The world of digital advertising changes fast and if you want your business to grow in 2026 you need a comprehensive ad strategy. Facebook and Google Ads, among others are the two greatest tools on which to reach your potential customers, but just running ads is only half the battle — you need to have a data-driven strategy in place to be able to optimize your return on investment (ROI).
With more sophisticated AI features, automated bidding, and smarter targeting options, businesses who invest in their campaigns perform better at a lower cost per conversion. Here, we’ll dissect the best methods you can use to scale your business using Facebook and Google Ads in 2026.
Why You Need Facebook and Google Ads to Grow
If you’re looking to access the right audience at the right time, there’s never been a better time than with Facebook and Google Ads.
- Facebook Ads work great for brand awareness, engagement, and leads. Their granular targeting capabilities let businesses reach users by their interests, demographics and actions.
- Google Ads capture those who are already looking for a product or service like yours. These people have a buying intent and so Google Ads is really good for pushing conversions.
More importantly, they both form a complete sales funnel: Facebook is for discovering you, and Google Ads are there to help them convert.
Get the Best Facebook Ads Strategy of 2026
Leverage AI-Powered Targeting
Facebook AI is increasingly sophisticated. Manual targeting just doesn’t work the way it used to. Rather than trying to figure out who your potential customers are, use Facebook’s algorithm.
Here’s a guide to getting the most out of AI targeting:
- Use Lookalike Audiences to target users who resemble your best customers.
- Create Custom Audiences to retarget users who have visited your site or interacted with your brand.
- Allow delivery to be optimized for the time of day via Facebook’s Advantage+ Audience showcasing based on real time performance data.
By placing trust in Facebook’s machine learning, you’re able to cut costs and increase ad performance without forcing yourself to spend extra time perfecting your audience settings.
Focus on Video Content
Video ads are beating still images “on everything” on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook’s algorithm favors videos, and short-form video content (think: Reels and Stories) receives the most engagement.
What videos should you make?
- Product demonstrations, showing users how your product works.
- Social proof and trust-building customer testimonials.
- Making-of content that brings your brand closer and more personal to your audience.
Videos stimulate your audience to interact, and videos usually have a lower cost-per-click (CPC) than static image ads.
Use Facebook’s Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns
For eCommerce companies, Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns have been a game-changer. Facebook’s AI automatically:
- Finds profitable audiences for your products to start an ad campaign.
- Prevents ad fatigue by ensuring the best ad placements.
- Optimizes bids for increased return on ad spend (ROAS).
If you are an e-commerce retailer, this AI-based method is a game changer for your campaign performances in the long run and is a time-saver.
Remarketing Your Site Visitors with Facebook Pixel
Not all users will purchase on their first visit to your site. That’s why retargeting is critical.
You can monitor activity of your users and directly target ads to the ones who:
- Put something in their cart but never completed the purchase.
- Visited a product page and did not buy.
- Interacted with your brand on Facebook or Instagram.
Because you have already been introduced to these people, retargeting allows the opportunity to convert them into customers.
Optimize Your Ad Creative for Higher Performance
Ad design and messaging are huge factors in how well your ads perform. Adhere to the best practices for engagement:
- Write clear and strong headlines that catch the eye.
- Have short and benefit-focused ad copy.
- Add a powerful call to action (CTA), such as “Shop Now” or “Get 20% Off Today.”
It’s crucial to test different images, videos and ad formats with an A/B approach. Even if you make small changes in design, messaging or CTA positioning, it can have a massive impact on your click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate.
Google Ads in 2026 and Growing Your Business
Facebook Ads are perfect for brand awareness and Google Ads allows you to capture high intent customers that are ready to buy at the moment. Here’s what you can do to make your Google Ads campaigns more effective in 2025.
Target High-Intent Keywords
The choice of keywords makes all the difference. Instead of targeting expensive, broad keywords, go after:
- Long-Tail Keywords – These are more specific phrases that tell you what the person intends to buy (e.g., “best running shoes for beginners”).
- Transactional Keywords – You know someone’s ready to buy if they use terms like “buy,” “discount,” or “best price.”
- Voice Search Queries – Using full sentences is the new norm for many users searching online (e.g., “where to purchase organic coffee?”).
Because users of these keywords are already looking for your product, they’re more likely to convert.
Use Performance Max Campaigns
With Google’s Performance Max (PMax) campaigns, you allow AI to automatically place your ads on various channels like:
- Google Search
- YouTube Ads
- Google Display Network
- Gmail Ads
Performance Max shifts your focus to optimizing performance based on real-time data rather than forecast inputs, allowing you to smartly spend your budget.
Improve Your Quality Score
The Quality Score determines your cost per click (CPC). To improve it:
- Ensure your landing page is relevant to your ad copy and loads quickly.
- Feature keywords in your ad headlines and descriptions.
- Make sure your website is mobile-optimized and runs well.
The higher your Quality Score, the lower your CPCs and the better your ad position.
Retarget Your Traffic Using Google Display Ads
With Google Display Ads, you can display personalized ads to people who visited your website but didn’t convert. Effective retargeting strategies include:
- Serving up ads for items they had browsed.
- Offering those who made a purchase a special rebate or promotion.
- Running carousel ads to share several products.
Since they are already familiar with your business, retargeting increases the likelihood of converting their interest into a purchase.
Automate Bidding to Maximize Results
Do not put bids manually in place when you can utilize Google’s Smart Bidding features:
- Maximize Conversions – Bid for the most conversions from your budget.
- Target ROAS – Bids are automatically optimized to reflect your target return on investment.
- Enhanced CPC – Automatically adjusts bids up or down using machine learning to discern a user’s intent.
These types of automation tools assist businesses in scaling without having to manually tweak bids all the time.
Final Thoughts: How to Grow Your Business with Facebook and Google Ads
Doing business at scale in 2026? You’ll want a strategy that is data-driven. The best returns will be delivered by companies that adopt AI-powered solutions, smart targeting, and ongoing optimization.
Here’s how to optimize ROI, broken down into a few simple steps:
- Leverage AI-based targeting on Facebook to reach your ideal audience.
- Turn to videos for more engagement.
- Use retargeting tactics to re-engage the anxious shopper.
- Get the most out of Google Ads by focusing on high-intent keywords and automated bids.
By tightening up your ad strategy and always testing what works, it’s possible for you to outperform the competition while effectively scaling your business in 2026.
