Case Study
Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads
Did you know Google Ads can be 4 times as expensive as Facebook Ads? Using data from just one day, we’ll show you the difference in cost-per-click (CPC) between Facebook Ads and Google Ads.
The Matchup
We’re about to show you two sets of data: one from Google Ads, and one from Facebook Ads. Both are from campaigns we managed for Bethany’s Cleaning Service, one of our clients. This client’s daily spend budget was $40. Each set of data is taken from a single day.
Exhibit A: Google Ad
In one day…
- Bethany’s Cleaning Service spent $39.45.
- Their ad was placed in front of 126 people.
- Their ad was clicked 7 times.
- Their ad’s click-through rate (CTR) was 5.56%, which is actually far above average.
Exhibit B: Facebook Ad
In one day…
- Bethany’s Cleaning Service spent only $22.67 out of their total budget.
- Their ad was placed in front of 951 people.
- Their ad was clicked 29 times.
- Their ad’s CTR was 3.05%, which is substantially lower than the AdWords CTR (5.56%).
The Shocking Difference
However, even with a lower CTR, Bethany’s Cleaning Service’s ad received 22 more clicks on Facebook than on Google! Do the math: Facebook only cost $0.78 per click, while Google cost $5.64 per click. In fact, this same Facebook ad had a cost-per-click as low as $0.29 at one point during its campaign! So, the potential for Facebook ads to actually be 19 times cheaper is very real.
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Conclusion
Overall, Google Ads is 4 times more expensive than Facebook Ads. And that’s saying a lot, because this particular Google campaign performed like a rock star! The numbers can be even more mind-boggling when you use one of the strongest-performing days of the Facebook campaign where the CPC was just $0.29. Using that day, Google Ads is more than 19 times as expensive per click! Furthermore, Bethany’s Cleaning Service is receiving a much higher rate of contact on Facebook than on Google. During their campaigns, they received anywhere from 1 to 6 direct messages per day on Facebook, whereas Google produced less than 1 contact per day. So, on top of being more cost-effective for clicks, Facebook also caters to people’s preference for texting and emailing over calling on the phone. Therefore, if we go beyond clicks and start comparing conversions, the difference is even more wildly in favor of Facebook ads.
