Imagine advertising for emergency plumbing services and running Facebook Ads. This seems impossible to do today, but we all do such kind of stuff one way or the other. Google Ads vs Facebook Ads is a solid debate. And, here we have put end to this debate in 2025.
The majority of businesses fail in their marketing strategy by pushing their budget to a place where their audience doesn’t exist. This not only costs them their hard-earned money but also they lose a lot of business. That low confidence takes years of great strategy to come back to being profitable.
Before I explain either Google Ads or Facebook Ads is best for your business. Let’s understand the key differences between these two mega Ad platforms.
Key Differences Between Google Ads and Facebook Ads in 2025
1️⃣ Reach & Audience Size
Google Ads → Mega Daily Reach
- Billions of searches per day on Google’s search network.
- Massive reach through the Google Display Network (YouTube, Gmail, partner sites).
Learn with Google Ads campaign type is best for your business here.
Facebook Ads → Second best after Google
- Over 3 billion monthly active users across Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp).
- Highly engaged social media audience.
2️⃣ Audience Intent: Capture demand vs. Creating demand
Google Ads → Captures demand
- Users are actively searching for products or services.
- Best for high-intent buyers ready to make a purchase.
- Example: Someone searching for “best running shoes for beginners” is likely ready to buy.
Facebook Ads → Generates demand
- Users aren’t actively searching but can be influenced.
- Ideal for brand awareness and impulse purchases.
- Example: A well-crafted ad for running shoes appears in someone’s feed based on their interests.
3️⃣ Cost & ROI Differences
Google Ads → Higher CPC but More Purchase Intent
- Cost-per-click (CPC) is usually higher, but conversions tend to happen faster.
- Best for businesses that rely on search demand (e.g., local services, e-commerce).
Facebook Ads → Lower CPC but Requires More Nurturing
- Cheaper clicks, but users may need more touchpoints before converting.
- Best for brand awareness, engagement, and retargeting campaigns.
4️⃣ Complexity & Setup
Google Ads → Need Proper Guidance
- Requires keyword research, bidding strategies, and conversion tracking.
- More technical setup, including search, display, shopping, and video ads.
- Learn how to find the best Keywords for Google Ads.
Facebook Ads → Easy to Setup
- Easier to set up with visual creatives and audience targeting.
- Success depends on strong visuals and audience testing.
Which One Should You Run & Why?
Here I am presenting you 5 Situations your business might fall into. Study these points to know what’s best for your business marketing. Get ready to push your ads budget at the right place.
To Generate Awareness for a New Product or Service
Generating awareness could fall into two different categories. The best ad platform choice is completely different in both cases.
If the Product or Service Already Exists
First, figure out if the demand exists for a product or service or not. The best way is to check through Google Keywords Planner, which is a completely free tool.
If you see some search terms that show users searching for that particular product or service, Google Ads is the way to go. The best type of campaign to start would be Search for lead generation and Shopping for eCommerce.
If the Product or Service is a New Idea
Similarly, if there are not enough search terms that exist as seen in the Keyword Planner, we need to generate demand for that product or service. And, the best platform for generating demand is Facebook Ads. It offers cheap traffic compared to Google Ads, which is perfect to generate demand and build awareness.
Capturing Existing Demand for High-Intent Searches
This category applies to almost all service-based businesses out there. When someone needs a service, what’s the first thing they do?
They go to Google to search for service providers they need. Yes, this is what happens all the time. So, the primary choice for every service business is Google Ads. Such services include counseling, plumbing, marketing, and many others.
Reaching a Niche Audience with Specific Interests
If your goal is to advertise to a niche audience, there are a few requirements a platform must have:
- Detailed Targeting Options: Audience segments based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
- Rich Ad Formats: Must support multiple creative formats so advertisers can reach out in the best way possible.
- Audience Data and Insights: Need to have insights and details about highly targeted niche groups.
When we talk about Google Ads, its specialty is to capture demand through high-intent searches. So, inside the Google Ads ecosystem, YouTube Ads is a choice but it’s secondary.
Why Facebook Ads is Best to Reach a Niche Audience?
Facebook Ads is your primary channel when targeting niche audiences. It offers detailed demographic and interest-based targeting. Furthermore, it’s great for targeting ad formats like video, carousel, and stories. It’s Facebook’s behavioral segmentation that makes it the best choice for niche advertising.
Promoting Time-Sensitive Offers or Events
For time-sensitive or event-based offers, we can both generate demand and capture demand. So, both Google Ads and Facebook Ads should be used here.
- Google Ads will be helpful to target search terms related to your offer and run YouTube Ads for people with relevant interests.
- Facebook Ads will also target interested audiences, making it a great option for these offers.
So, both Google Ads and Facebook Ads would work best for your marketing strategy. Divide your budget between these platforms to get the best results.
Nurturing and Retargeting Potential Customers
In 2025, retargeting is very underrated. According to data-based analysis in 2025, a cold prospect needs 20-50 touchpoints before a sale. This highlights the importance of retargeting and how crucial it is to warm up audiences before giving up on them. Some products or services are not instant buys and have longer sales cycles that may span weeks or months. Here, retargeting is a must to increase revenue and maximize budget efficiency.
Why Facebook Ads is Best for Retargeting?
Google Ads requires users to visit a website or explore YouTube before retargeting. But Facebook Ads targets users as soon as they are on Facebook.
Moreover, you can easily create Custom Audiences and Lookalike Audiences to target your ideal customer persona. You can upload a list of people you want to target. This functionality is available in Google Ads as well, but it’s more limited.
Similarly, you can choose different ad formats like images, videos, or carousels, making Facebook Ads the perfect choice for retargeting.
Ideal Scenario
At Scaleket, we use the ideal scenario for our clients. Most businesses we work with are service-based with good demand on Google Search. So, we allocate 80% of the budget to Google Ads while building retargeting audiences immediately. The remaining 20% goes to Facebook Ads, primarily for retargeting visitors who haven’t converted.
If you have confusion about advertising platforms, reach out to us to schedule a free meeting. Our expert will recommend the best platform and provide a free strategy for your business growth.