Which Should You Use: Google or Facebook for Retargeting?


August 22, 2017

Have you ever visited a website and then suddenly you start seeing ads for that company all across the web?

This phenomenon is called retargeting or remarketing.

Your customers don’t always buy something the first time they visit your website or click on your ad. Depending on their stage in the buying process, they could continue to do research or think over the idea before making a purchase. However, you can assume they’re somewhat interested if they visited your website. 

There are two major players in the retargeting arena, Google and Facebook. 

How do you decide which is right for your business? Let's take a look at each.

Facebook Retargeting Ads

With Facebook, it’s very easy to set up retargeting options, especially if you’re already utilizing Facebook Ad Manager.

All you need to set up a custom website audience is to use the Facebook pixel on your website. When a user visits, they’re added to the list. When they convert, they can be removed from that list. It just takes a little configuring to make sure they’ll be added and removed properly.

Setting up the actual retargeting ads in Facebook works just the same as their normal ads. The differences will be in your messaging and offer. You may choose to offer them special deals or more time-sensitive offers to get them to come back and make that purchase they were interested in before.

You can also create a retargeting list using your current customer email list. For this, you upload your list into Facebook and they will match up any Facebook profiles that share those email addresses.

Google AdWords Remarketing

Google is a powerhouse when it comes to online advertising. With over 2 million sites in Google’s Display Network, your ads can be featured on a wide variety of websites.

The biggest draw… and flaw with Google advertising is its enforced quality. You can’t use keywords too far from your core product, or they risk being denied. You can’t market on sites too far outside of your subject, or they won’t be displayed. What you end up displaying is very high quality, but it limits you in several ways.

Another downside to Google remarketing is its ability to target. Whereas Facebook can have additional demographics, interest targeting, and activity built on top of your retargeting list, Google can only build up based on code implemented on your website.

Which Should You Use?

If you're looking to raise awareness and remind people about your business, product or service, then Google Display Network remarketing ads would be great for your business. They are high quality ads and can offer a larger reach, especially if your audience doesn’t primarily visit Facebook.

If you're looking to provide more specific and hyper-targeted ads, reaching the right people at the right time, then you should strongly consider Facebook retargeting ads. With over 2.01 billion monthly active users on Facebook, your reach has the potential to be huge, but you could miss people who don't use this social media platform.

If you can't decide which channel you should use, it’s always a good idea to test which marketing channels work best for your business. There’s no one-size-fits all answer to the Google vs. Facebook retargeting debate. Test them both and pick the one that works best for you. 

If you’re looking to set up retargeting campaigns with Google, Facebook, or both, call us at (407) 682-2222 for a free strategy session.

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