When promoting your Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) business, selecting the right advertising platform can significantly impact your profitability and growth. Two of the most popular options, Google Ads vs Amazon Ads, offer unique advantages. 

Understanding their differences can help you make informed decisions to boost your brand awareness, drive more sales, and allocate your advertising budget effectively. 

What is Google Ads for Amazon Products?

Google Ads for Amazon products is a powerful tool that allows sellers to direct traffic from Google’s expansive search and display network to their Amazon listings or external landing pages. 

Google Ads for Amazon operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, where advertisers bid on keywords to display their ads to users searching for related products. 

Through google ads for Amazon, sellers can tap into a wide audience base which is actively looking or searching for products. 

These ads can  take the form of text-based search ads, display banners, and even Amazon Google Shopping Ads that visually show your products alongside competitor offerings. 

What is Amazon Ads?

Amazon Ads, also known as Amazon PPC, refers to the advertising system integrated into Amazon’s ecommerce platform. 

Advertisers can create an Amazon ad campaign targeting shoppers already browsing the marketplace.
With multiple ad formats like Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display Ads, Amazon PPC advertising allows sellers to promote their products directly on Amazon’s website or app. 

Since Amazon users are often ready to make a purchase, Amazon PPC ads are highly conversion-focused. Advertisers pay for clicks, meaning you’re charged only when users interact with your ad, which makes PPC for Amazon an efficient way to improve product visibility and drive sales. 

Google Ads vs Amazon Ads: The Key Differences

To decide between Amazon Ads vs Google Ads, it’s important to explore their fundamental distinctions in terms of advertiser requirements, ad networks, auction systems, ranking, targeting, keyword strategies, bid methods, and performance evaluation. 

Advertiser Requirements

Advertisers should have an active seller account on Amazon to use Amazon PPC advertising. Additionally, sellers need to meet eligibility requirements, such as having active listings in the target market. 

Any business or individual can use Google Ads, regardless of whether they sell on Amazon, which allows greater flexibility for FBA sellers aiming to target customers both on and off Amazon. 

Google Ads vs Amazon Ads: The Key Differences

To decide between Amazon Ads vs Google Ads, it’s important to explore their fundamental distinctions in terms of advertiser requirements, ad networks, auction systems, ranking, targeting, keyword strategies, bid methods, and performance evaluation. 

Advertiser Requirements

Advertisers should have an active seller account on Amazon to use Amazon PPC advertising. Additionally, sellers need to meet eligibility requirements, such as having active listings in the target market. 

Any business or individual can use Google Ads, regardless of whether they sell on Amazon, which allows greater flexibility for FBA sellers aiming to target customers both on and off Amazon. 

Ad Network

The platform focuses exclusively on Amazon’s ecosystem, reaching users already shopping or browsing products. 

Google provides a wide advertising network, including its search engine, YouTube, Gmail, and millions of third-party websites through the Google Display Network. Using Google Ads for Amazon products enables sellers to reach potential buyers at different stages of their purchase journey. 

Ad Auction 

Both platforms use auction-based models to determine ad placement. 

The auction for Amazon ads is influenced by bids and the ad’s relevance to the shoppers search query. 

The auction in Google Ads considers bids, ad quality, and expected impact, making ad relevance crucial for better placements. 

Ad Rank

Ad rank in Amazon ads is primarily determined by the bid amount and product relevance. 

Google ads, on the other hand, depends on your bid, the quality score of your ad (based on click-through rate, relevance, and landing page experience), and expected outcomes. 

Ad Targeting Options 

Sellers using Amazon ads can target users based on keywords, product categories, competitor products, and shopper interests. 

Google however, offers a wider range of targeting options, including demographics, interests, behaviors, and location, enabling more control when running Google Ads for Amazon campaigns. 

Keyword Match Types

Amazon supports broad match, phrase match, and exact match types for targeting search queries. 

On Google Ads, similar match types are available, but with additional options such as negative keywords to exclude irrelevant traffic, making Google shopping ads for Amazon more precise when paired with tailored match types. 

Bid Strategies 

Advertisers using Amazon ads can set manual or automatic bids, with options to adjust bids based on placement (e.g., top of search results). 

Google offers advanced bidding strategies, including cost-per-click (CPC), cost-per-acquisition (CPA), and return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) models, allowing for a more diverse approach. 

Performance Metrics 

Both platforms provide robust analytics tools for monitoring ad performance. However, the metrics they emphasize differ. 

Key performance indicators include sales, Advertising Cost of Sale (ACoS), click-through rates, and conversion rates. These metrics focus on sales-driven results for Amazon PPC Advertising. 

Performance metrics on Google Ads are broader, including impressions, clicks, Quality Score, and conversion tracking, giving a more holistic view of campaign performance, especially when combining Google Ads for Amazon products with external marketing strategies.