan: Costs $249.99/month.
You can install the app here.
Choosing the Right Platform for Your Business
Still confused between Google Shopping vs Facebook Ads? Don’t worry—here’s a brief guide to help you:
1. Contemplate Your Marketing Objectives
Take your marketing objective into account when selecting your ads platform.
Google Shopping Ads are apt in making immediate sales. Whereas, Facebook Ads are suitable for creating strong brand awareness among the audience.
2. Consider Your Business Type
If you have an eCommerce store with more than one SKU, choose Google Shopping Ads. On the other hand, if your eCommerce store hosts a limited number of products but those with a striking visual appeal, go for Facebook Ads.
3. Factor in Your Target Audience
Google Shopping Ads are ideal for businesses with users spending time on the Google platforms, actively looking for products. In contrast, Facebook Ads are suitable for businesses whose audiences have shown interest in their products in the past.
| Also, read our blog on Google Shopping alternatives. You can explore other marketplaces like Pinterest, Etsy, etc. |
Final Words
Google Shopping Ads and Facebook Ads are two major players in the realm of paid advertising. However, each of them has its own benefits and shortcomings.
So, assess what Google Shopping Ads and Facebook Ads might have in store for you. Consider factors like your target audience, business type, etc., and choose the right one. You can also create a combined marketing strategy with the power of both.
For more insightful reads, check out AdNabu!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Which platform is better for driving immediate sales?
Generally, Google Shopping Ads turn out to be more effective in driving immediate sales. This is because they directly target high purchase intent users, i.e., the ones who are actively searching for the product you are running the ad for.
2. Which platform offers more creative ad formats?
Facebook Ads typically offers a wider variety of engaging, creative ad formats like image, video, and carousel ads. This tends to be particularly helpful for brands that rely on strong visuals and storytelling for marketing.
3. What are the targeting capabilities of each platform?
Google Shopping Ads target a user based on their search history and purchase intent. On the other hand, Facebook Ads offer advanced targeting options to marketers. This means you can target an audience based on their demographic details, behaviors, interests, etc.
4. Which platform provides a higher return on ad spend (ROAS)?
Generally, Google Shopping Ads tend to offer a higher ROAS for eCommerce as compared to Facebook Ads. That’s because they capture users with high purchase intent. However, you can also achieve significant reach and impact through Facebook Ads since their targeting options are relatively more flexible.
5. How do campaign setups compare between the two platforms?
In Google Shopping, setting up ad campaigns tends to be a relatively simpler process—particularly for stores with multiple products. On the contrary, Facebook Ads might require more detailed setup and management for effective targeting.
6. What are the scalability options on each platform?
Facebook Ads are considered highly scalable and specifically useful for products with broad appeal. In contrast, Google Shopping’s scalability is quite limited by the search volume for specific products.
7. How do the costs compare between Google Shopping and Facebook Ads?
The cost per click (CPC) is generally higher on Facebook Ads compared to Google Shopping Ads. But then again, outcomes related to customer engagement and conversion rates also vary slightly.
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