PPC is unforgiving — every misconfigured campaign burns real money in real time. These answers focus on the decisions that actually matter for ROI.
1. **What's the difference between Google Ads and Facebook Ads?** — Google Ads = paid search (intent-driven, customer is actively looking). Facebook Ads (Meta Ads) = paid social (interruption-driven, customer wasn't looking but may be interested). Different mechanics, different best uses.
2. **How much should I spend on Google Ads to start?** — Minimum useful test budget is $1,500-3,000 over 60-90 days. Below that, you don't generate enough data to optimize. The right ongoing budget depends on cost-per-acquisition economics, not a generic percentage.
3. **What is Quality Score and how do I improve it?** — Google's 1-10 measure of how relevant your ads, keywords, and landing pages are to a query. Higher score = lower CPC + better positions. Improve via tighter ad groups, ad relevance to keyword, and landing page experience.
4. **Should I bid on my brand name in Google Ads?** — Usually yes — competitors will bid on your brand if you don't, brand keywords are typically very cheap, and brand campaigns often have the highest ROAS in the account. The "I already rank organically" objection misses the point.
5. **What is a good CTR for Google Ads?** — Industry average is 3-5% on Search Ads, 0.5-1% on Display. Above 6% on Search is good; above 10% is excellent. Brand campaigns commonly hit 15-30% CTR. Below 2% suggests your ads or targeting need work.
6. **What is ROAS and what's a good ROAS?** — Return On Ad Spend = revenue ÷ ad spend. A "good" ROAS depends entirely on your gross margin. Generally: 3:1 is breakeven for most ecommerce; 5:1+ is healthy; 10:1+ is exceptional. For high-margin services it can be much lower.
7. **Why are my Facebook ads not converting?** — The five most common causes (in order): bad creative, wrong audience, broken pixel/tracking, weak landing page, or too small a budget for the algorithm to optimize. Diagnose in this order.
8. **Should I use Performance Max or regular Search?** — Run Search campaigns for known high-intent keywords (where you want control). Run Performance Max for ecommerce and cross-channel scaling once Search is dialed in. Don't lead with PMax — diagnose with Search first.
Every answer in this collection was written or reviewed by Martin Vassilev, who has been working in SEO, web design, and digital marketing for over 12 years. The answers reflect what's actually true in 2026 — not 2018 best-practice articles regurgitated for SEO. If you find anything inaccurate or outdated, email us and we'll update it (and credit you).
Google Ads = paid search (intent-driven, customer is actively looking). Facebook Ads (Meta Ads) = paid social (interruption-driven, customer wasn't looking but may be interested). Different mechanics, different best uses.
Minimum useful test budget is $1,500-3,000 over 60-90 days. Below that, you don't generate enough data to optimize. The right ongoing budget depends on cost-per-acquisition economics, not a generic percentage.
Google's 1-10 measure of how relevant your ads, keywords, and landing pages are to a query. Higher score = lower CPC + better positions. Improve via tighter ad groups, ad relevance to keyword, and landing page experience.
Usually yes — competitors will bid on your brand if you don't, brand keywords are typically very cheap, and brand campaigns often have the highest ROAS in the account. The "I already rank organically" objection misses the point.
Industry average is 3-5% on Search Ads, 0.5-1% on Display. Above 6% on Search is good; above 10% is excellent. Brand campaigns commonly hit 15-30% CTR. Below 2% suggests your ads or targeting need work.