Google Ads vs Amazon Ads: Two Different Shelves, One Budget
The short answer for ecommerce sellers: Amazon Ads captures buyers who are already on Amazon with a credit card out, while Google Ads captures everyone else, including the people researching before they buy and the ones who never open Amazon at all. If you sell on Amazon, you almost always need both, and the real question is not which platform but how to split a finite budget between them based on where your margin actually lives.
The mechanics differ in one decisive way: intent quality and what you own afterward. On Amazon, a shopper searching a product term is deep in buying mode, which is why Amazon Sponsored Products often convert at high rates and carry attractive ACoS. The catch is that Amazon owns the customer, the data and the relationship. On Google, you reach buyers across the whole web, drive them to your own store, keep the customer data and the email, and build a brand asset, but you fight a noisier funnel with more research clicks before the sale.
This comparison breaks down cost models, intent, attribution, creative workload and minimum budgets for both, then gives you a clear budget-split logic by business model. By the end you will know which platform deserves the first euro, how to think about margin on Amazon versus your own site, and how to stop the two channels from quietly competing for the same sale.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Google Ads | Amazon Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Cost model | CPC auction on Search and Shopping; CPM and CPV on Display and YouTube | CPC auction on Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display |
| Typical costs (experience ranges) | Search CPCs of 1 to 4 euros in most retail niches, higher in competitive categories | CPCs of 0.30 to 2 euros depending on category, with ACoS commonly between 10 and 30 percent |
| Targeting | Keywords, product feed, audiences, remarketing and customer match across the web | Keywords and product targeting inside Amazon, plus category and competitor placements |
| User intent | High on Search, but spans research to purchase across the funnel | Very high: shoppers on Amazon are usually ready to buy now |
| Funnel stage | Full funnel, from research on YouTube and Display to purchase on Search and Shopping | Bottom funnel almost exclusively: the buyer is already at the checkout shelf |
| Creative effort | Moderate: ad copy, extensions, product feed, plus image and video for Display and YouTube | Low to moderate: strong product listing, images and A+ content do most of the work |
| Time to results | Days to weeks; Search and Shopping deliver readable data fast | Fast: Sponsored Products can show sales within days on a well-optimized listing |
| B2B/B2C fit | Strong for B2B, lead gen and B2C ecommerce alike | B2C ecommerce and physical products; weak for services and most B2B |
| Measurability | Strong: keyword-level data, conversion tracking and full GA4 attribution on your own store | Strong on-platform, but limited: Amazon owns the data and the customer relationship |
| Customer ownership | You keep the customer, the email and the data, building a durable brand asset | Amazon owns the customer and the data; repeat sales flow back through Amazon, not you |
| Minimum sensible budget | From around 1,000 euros per month for focused Search and Shopping | From around 500 to 1,000 euros per month, plus a fully optimized listing first |
Google Ads Strengths
- Reaches buyers across the entire web, not just the ones who already chose Amazon
- You keep the customer, the email and the data, which builds brand value and cheaper repeat sales
- Full-funnel reach through Search, Shopping, YouTube and Performance Max in one account
- Clean attribution on your own store via GA4 and server-side tracking, down to keyword and product
- Captures research and brand demand that Amazon never sees, including non-Amazon shoppers entirely
Amazon Ads Strengths
- Reaches shoppers at the deepest point of intent, already on Amazon ready to buy
- High conversion rates and attractive ACoS, because there is almost no research gap to bridge
- Low creative overhead: a strong listing with good images and A+ content carries most of the load
- Fast results: well-optimized Sponsored Products can generate sales within days
- Defends your shelf space and steals competitor traffic on the platform where the purchase happens
When to Use Google Ads
Fund Google Ads first when you sell beyond Amazon and care about owning the customer. It is essential if you run your own store, want clean data and email capture, or sell something buyers research before purchasing. Google also reaches the large share of shoppers who never start on Amazon, and it builds branded demand and a repeat-purchase asset that Amazon will never hand back to you. For any seller with a direct-to-consumer ambition, Google is the channel that compounds.
When to Use Amazon Ads
Lean into Amazon Ads when a meaningful share of your sales already happens on Amazon and your listings are fully optimized. It is the most efficient way to capture buyers at peak intent, defend your shelf against competitors and squeeze high conversion rates from bottom-funnel traffic. If your product is a commodity people search by category on Amazon, and margin after fees still works, Amazon Ads often delivers the fastest profitable sales of any channel, as long as you accept that Amazon keeps the customer.
Our Verdict
If you sell on Amazon and almost nowhere else, fund Amazon Ads first. It captures the highest-intent shoppers at the lowest funnel point and protects the shelf where your sales actually happen. Start with Sponsored Products on your best-margin listings, get ACoS into a profitable range, and only expand to Sponsored Brands and Display once the core is working. Just remember every sale deepens your dependence on a platform that owns the customer.
If you run your own store, or want to, fund Google Ads first or alongside Amazon. Yes, Amazon converts faster, but Google lets you own the customer, capture email, build branded demand and reach the large group of buyers who never touch Amazon. The margin math is usually better on your own site once you account for Amazon fees, so a euro on Google often buys a more valuable customer even if it converts a little slower.
For most established ecommerce brands the answer is a deliberate split, not a winner. A common starting point is to run Amazon Ads to defend and harvest your Amazon shelf, then put incremental budget into Google to grow your own store and brand. Judge each channel on contribution margin after platform fees, not on raw ROAS or ACoS, and shift budget toward whichever side earns more profit per euro as you scale. The goal is a portfolio, not a loyalty test.
Frequently Asked Questions
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It depends on where your sales live. If most revenue comes through Amazon and your listings are optimized, fund Amazon Ads first, because it captures the highest-intent buyers efficiently. If you run your own store and want to own the customer and data, lead with Google Ads. Most established brands eventually run both and split budget by contribution margin after platform fees.
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Often per click, and frequently better on conversion rate because Amazon shoppers are deep in buying mode. But cheaper clicks do not tell the whole story. Amazon fees eat into margin and Amazon keeps the customer, so a Google sale on your own store can be worth more even at a higher cost per click. Compare contribution margin per euro, not click price.
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Start by funding the platform where your margin and ownership goals point: Amazon for high-intent harvesting on the shelf, Google for owning customers and reaching non-Amazon buyers. Many ecommerce brands begin with Amazon Ads defending their listings, then shift incremental budget to Google as their own store grows. Reallocate based on contribution margin after fees, not raw ROAS.
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Sometimes. A buyer might see your Google Shopping ad, then complete the purchase on Amazon, or the reverse. The risk is paying twice for one customer. Watch branded search and Amazon attribution together, use Amazon Attribution for off-platform traffic, and judge the channels on incremental blended profit rather than each platform's self-reported numbers.
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Not directly, but there is a halo. Strong Amazon sales and reviews build trust that lifts conversion when you later drive Google traffic to the same product, and Google brand demand often sends researchers to Amazon to buy. Treat them as a system: Google builds awareness and brand demand, Amazon harvests the buyers who land on the shelf ready to purchase.
Get a budget split built on your margins
We manage Google Ads for ecommerce brands across the DACH region and beyond, and help you split budget sensibly between Google and the Amazon shelf. Tell us your products, margins and where you sell, and we will map a channel plan that maximizes profit per euro.