Facebook Ads and Google Shopping Ads are two of the most popular choices for internet advertising. They increase visitors, generate leads, boost revenue, and more! For their eCommerce store, more than 44% of merchants use them.

Nevertheless, these two platforms function in somewhat distinct ways. Google Shopping and Facebook advertising have their special characteristics, from their cost to their targeting possibilities. They must be taken into account as a marketer to achieve your objectives.

Now, let’s talk about Facebook Ads vs. Google Shopping. The primary elements that set these platforms apart are covered in this article to assist Shopify shops like you in selecting the best one for your paid advertising campaigns.

Understanding Google Shopping Ads

Approximately 1.2 billion searches for purchases are conducted on the marketplace each month.

Google Shopping shows you relevant adverts on the SERP when you search for something on Google. These advertisements are known as Google Shopping Ads or Product Listing Ads (PLAs).

Google Shopping advertisements are more aesthetically pleasing than Google Search advertisements. Additionally, they only appear on specific Google Ads channels and offer more product details.

This is how a typical Google Shopping Ad appears:

This is what Google Shopping Ads produced when we searched for “headphones.” A list of the product’s details, including the seller, price, brand name, and any special offers, is displayed to you. For more individualized results, customers can also filter their choices.

These advertisements tend to be appropriate for retailers wishing to promote their actual goods online because they rely significantly on pictures to capture users’ attention. For example, apparel, accessories, electronics, books, and furnishings. Google Shopping Ads does not offer advertising services.

Understanding Facebook Ads

Facebook, a well-known social media site within the Meta network, has over 2.9 billion monthly members globally.

Facebook Ads (or Meta Ads) use Facebook and other Meta platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp to promote a product, just as Google Shopping Ads use various Google Ads channels. So, they can be thought of as Google Shopping Ads’ Meta equivalent.

Typically, a Facebook ad looks like this:

The word “Sponsored” is tagged beneath the merchant’s name in Facebook ads that appear in a user’s newsfeed. The ads may also show up elsewhere, like Stories, the Marketplace, etc.

You must have a confirmed business account before you can begin running Facebook ads. The ads can be seen across the Meta network, including Instagram and WhatsApp, and are controlled via the Facebook Business Manager tool or Meta Business Suite.

Facebook Ads provides sophisticated targeting options. You can target a user specifically as a merchant by looking at their demographics, interests, and activity. Additionally, you have a variety of ad types to select from. You can run a basic image ad or a complex carousel ad, for example.

Additionally, Meta provides sophisticated advertising tools like Meta Advantage+, which gives you a flexible approach to design and manage your advertising campaigns.

Facebook Ads are generally appropriate for a broad range of e-commerce enterprises because of their adaptability. particularly those that are widely appealing.

Comparing Costs and ROI

Facebook Ads and Google Shopping Ads are examples of sponsored advertising. Here is a comparison of their costs and return on investment:

Google Shopping Ads:

Both free and paid listings are supported by Google Shopping Ads. Ads that are paid for using a cost-per-click (CPC) model. You only have to pay for these advertisements when a user clicks on them.

However, Google Shopping Ads rely on more than just keyword bidding, unlike traditional sponsored search. All you need to do as an advertiser is submit your product feed to the platform. When a user enters a similar inquiry, Google uses it to automatically display your products.

However, to get the best results, it is still imperative that these advertisements be optimized for keywords. Therefore, you must focus on a small number of high-ranking keywords. However, the CPC also rises because they are typically pricey. You may, however, effectively handle it in one method.

If you offer pricey, high-ticket products using Google Shopping Ads, you can generate a high return on investment (ROI) because Google shoppers typically have a high buy intent. According to statistics, Google Shopping Ads’ average cost per click is $0.66. Therefore, you can get a significant return on investment if you sell things that cost $500 or more.

Facebook Ads:

One form of “paid social” advertising that also uses a CPC pricing strategy is Facebook Ads. They are unrelated to keywords, though.

When a person shows interest in products comparable to yours, Facebook ads show up in their feed. This indicates that the type of advertisement depends on the online behavior and interests of the user. Therefore, you pay for targeting options and ad locations rather than keywords.

Facebook Ads average cost per click (CPC) is $0.97, which is somewhat more than Google Shopping Ads’. However, if you utilize these advertisements to sell low- to medium-priced products that encourage impulsive purchases, you can effectively produce a significant return on investment.

Facebook Ads have a less strict bidding method than Google Shopping Ads. Additionally, they permit cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) payments from advertisers.

Target Audience and Reach

Let’s examine the audience and reach a comparison between Google Shopping Ads and Facebook Ads :

Google Shopping Ads:

Google Shopping Ads are displayed on specific Google Ads channels, including the Shopping tab, Google Search, Google Images, Google Search Partner websites, and Maps.

They only target people who are highly likely to make a purchase, though. This means that only users who are actively looking for a product similar to yours will see your advertising in their search engine results pages. In addition to this, you may choose the demographics of your desired user base.

Another method is to retarget former users. You can use retargeting pixels to show visitors customized adverts depending on their behavior with Google Shopping ads dynamic remarketing capability. You can get professional assistance in this situation by using Wixpa’s Dynamic Google Ads Retargeting Pixel. It allows you to generate retargeting audiences automatically for simple targeting, run remarketing ads based on user behavior, and much more!

However, keywords and ad relevancy are the primary determinants of Google Shopping Ads’ targeting powers.

Now, your reach is limited by this user-targeting architecture. However, the quality of the traffic is often better. This is because Google Shopping only displays advertisements for your products to people who are most likely to make a purchase. Thus, there is a good possibility that the lead will be converted.

Facebook Ads:

Facebook advertisements can be seen throughout the Meta network. This includes Instagram, Messenger, Stories, Marketplace, Facebook Feed, and even WhatsApp!

Facebook Ads offers a lot of sophisticated tools in terms of targeting choices. Audiences can be targeted according to a wide range of factors, including demographics, search intent, digital behavior, region, and much more.

You can monitor visitor activity and collect information to improve ads with its Meta Pixel feature. But that’s not all. By using the “lookalike audiences” option, you may also target audiences with your ads who are similar to your current customers! Therefore, there is no limit on the audience or location of your advertisement.

However, that does not always equate to high-quality traffic.

Facebook Ads, in contrast to Google Shopping Ads, do not target people who are very likely to make a purchase. They aggressively look for users of various kinds. So, the possibility of converting a lead is 50/50.

How to Setup Google Shopping and Facebook Ads?

Here is all the information you need to manage and configure Google Shopping vs. Facebook ads:

Google Shopping Ads:

Take these actions to begin a Google Shopping ads campaign:

1. Make an account with Google Merchant Center (GMC).
2. Make a product feed after that. The entire procedure can be made simpler by using automation technologies or by doing it by hand. After finishing, submit your product feed to GMC.
3. You can now create your Google Shopping Ads campaign. To achieve this, you must first have a Google Ads account.
4. Create one now, then sign in to your account. After that, select “Switch to Expert Mode.”
5. Next, select “Sales,” and then select “Shopping.” Enter your GMC account information after that.
6. At this point, you have to decide between the Google Shopping Ad campaign types Performance Max and Standard Shopping.
7. Click “Continue” when finished.
8. Next, decide if you want to optimize clicks, target ROAS, or use a manual CPC bid approach. After that, decide on your campaign’s budget.
9. Next, decide if you want your campaign to be low, medium, or high in priority.
10. You will be prompted to provide further details regarding your ad placements and reach in the next steps. Choose according to the type of campaign you are running.
11. After that, give your advertising campaign a name and select “Create Campaign.”

Facebook Ads:

Create a Facebook Ads campaign by following these steps:

1. Make an account on Facebook Ads Manager. You must first set up a Facebook Business page in order to accomplish this.
2. After that, choose an ad type from the list—such as Facebook carousel advertisements or video ads—and click “Create.” This will launch a new advertising campaign.
3. Next, decide on your advertising goal. It could be raising engagement, raising brand exposure, or anything else.
4. Create a timetable and budget for your advertising campaign now.
5. Next, decide who your target audience is. By providing their location, gender, age, occupation, and other demographic details, you may accomplish this.
6. Then, to begin the campaign, select the ad format of your choice. Images, movies, slideshows, carousels, collections, or real-time experiences could all be included.
7. Lastly, configure reports to keep an eye on your analytics.

Facebook Ads have fewer stages, but the setup and management of a campaign are still more complicated. This is primarily due to two factors.

• You can run ad campaigns for several products on Google Shopping Ads using a single product feed.
  The majority of Google Shopping’s ad targeting is automated.
• Therefore, in contrast to Facebook, you can manually contact your target audience without specifying demographics.

Considerations for Shopify Merchants

To choose your perfect ad platform between Google Shopping Ads and Facebook, a Shopify merchant must take into account several aspects, including your target audience, budget, bidding methods, ad objectives, campaign goals, compliance and policies, and competition. However, if you have the funds, you can also use both of these technologies.

Target Audience: Google Shopping advertising works well for audiences with a strong propensity to buy, while Facebook ads are excellent for reaching a larger audience.

Ad Objective: Facebook Ads can be used to achieve goals such as lead generation, conversions, engagement, and brand exposure. Sales and conversions are Google Ads’ primary objectives.

Bidding Strategies: Google Ads uses CPC-based bidding, whereas Facebook Ads offers a variety of bidding tactics, including CPC, CPM, and CPA.

Steps to Integrate Google Shopping Ads with Shopify:

1. Make an account with Google Merchant Center (GMC).
2. Open your Shopify Admin account and log in.
3. From the Shopify App Store, install the Google and YouTube applications.
4. Launch the Google Channel app. To link your GMC account, adhere to the on-screen directions.
5. You may now connect your product listings using the Google Channel platform.
6. Next, link your GMC account to Google Ads. To link your accounts, select “Settings” > “Linked Accounts,” then follow the directions.

Steps to Integrate Facebook Ads with Shopify

1. Open your Shopify Admin account and log in.
2. Navigate to  “Settings” > “Apps and Sales Channel.”
3. Now, select “Shopify App Store” and download Instagram and Facebook.
4. Next, connect your Facebook Business account to your Shopify account.

Wixpa can be used to link Facebook advertisements and Google Shopping.

Wixpa is an all-in-one AI feed management solution and feed tool. Both small and large businesses with massive data volumes can use this feed management software. More than 10,000 store owners trust it, and it bears the “Built For Shopify” label. It has a rating of 4.8 and more than 652 reviews.

Wixpa can help you achieve:

Create feeds for Google Shopping and Facebook ads that are free of errors.

Benefit from the optimization of AI product feeds.

Product updates may be automatically synchronized between Shopify and Google Merchant Center.

Create current feed URLs for usage in Facebook and other markets.

Make product descriptions unique for marketing.

Pricing:

The app provides a 14-day free trial in addition to a free plan.

• Basic Plan: $29.99 per month.
  The Advanced Plan is $79.99 per month.
  Plus Plan: $249.99 per month.

Installing the app is possible here.

Choosing the Right Platform for Your Business

Are you still unsure about Facebook Ads vs. Google Shopping? Don’t worry, this little guide will assist you:

1. Contemplate Your Marketing Objectives

When choosing your advertising platform, consider your marketing goal.

Google Shopping Ads are effective at generating revenue right away. On the other hand, Facebook ads work well for raising audience awareness of the business.

2. Consider Your Business Type

Google Shopping Ads is the best option if your eCommerce store has multiple SKUs. On the other hand, use Facebook Ads if your e-commerce business sells a small selection of visually appealing products.

3. Factor in Your Target Audience

For companies with customers that spend time on Google platforms actively searching for products, Google Shopping Ads are perfect. Facebook Ads, on the other hand, are appropriate for companies whose target consumers have previously expressed interest in their offerings.

Final Words

Facebook Ads and Google Shopping Ads are two of the biggest names in sponsored advertising. All of them, though, have advantages and disadvantages of their own.

Examine what Facebook Ads and Google Shopping Ads may have in store for you. Choose wisely by taking into account elements such as your target market, sort of business, etc. Using the strengths of each, you can also develop a combination marketing plan.

Check out Wixpa for more insightful reading!