Updated: Apr 09, 2025
Author: Tony Waldegrave
Like most countries, the most popular online advertising channels in NZ are Google Ads (AdWords) and Facebook (Meta) Advertising. But how do they differ and which is the best option for a small business?
Google advertising and Facebook advertising are quite different and each have their own strengths. They can often be complimentary depending on your type of business, your advertising objectives and the nature of your target audiences.
If you're a Kiwi business owner trying to choose the right platform, this guide will help you understand the key differences and how they can work together to grow your traffic, leads, and sales.
Google is very much the go-to place we all visit when it comes to searching for information. Often, this activity in Google Search is representative of prospective customers that are already in the buying cycle, and in the process of reviewing brand and product options. This is why search ads in Google are so successful, as they allow you to advertise directly to people that are actively looking for your product and or service.
For further insights about the effectiveness of AdWords, see our article on Does Google Ads (Adwords) Work.
Facebook is very much a social media network whose highly-active members are there to stay in touch with friends and family, and for news and entertainment. In NZ, Facebook has approximately 2.5 million members. Facebook knows a great deal about these members including location, gender, age, interests and much more.
The Facebook advertising platform is more attuned to traditional broadcasting advertising, with one major difference: Facebook allows for ads to be targeted to highly-specific audience segments based on customer profiles, location, interests, behaviours and more.
Google Ads is a very effective direct response form of advertising, targeting prospective customers that are searching for your product or service in Google. It is very good at driving new and relevant visitors to your website. Facebook Remarketing can very nicely compliment this process by allowing you to retarget these visitors with your proposition, thereby increasing the chance of a conversion.
If you are maximising your Google Ads opportunity and wanting more traffic and enquiries, then Facebook advertising is normally the next best option. Using both Google Ads and Facebook Advertising will further increase your website traffic by targeting highly relevant audiences with your proposition.
For more information on Facebook Advertising, see our article on Does Facebook Advertising Work.
Choosing the best advertising platform can be tricky - especially when you're busy running a business. At Adhesion, we specialise in managed Google Ads and Facebook Ads for NZ small and medium businesses, with strategies designed to deliver results - not fluff.
Get in touch today to find the best mix of advertising channels for your goals and budget.
"We have been working with Ricki-lee from Adhesion with our online marketing for a while now and I can tell you she is full of great ideas for getting people interested and contacting our business. In fact, Ricki-lee is now a very important part of our team, and I can't recommend her, and the team behind her, highly enough."
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"Very efficient in getting a result."
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"We've been with Adhesion for a couple of years now, and they've consistently provided prompt and reliable support. Thanks a lot team for your expert advice and exceptional service throughout this time. Our Google Ads have been performing much better in recent months, thanks to your hard work and dedication. Our recent experiences with Ricki-Lee and Jennifer have been fantastic—it’s such a relief to know that we can be in contact anytime we need. It truly feels personal. Thanks again, ladies! 😊"
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"A huge thank you to Adhesion, and especially to Ricki-lee, for being an absolute rockstar with my ad campaigns! From the very start, she’s been incredibly responsive—always quick to answer any questions and on top of everything to make sure my ads are running smoothly. I love how creative she is, the way she puts the ads together is just perfect! She continuously monitors and optimizes them, making sure they perform at their best. If you're looking for someone who truly cares about your success and delivers amazing results, Ricki-lee is the one!"
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"I would like to say that Reuben Nel from Adhesion has been of excellent assistance with our google words campaign. He has excellent knowledge and insight and could communicate that in an easy and understandable way. I would certainly recommend Reuben to you"
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★★★★★ James August 2024
