Last Updated: 08/08/2026

Reddit and Google Ads solve two different problems, and that is the whole answer in one sentence.

Google Ads puts your business in front of people who are already searching for a solution, with UK search CPCs averaging around £1.95 and Google still holding roughly 90 percent of global search traffic. Reddit puts you inside conversations that shape opinions before anyone types a search query, and it now reaches over 22.9 million UK adults, a 47 percent jump in a single year. If you need to capture demand that already exists, Google Ads usually wins. If you want to build awareness and trust inside a community before that demand forms, Reddit is worth testing. Most businesses that run PPC well end up using both, just for different jobs at different stages of the funnel.

That is the short version. The rest of this guide breaks down where each platform earns its budget, what campaigns actually cost in the UK right now, and how to decide without guessing.

What Reddit Ads and Google Ads Actually Do

Google Ads is built around intent. Someone types a query into Google because they have a problem right now, and your ad shows up next to the answer. It works across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube and Performance Max, and it is the closest thing digital marketing has to a sure bet when your product matches what people are actively looking for. Setting this up well usually means working with a proper Google Ads agency London businesses trust, because the auction has become more automated and less forgiving of guesswork than it was even two years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reddit works differently. Ads sit inside a feed built around more than 100,000 active communities, each one organised around a specific interest rather than a demographic profile. You are not catching someone mid search. You are showing up somewhere they already spend time discussing the exact category you sell into. A well written Reddit ad reads like a genuine post, not a banner, and that is precisely why it can outperform display advertising on engagement even though the platform’s search intent is far lower than Google’s.

Audience and Reach: Who You Actually Meet

This is where the two platforms really part ways. Reddit’s UK growth has been unusually sharp. According to Ofcom data reported in 2025, the platform overtook X to become the fifth most popular social network in Britain, with 22.9 million UK adults now visiting monthly. Globally, Reddit reported 121.4 million daily active unique visitors in the final quarter of 2025, up 19 percent year on year, according to the company’s own investor results. Roughly 44 percent of its users sit in the 18 to 29 age bracket, which makes it a genuinely useful channel if your product speaks to a younger, more sceptical audience that tunes out traditional advertising.

Google’s reach is simply larger and less niche. It processes billions of searches daily and still commands close to 90 percent of the global search market, with mobile share running even higher. If you sell to a broad UK audience or need volume quickly, nothing else comes close. The trade off is that you are competing against every other advertiser bidding on the same keywords, which is part of why costs have climbed steadily. If your audience clusters around specific interests instead, it is worth reading up on the best Reddit communities for PPC marketers before you commit budget, since picking the wrong subreddit wastes spend fast.

Cost Comparison: CPC, CPM and Budget Reality

Numbers help more than opinions here, so here is a straightforward side by side using current UK benchmarks and industry reporting.

Metric	Google Ads (UK)	Reddit Ads
Average CPC	Around £1.95 on Search	Typically 40 to 70 percent lower than Google Search
Average CTR	Around 4.7 percent on Search	Varies widely by subreddit and format
Average conversion rate	Around 4.4 percent on Search	Lower on average, stronger for awareness and consideration
Minimum viable budget	Flexible, but competitive terms need meaningful daily spend	Lower entry cost, good for testing
Best measured by	Cost per conversion, ROAS	Cost per engaged view, brand lift, community sentiment

Reddit’s lower CPC does not automatically mean a lower cost per customer. A cheap click from someone browsing a hobby subreddit is not the same as a click from someone who typed your exact product name into Google. That gap in intent is the whole reason the comparison exists. If you want a clearer read on your own numbers rather than industry averages, our guide on how to measure Google Ads performance walks through the metrics that actually matter, including Quality Score and search term reports.

Targeting and Intent: Passive Interest vs Active Search

Google Ads targets what people are searching for right now. Keywords, match types, remarketing lists and audience signals all sit on top of that core signal of intent. It is precise, but it only reaches people who have already articulated a need.

Reddit targets what people care about, not what they are actively shopping for. You choose subreddits, interests and, more recently, keyword based contextual targeting that shows your ad next to relevant conversations. This is closer to top of funnel marketing than direct response, and treating it as a like for like swap with Google Search is the single biggest mistake we see. If audience research is where you are stuck, our piece on using Reddit for PPC audience research is a decent starting point, since the platform doubles as a genuinely useful research tool even before you spend a penny on ads.

Ad Formats Worth Knowing

Google Ads gives you text ads, Shopping listings, responsive display ads, YouTube video and Performance Max campaigns that blend several formats automatically. It is flexible but increasingly automated, which means less manual control than a few years ago.

Reddit’s formats are simpler by design. Promoted posts, carousel ads, conversation ads and video all sit natively inside the feed, styled to look like organic content rather than an interruption. That native feel is Reddit’s real advantage over most display advertising, where users have learned to scroll straight past anything that looks like a banner. If you are new to the platform, how to run PPC ads on Reddit covers account setup and format selection in more depth than we have room for here.

When Google Ads Is the Better Fit

Choose Google Ads when any of the following apply to your business.

Your product or service has clear, searchable demand, meaning people already know what to type when they need you.

You need predictable, scalable volume rather than a slow burn awareness play.

You are selling something transactional where a fast conversion path matters more than brand storytelling.

You have the budget to compete on Quality Score and bidding, since Google’s recent layout changes have made top placements even more valuable. Our post on Google Ads removed from the right explains what that shift means for click through rates.

Running this well is rarely a part time job. If your account is underperforming or you simply do not have the hours, it is worth reading whether you should manage Google Ads yourself or hire an agency before you burn through budget learning on the job.

When Reddit Ads Is the Better Fit

Reddit tends to make more sense in these situations.

Your audience is niche, technical or otherwise underserved by broad demographic targeting.

You want to build awareness or trust before someone starts actively searching for a solution.

You are launching something new and need honest feedback alongside impressions, since Reddit communities will tell you exactly what they think. One real example is covered in our Reddit feedback case study, where community input directly reshaped ad creative and lifted performance.

Your budget is smaller and you need a lower cost way to test messaging before scaling on a more expensive platform.

It is also worth comparing Reddit against other social options rather than assuming it is a straight swap for Google. Our breakdown of Reddit Ads vs Facebook Ads covers where each social platform pulls ahead, and the same logic applies when you are weighing Reddit against paid social generally rather than paid search specifically.

Running Both Platforms Together

In practice, the strongest PPC strategies rarely pick one platform and ignore the other. Reddit builds familiarity and generates the kind of organic discussion that primes someone to search for your brand later. Google Ads then catches that search when it happens. Feeding Reddit engagement data into your Google remarketing lists closes the loop, and testing messaging on Reddit through polls before committing spend elsewhere can save real money. Our guide on using Reddit polls to test ad concepts explains how to validate creative cheaply before it goes anywhere near a paid search campaign.

It is also worth stepping back and comparing PPC against other acquisition channels entirely. If you are weighing paid search against organic growth or affiliate partnerships, our piece on digital marketing vs affiliate marketing is a useful companion read, and a solid SEO services strategy running alongside your paid campaigns tends to bring cost per acquisition down over time rather than leaving PPC to do all the work alone.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Treating Reddit CPC and Google Search CPC as directly comparable numbers, when the intent behind each click is completely different.

Running generic display style creative on Reddit instead of native, conversational ad copy that fits the platform.

Ignoring subreddit culture and community rules, which can get your account flagged or simply ignored.

Judging Reddit campaigns on last click conversions alone, when its real value often shows up further along the customer journey.

Comparing platforms in isolation instead of looking at the best Reddit communities for PPC marketers alongside your existing Google keyword data to spot overlap and gaps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Reddit good for PPC advertising?

Yes, particularly for niche audiences, B2B products and brands that benefit from community trust. It performs less well as a direct replacement for high intent search advertising.

Is Reddit advertising cheaper than Google Ads?

On average, yes. Reddit CPCs generally run well below Google Search CPCs, though the fairer comparison is cost per acquired customer rather than raw click price, since the two platforms capture different levels of intent.

Can I use Reddit Ads and Google Ads together?

Absolutely, and many UK businesses see the best results this way. Reddit builds awareness and Google Search captures the resulting demand, particularly when you layer in retargeting between the two.

Do I need a large budget to start on Reddit?

No. Reddit’s lower entry cost makes it a reasonable place to test messaging and audiences before committing larger budgets to Google Search, where mistakes get expensive faster.

Ready to Choose the Right Platform for Your PPC Goals

Picking between Reddit and Google Ads is not really a one off decision. Your answer will shift as your product, budget and audience change, which is exactly why testing both properly matters more than picking a favourite.

If you would rather have a specialist PPC marketing agency build and manage that strategy for you, including complementary channels such as Facebook Ads and LinkedIn advertising where they make sense, get in touch with Flow20 and we will map out a plan built around your actual objectives rather than a generic template.