If you are going to invest in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising for your website, Facebook offers many opportunities that other forms of PPC advertising do not. Before you invest in a program like Google AdWords, you should consider the distinct advantages advertising on Facebook can offer your website.

1. Facebook offers much better ad targeting options than their competitors do. With Facebook, you are targeting people, not keywords. You can target people based on age range, interests, geographic location and more. There are a huge number of people on Facebook, so you can reach an enormous portion of your target audience. Facebook ads tend to be more personal so you are not just reaching a lot of people; you’re reaching the right people.
2. Social advertising tends to be very effective because people often share websites they like. If 200 people click your ad and visit your website, it is guaranteed that at least some of those people are going to recommend that website to their friends. The most popular way people recommend websites on Facebook is by posting links. Not only do these links help bring more traffic to your website, the also help your website’s SEO (search engine optimization), which generates additional traffic as your website shows up higher on search engine result pages.
3. You can build better relationships with Facebook advertising. If you have a Facebook fan page for your website and include a prominent link graphic to your fan page on your website, people who are already coming from Facebook are far more likely to follow your fan page. The addition of more people on your fan page generates repeat traffic for your website. Every time you post a new update on your fan page, they have a reason to go back to your website to check it out.
4. Facebook advertising offers better pricing options. Unlike many PPC advertisers, Facebook allows you to choose whether you want to pay based on the number of people who view your ad, or based on the number of people who actually click the link. In some cases, paying per impression works out to be less expensive than paying for click-throughs. Having two different options allows you to experiment and see which one works best for your website.
5. The “Like” button is a unique Facebook feature that tells users if any of their friends like your advertisement and your website. Most people have friends with similar interests. If someone has a friend who likes your website, they will be more inclined to check it out. Facebook’s like button is an extra endorsement for your website that makes your ad even more compelling.

The biggest advantage of advertising your website on Facebook is that it offers multiple ways to maximize the return on your advertising investment. Traditional PPC marketing doesn’t have the social bonuses you can get from advertising on Facebook. If Facebook isn’t part of your website’s marketing strategy, it should be.