{"id":4551,"date":"2019-03-19T21:08:52","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T21:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alphametic.com\/?p=4551"},"modified":"2020-04-28T14:25:02","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T14:25:02","slug":"google-ads-vs-amazon-advertising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alphametic.com\/google-ads-vs-amazon-advertising","title":{"rendered":"Google Ads vs. Amazon Advertising: Where to Put Your Advertising Dollars [Infographic]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Google<\/a><\/p>\n

Google enjoyed <\/span>search engine dominance<\/a><\/strong> for decades. But this streak may be coming to an end, at least when it comes to eCommerce. According to a recent survey by <\/span>Survata<\/span><\/a>, 49% of US internet users started product searches on Amazon, compared to 36% who went to Google first. <\/span><\/p>\n

This shift can be partially attributed to customers being further down the conversion funnel when they search on Amazon, whereas users tend to use Google when they are in the research stage of their purchasing journey. Marketers know that the bottom of the sales funnel garners a much higher conversion rate than at the top. Because of this, Amazon Ads offers businesses an opportunity to capture buyers when they\u2019re most likely to convert.<\/span><\/p>\n

So which platform should eCommerce sellers advertise on to maximize sales? What are the key differences between Amazon Advertising (formerly known as Amazon Marketing Services) and Google Ads (previously Google Adwords)? Here, we explore the ad formats, differences, and benefits of each advertising channel.<\/span><\/p>\n

SKIP AHEAD<\/span><\/h2>\n

Types of Google Ads<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Types of Amazon Ads<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Google Ads vs. Amazon Ads: Key Differences<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

What\u2019s New for Each Platform<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Which is Better: Google Ads or Amazon Ads?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>Types of Google Ads<\/span><\/h2>\n

For eCommerce advertisers, there are several types of Google Ads to consider when promoting a particular brand or product:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Text Ads<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As the name implies, this ad type is text-based, providing a headline and product details. This ad type displays at the top of the search engine results page (SERP), above organic listings.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Responsive Ads<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"google<\/a>\"google<\/a><\/p>\n

This type of ad will adjust its shape to fit into the available space. Recently, Google also added the option for marketers to set up <\/span>one ad with multiple headlines<\/span><\/a>, and test combinations of that ad to achieve the advertiser\u2019s stated goal. <\/span><\/p>\n

This feature can be seen above, with State Farm\u2019s ad showing up twice, but with different headlines and call-to-actions:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Image Ads<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"google<\/a><\/p>\n

Google Image ads can be static or interactive graphics, such as .gif or Flash formats. These ads can appear on the Google SERP and across the Google Network, including the Search Network, search partners, and the Display Network.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Video Ads<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Google Video ads can either run standalone or be inserted into streaming video content, like the above Grammarly ad that played during a YouTube video.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Product Shopping Ads<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Google Shopping Product ads display images and product details such as rating, price and merchant. This ad type is displayed at the very top of the SERP, above Text ads and organic results.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Showcase Shopping Ads<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"google<\/a>\"google<\/a><\/p>\n

Google Showcase Shopping ads display the various stores that sell the product you\u2019re looking for. Once the user clicks on a particular merchant, the ad expands to display a new layout or brochure of products. This ad type is displayed at the top of the SERP.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>Types of Ads on Amazon<\/span><\/h2>\n

Amazon has far fewer ad types than Google Ads, and only display on the Amazon site (as opposed to multiple websites, like the Google Display Network).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Amazon Sponsored Product Ads<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

These keyword-targeted ads are usually displayed above or below the search results page, as well as on other product detail pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sponsored Brand Ads (formerly Headline Search Ads)
\n\"Amazon<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sponsored Brand ads display as a headline banner ad on the search results page. These ads are also keyword-targeted and cost-per-click. This type of ad can be used to promote 3 or more products together, as shown in the above screenshot.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amazon Product Display Ads<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Product Display Ads show up in the sidebar below the Add to Cart button on a competitor\u2019s product, or at the bottom of the product page. This type of ad can be seen as a last-ditch effort to get the user to switch over to your product, as opposed to your competitor\u2019s. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike the other two Amazon ad types, which are designed to target specific keywords, Product Display Ads target \u201cshopper\u2019s interest\u201d or \u201cspecific products.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>Google Ads vs. Amazon Ads: Key Differences<\/span><\/h2>\n

While both programs can be used to promote products, Google Ads and Amazon Advertising have very distinct features and capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ranking<\/span><\/h3>\n

Because shoppers are further down the conversion funnel when they search on Amazon, the goal of Amazon Ads is to convert directly. Because of this, Amazon Ads will never lead to a different site.<\/span><\/p>\n

Google, on the other hand, makes money when a user clicks on the ad. For this reason, Google Ads are optimized to catch the user\u2019s attention. Google Ads, unlike Amazon, lead to the brand\u2019s website. <\/span><\/p>\n

Google, therefore, prioritizes Click-Through-Rate (CTR) when optimizing ads. This means that Ads will prioritize eye-catching, \u201cclickable\u201d ads. <\/span><\/p>\n

Amazon ranks ads based on which one is most likely to lead to a sale. They determine the convertibility of an ad based on a combination of Performance Metrics (CTR history, conversion rate, overall sales) and Relevance Metrics (product title, description, search terms, seller name). <\/span><\/p>\n

Both Google Ads and Amazon Ads use Broad Match (least competitive), Phrase Match (moderately competitive), and Exact Match (most competitive) keywords for bidding. <\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to these keyword types, Google has an additional match type called Modified Broad Match. This match type makes the Broad Match more specific by allowing their product to appear for misspellings, singular\/plural forms, abbreviations, and acronyms of that word.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Analytics<\/span><\/h3>\n

Because Google Ads direct shoppers to the brand\u2019s website, the advertiser is able to track user information such as demographics, keywords, and geographic location. Amazon, on the other hand, is limited to the data it collects on the Amazon website itself, such as purchase history, returns, and conversion data. Further, Amazon will only capture shopper information if they convert on your product page.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Amazon is making an effort to <\/span>broaden its targeting options<\/span><\/a>, it still lags behind Google\u2019s robust analytical capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Terminology<\/span><\/h3>\n

Ad campaign success can be measured by each platform\u2019s respective ROI metric. For Amazon, this metric is called the Advertising Cost of Sales, or <\/span>ACoS<\/span><\/a>. This is calculated by dividing the total ad spend by total ad sales. <\/span><\/p>\n

Google uses Revenue over Ad Spend (<\/span>RoAS<\/span><\/a>), which can be found by dividing advertising revenue by the dollar amount that is spent on that ad. In this way, RoAS is the inverse of ACoS.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>What\u2019s new for each platform<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Amazon announced several new features for their Sponsored Product Ads in January. The updates include Bidding Strategies, Placement Multipliers, and Product Targeting:<\/span><\/p>\n