Formerly Google Ad-words, Google Ads has been around since the dawn of the new millennium. Facebook’s ad platform tends to contribute to some degree of confusion though. If you’re looking to fine-tune your online advertising strategy, here’s a closer look at how ads work on both Google and Facebook.

Bidding:
With Google, you can use the Keyword Planner tool to get an idea of how competitive various keywords are. You’ll use this information to plan your bidding strategy and tell Google how much you are willing to pay for each click.

Autobidding is an algorithm-based way to manage your ads on Google. Most ad buyers prefer the manual option since it’s easier to avoid over-spending. But if you go with autobidding, your bids will be based on objectives such as:
• Target cost-per-action (CPA)
• Search page location
• Return on advertising spend (ROAS)

Facebook has no version of Keyword Planner. This is because there are so many different possible ways to reach your target audience on this platform.

Instead, most advertisers opt for autobidding for Facebook Ads. However, you can still do manual bidding. Just tell FB how much you are willing to dish out for every action your ads inspire.

Quality of Ads:
It’s no secret that Google has a thing for quality and relevance – Facebook does, too. This being said, neither platform will reject ads because they are poorly prepared(unless it infringes the guidelines). But you’ll have to pay more to reach your intended audience.

Just remember that lackluster ads are less likely to convince clickers to take the desired action(s). So, you’ll still want to be mindful of your ad quality if you want to optimize your ROI.

Google gives you a Quality Score. Facebook gives you a Relevance Score. Both platforms use a 1-10 scale to determine quality and relevance. Your ads’ click-through rates will also be evaluated by both platforms.

Facebook typically considered the feedback your ads generate. Google uses factors that include:
• Landing page quality/relevance
• Keyword relevance to its ad group
• Historical ad performance

Estimated Action Rate:
Estimated action rate (EAR) is unique to Facebook. This is because FB allows you to choose ad objectives. The platform’s artificial intelligence capabilities use those objectives to display your ads to an audience likely to be receptive to them.

You can further narrow your focus by letting FB know which stage of the buying cycle matters most to you. For example, if you want to target buyers at the lower end of the advertising funnel, FB will do its best to achieve this goal.

However, if FB is unable to achieve your objective, your campaigns are basically stopped. This can be a smart way to avoid meaningless spending sooner rather than later.

Conversions Tracking:
What Google does is track conversions related to your ads. This is optimal. Also, conversion rates won’t affect how your ads rank.

What you can do, however, is wait until enough data is gathered about your ads. Then use the autobidding features to link your ads to your conversation rate goals.

In Conclusion:
How successful you are with each platform will depend on your digital advertising goals. Facebook is essentially all about demand generation. Google is more focused on demand fulfillment.

You’re certainly welcome to split your digital ad budget between each platform. Ultimately, you’ll be more likely to reach your goals with either FB or Google if you do your homework first.

This means calculating your preferred cost per acquisition (CPA) and desired click-through rate. It can also be helpful to pay attention to your ad copy and know who you want to view your ads and what actions you want your ads to inspire.
Ted is from Ice Cube Marketing, a digital marketing agency in Singapore that helps local small businesses acquire leads from channels such as Facebook and Google.