To thrive, businesses need customer attention, and organic SEO is an excellent starting point. However, organic growth takes time, which is where understanding and utilizing the best advertising platforms becomes crucial.
This article explores eight top-tier advertising platforms and their suitability for different businesses.
Best Online Advertising Platforms in 2024
No two businesses or advertising platforms are identical. This guide helps you navigate the best online advertising platforms for your specific needs.
Here are the top platforms for 2024:
Don’t feel overwhelmed. With a little knowledge about each platform and some original ad ideas, you can gain traction quickly.
1. Google Ads
Google dominates the search engine market with a staggering 83%. The Google Ads platform allows various ad types, including search and display ads. Utilizing a pay-per-click (PPC) model, you only pay when someone clicks your ad.
Google search ads particularly benefit from Google’s market dominance. Search ads, the sponsored results appearing at the top of search results pages, enable businesses to subtly promote themselves while blending with organic search results, as shown below.
Google Display Network (GDN) showcases Google display ads across more than 2 million websites in countless industries. These ads can be text and image-based, image-only, or video-only.
Google display ads organically reach your target audience while browsing different websites. Using keyword targeting, topic clusters, or specific website selections, you can control where your ads appear. Additionally, it’s crucial to stay updated on how Google Gemini (formerly Bard) can be advantageous.
Who Should Utilize Google Ads?
Google’s vast market share makes it incredibly appealing and a top advertising platform for a good reason. However, this reach can also be a double-edged sword.
Google Ads can put your business in front of a large audience using search or display ads. However, this broad reach also means a more competitive landscape, particularly in crowded industries.
Nevertheless, Google Ads suits almost every business. Start with a small budget, closely track your ad performance, and adjust accordingly. Hiring an advertising professional can be a worthwhile investment. If not, research average ad performance in your industry and pause campaigns if necessary.
Unsure about your Google Ads performance? Get a free, instant audit » Free Google Ads Grader
2. Microsoft Advertising
Microsoft Advertising, formerly Bing Ads, offers search and display ads appearing above and beside Bing search results. These ads are also displayed within the Microsoft Audience Network, encompassing various Microsoft-owned businesses and partners.
While not as far-reaching as Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising allows you to target a different audience through networks like:
- Bing
- Yahoo
- DuckDuckGo
- AOL
- Ecosia
- Outlook
- MSN
Microsoft’s recent partnership with OpenAI has paved the way for AI-powered search, benefiting Microsoft Advertising. Users asking questions on Bing now receive more comprehensive results, creating additional opportunities for your ads.
Who Should Utilize Microsoft Ads?
Similar to Google Ads, Microsoft Ads uses a PPC model and features comparable ad formats. So, who benefits most?
In short, Microsoft Ads suits most businesses. Many argue that the cost-per-click (CPC) for various keywords is lower than Google, making it a valuable testing ground. Replicate successful Microsoft Ads campaigns on Google for potentially greater returns!
Want great results for both Google Ads and Microsoft Ads? Free download » Search Ads Benchmarks for Your Industry
3. LinkedIn
LinkedIn, a prominent business social network and job platform, boasts over 1 billion users. Unlike Microsoft and Google, LinkedIn focuses solely on a business-oriented audience.
LinkedIn offers numerous ad formats:
- Carousel ads: Interactive multi-slide ads.
- Conversation ads: Choice-driven ads delivered via LinkedIn messaging.
- Event ads: Event promotion ads.
- Follower ads: Ads to increase LinkedIn business page followers.
- Lead Gen Forms: Lead generation ads featuring pre-filled forms.
- Message ads: Direct message ads with pre-written content.
- Single image ads: Single image ads with concise text appearing on LinkedIn feeds.
- Single job ads: Targeted job posting ads.
- Spotlight ads: Ads focusing on a specific product or service.
- Text ads: PPC ads driving traffic to your website.
- Video ads: Video ads displayed alongside or within LinkedIn feeds.
The variety of LinkedIn ad formats allows for customized ad experiences. If you’re not seeking job candidates or hosting events, eliminate irrelevant formats and concentrate on others.
Unlike other platforms, LinkedIn enables ad targeting based on industry and job title filters, benefiting B2B companies targeting specific sectors. LinkedIn is also testing a new campaign type, Accelerate, which helps with targeting and automatically optimizes performance.
Who Should Advertise on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn Ads are perfect for businesses with a professional audience and those seeking new talent. B2B companies can particularly benefit from industry and job title targeting.
LinkedIn allows you to link your business page or profile to everything, fostering valuable networking opportunities for growing small businesses.
4. YouTube
YouTube reigns supreme in the video domain with over 2.7 billion monthly users. It offers various ad types:
- Skippable in-stream: Video ads skippable after 5 seconds.
- Non-skippable in-stream: 30-second unskippable video ads.
- Bumper: 6-second video ads before, during, or after videos.
- In-feed: Video ads on YouTube feeds.
- Outstream: Mobile-only video ads on Google video partner sites.
YouTube provides two payment options: CPC (charged per click) and CPV (charged per complete view).
As a Google subsidiary, YouTube leverages its vast network, enabling outstream ads to reach diverse audiences across numerous websites.
Who Should Advertise on YouTube?
Similar to Google Ads, YouTube’s reach and broad audience make it suitable for most businesses. However, YouTube ads require more effort due to video creation needs. If you lack the resources for video ads, explore other options.
YouTube Ads are an effective way to engage audiences through multimedia content. Its flexible payment models provide options other platforms lack. CPC suits driving traffic, while CPV builds awareness and grows audiences.
Choosing the right platform is just one aspect of successful growth. Download our free, editable growth strategy template for a comprehensive guide.
5. Facebook
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, boasts nearly 4 billion monthly users. Meta ads span across Facebook, Instagram, and their Audience Network. Similar to other platforms, you set a budget, bid, and choose between paying for impressions or conversions.
Meta offers numerous ad formats:
- Photo: Image-based ads with text and a CTA.
- Video: Video ads ranging from seconds to six minutes.
- Messenger: Conversation-focused ads within the Messenger app.
- Stories: Full-screen video ads on Facebook Stories.
- Slideshow: Dynamic slideshows with images, sound, text, and CTA.
- Playables: Interactive app demo ads.
- Collection: Product showcase ads with purchase links.
- Carousel: Ads showcasing up to 10 images or videos with individual CTAs.
Each ad type’s effectiveness depends on the audience, industry, and campaign objectives. For instance, carousel ads highlighting discounted products or services might outperform single image ads for promoting sales.
Who Should Run Facebook Ads?
Meta Ads are ideal for most businesses due to their vast audience and diverse ad formats. However, this variety necessitates testing to determine the most effective format for your target audience and goals.
Consider testing Meta Ads for your business. Track performance and experiment with different ad types to maximize results.
6. Instagram
Instagram, the popular image and video-based social networking platform, boasts over 1.3 billion users. It offers immense opportunities to connect with your audience beyond just cat and food photos.
While managed through Meta, Instagram Ads deserve separate attention due to their unique benefits.
Instagram offers several ad formats:
- Image ads: In-feed image posts with text and CTA.
- Video ads: In-feed video ads with CTA.
- Carousel ads: Swipeable multi-image or video ads with individual CTAs.
- Story ads: Image or video ads within Instagram Stories.
- Collection ads: Image ads featuring multiple products with a single image.
- Shopping ads: Ads linked to your Instagram Shopping catalog, directing users to product pages.
- Explore ads: Ads appearing in Instagram’s Explore section.
- Reels ads: Short video ads displayed within Instagram Reels.
Many Instagram Ads can also appear on Facebook, expanding reach but impacting your budget.
Instagram Ads utilize a CPC model, where pricing depends on industry, target audience, and other factors.
Who Should Run Instagram Ads?
While not as extensive as Google, Instagram Ads are valuable. Small businesses and entrepreneurs can leverage Instagram’s authenticity, particularly for younger audiences, as 61% of users are between 18 and 34 years old.
Instagram Ads are also great for e-commerce businesses. Shopping Ads, directly linked to your Instagram catalog, simplify the purchasing process.
Remember that Instagram is primarily accessed on mobile devices. This is ideal for reaching on-the-go audiences, but less suitable for those less comfortable with mobile platforms.
Need Instagram and Facebook ad ideas? Get monthly inspiration » The Mega Must-Have Marketing Calendar
7. TikTok
TikTok, the viral video-based social media platform, boasts an estimated 1.7 billion monthly active users. Filled with diverse content from cats to recipes to conspiracy theories, TikTok also serves as a powerful advertising platform.
TikTok partners with Shopify, Ecwid, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, allowing seamless integration of online shopping within ads and business profiles.
Available ad formats include:
- In-feed: Up to 60-second video ads appearing as users swipe.
- TopView: Up to 60-second ads displayed at the top of the “For You” page upon app launch.
- Branded Effects: Custom branded filters for users to create videos.
- Branded Hashtag Challenge: Branded hashtags encouraging user-generated content.
- Brand Takeover: Full-page image or 3-second video ads.
While multiple formats exist, most are video-focused. Remember that static images aren’t as common on this video-centric platform.
Who Should Run TikTok Ads?
TikTok’s e-commerce platform integrations make it perfect for online B2C shops, allowing product visibility and streamlined purchasing.
TikTok provides over 100 templates to simplify ad creation. This is especially beneficial if you’re new to video content or design.
8. Snapchat
Snapchat has over 750 million monthly active users, with 78% belonging to Gen Z and Millennials.
This social media platform focuses on images and videos. Users engage in private messaging and video sharing and browse through story feeds.
Brands can leverage several Snapchat ad formats:
- Single image or video ads: Images or videos (3-180 seconds) placed within Spotlight or between stories.
- Collection ads: Product showcases with purchase CTAs.
- Story ads: Image or video ads with unique CTAs within the story feed.
- AR ads: Interactive branded Snapchat lenses.
While video ads can be up to three minutes long, keeping them around 10 seconds, like most Snapchat videos, is recommended.
Who Should Run Snapchat Ads?
Snapchat leans towards a younger demographic, with most users aged 15-35. It’s an excellent platform for businesses targeting this group.
Snapchat also offers free business profiles. Even without paid advertising, you can build a following by creating a business profile showcasing your products or services before launching ad campaigns. However, Snapchat ads are effective for direct audience reach and engagement.
Choose the Right Platforms for Your Business
Finding the perfect online advertising platform takes time. This guide provides a starting point. Analyze performance, adapt to changes, and don’t be afraid of making mistakes along the way.