Paid Social vs. Paid Search (Google Ads): How They Compare

Paid search marketing, commonly referred to as PPC, and run through platforms like Google Ads, is commonly compared to paid social media marketing, also sometimes referred to as social media advertising, to distinguish it from organic social media marketing. 

But how do these two channels compare to each other? When does it make sense to invest in one versus investing in the other? What are the key differences, and should they ever be run simultaneously? 

This post will investigate some of these questions from a high level. 

What Are Paid Social and Paid Search Marketing Campaigns?

Paid search marketing, commonly referred to as PPC, for “pay-per-click,” is a form of digital marketing in which you bid to have your ads displayed at the tops of the search results. There are different formats but in essence, they are all the same in this manner. 

Typically the ads are displayed at the tops of the SERPs (search engine results pages) but sometimes they are displayed at the middle or even at the bottom. 

Search engines differ in how they display their ads, but in most cases you will see “ad’ somewhere in the listing. For Google, a criterion known as “ad rank score” which accounts for bid amount, ad quality, device usage, and the landing page assigned to the ad, is used to determine where the ads will be placed. 

In paid social, you pay to have a post or an ad sponsored or boosted in a user’s social feed or in certain results. Ads can have different formats, such as text, images, carousels, or even reels (videos), and are usually marked by “sponsored” or “promoted” so that users know they are ads. 

Unlike in Google PPC, paid social campaigns usually don’t require the admin or ad manager to target or bid based on keywords, and the ads will be placed according to targeting that focuses on the user’s account activity. 

Either way, regardless of the fact that the manager of each campaign might target users differently, these paid strategies are an effective way to get ads in front of potentially qualified and interested users. 

Key Differences 

While both paid search and paid social marketing campaigns can give you a fast track for getting ads in front of interested users and potentially driving leads and sales, they differ in a few key ways. 

One of the main ways in which they differ has to do with respect to targeting. Generally speaking, paid search is more intent focused. In most paid search campaigns, administrators bid on keywords associated with an interest in buying something.

For instance, a user might type in the name of a product or brand in the search bar, and get an ad. Users might also might type in a question about a product, replacement, or repair, and get an ad based on a keyword the query contained. 

Search ads can also be targeted based on demographics, device, time of day, interests, and past user behavior on search engines. Paid search also allows for retargeting, in which users are targeted based on whether they have previously interacted with a brand or website through a search engine. 

Paid search is less intent focused, and while targeting is possible based on interest, a lot of ads or sponsored posts will show up in users’ feeds based on what they’ve shown interest in through their past behavior. It’s not targeted based on a user’s imminent need to fix a problem. It’s more about visibility and keying in on user interests. 

Social channels all vary slightly based on targeting criteria, but many (such as Facebook) enable you to target based on interest and demographics such as age and location. 

The ad format between paid search and paid social will also differ. Search ads are texted based, whereas most social media ads leverage visuals and sound in the form of music or video to attract and engage. 

Since search ads are mostly verbal, they’re perfect for targeting users that are actively looking for a problem they need to solve. Social media ads can be effective at driving sales through bottom-of-the-funnel marketing, but they are also effective at connecting with users, building brand credibility and amassing a following. 

Paid search and paid social also differ in the long-term implications. Typically, paid search doesn’t have any long-term effects. They work for targeting users that want to buy now and that’s it. Once you end the campaign, all the positive effects will taper off. 

This is not necessarily the case with paid social, because if you gain followers through the campaign, you can generate conversions through those captured leads down the line. Of course, there are ways around this; for instance, you could use a paid search campaign to generate subscriptions to a newsletter or email list that could be used for remarketing. But as a general rule, paid search is better for the short term and paid social, though it can be effective in the short term, can also accrue brand-loyal followers. 

With respect to conversions, paid search is usually the way to go, since it is intent focused and specifically can be used to target keywords associated with a high intent to purchase. 

as some supporting evidence for this claim, per Wordstream, paid search has a considerably higher conversion rate compared to paid social, at 3.75% versus 2.1%.

Why Paid Social?

Paid social enables you to start generating impressions and amassing followers right away, assuming your targeting is on point. When done right, it can also provide a boost to conversions and sales. 

It also enables you to generate interest with unique ad formats that leverage visuals and video in ways that would be difficult (or not really possible) through conventional paid search. 

And then of course there is the reach. Meta alone has 3 billion users – nearly half the population of the globe. 

Why Paid Search?

Paid search can be effective for bringing in highly qualified leads overnight and is probably the better option for driving sales as quickly and effectively as possible. Using Google’s advanced metrical tools, you can also drive a higher ROAS (return on ad spend) to improve the profitability of the campaigns. 

Paid search can considerably improve brand awareness and brand recall, can boost brand loyalty, and boost conversions and sales immediately, assuming you’re following an effectively targeted strategy. 

Which Is Right for Your Business?

That really depends on what your goals are. If you’re just looking to bring in revenue, then probably paid search. If you want to do serious brand work and connect with customers, then it’s definitely paid social. 

That said, there are some other considerations to make here. 

If you operate in a niche market or sell somewhat unique products that sell themselves with a demonstration, then a paid social campaign that visually shows the use cases of your products is a more effective way to get the word out, so to speak. 

By contrast, if you know there is viable search volume behind search terms associated with the purchase of your products, then paid search likely makes more sense, regardless of how unique or specified the product is. 

It is also the case that these strategies are often best paired, if you have the digital marketing budget for it. With paid search you can drive sales in the short term and with paid social you can build a better, stronger, more visible brand – and you don’t need me to tell you why both of those things are valuable. 

To Learn More About Either

This is at best a very high level overview of both of these digital marketing channels and much more could be said on each, specifically with respect to how they work, and in which cases they might be best suited to a particular business model. 

If you want to learn more or explore your options, get in touch with one of our team’s digital marketing specialists and we’ll talk over what’s available for your business, as well as what channels might serve you best.