The Five Best Alternatives To Google Ads

If you’re going to advertise your small business online, it might seem like Google is the only game in town but there are other advertising choices to consider. Here are some ways other than Google Ads to advertise online.

The Five Best Alternatives To Google Ads

Google Ads is the big dog when it comes to helping businesses reach their target audience in the online advertising world. But the digital landscape is continuously evolving and it's crucial for your business to explore alternative platforms that can provide the results you want. Here are the top five alternatives to Google Ads you can use to make your online advertising efforts more effective.

• Facebook Ads - With over one billion daily active users and over 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most popular social media platform and offers a vast and engaged audience for advertisers. Facebook Ads provides powerful targeting options based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Facebook Ads is very simple to use. You can create and put up engaging visual ads, including images, videos, and carousels, to captivate your target audience with not much time or effort. Facebook's extensive ad network also includes Instagram and Messenger, which enables you to reach users across multiple platforms.
• Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) - Microsoft Advertising is a great alternative to Google Ads, particularly for targeting its search engine users, which account for approximately 30% of the search market share. Microsoft owns Bing, AOL, and Yahoo, so purchasing a Microsoft ad means your ad will go on all of those other search engines as well. Microsoft Advertising offers similar features to Google Ads, including keyword targeting, ad extensions, and robust analytics. Additionally, Microsoft Advertising provides unique audience targeting options, such as LinkedIn profile targeting, which allows you to reach professionals based on their job titles and industries.
• Amazon Advertising - For businesses involved in e-commerce, Amazon Advertising presents a highly effective alternative. If you’re planning to advertise a product or service, Amazon is the place to do it since it has 50% of the total online marketplace. With millions of users actively searching for products on Amazon, this platform offers immense potential. Amazon Advertising provides various ad formats, including sponsored products, sponsored brands, and display ads, enabling you to promote your products and drive sales directly on the platform. The robust targeting options allow you to reach users based on their search queries, product categories, or even specific ASINs (Amazon Standard Identification Numbers).
• LinkedIn Ads - If you’re in the B2B space, LinkedIn Ads offers a powerful platform to reach a business-focused audience. With over 774 million users, LinkedIn provides precise targeting options based on professional characteristics such as job title, company size, industry, and more. This means that you can reach the top tier and decision-makers of companies much easier than on other platforms. Sponsored content, text ads, and sponsored InMail allow you to deliver your messages effectively, generate leads, and build brand authority within the professional community. LinkedIn is also great for promoting events, such as a conference about your product or service to people who may be interested.
• Outbrain - Outbrain is a platform dedicated to content discovery. It helps you promote your website with sponsored content and native ad placement. Outbrain’s network has over 100,000 websites, including CNN, MSN, and the Guardian, and is projected to reach two billion users a month, making it a serious competitor to Google Ads and Facebook Ads. Outbrain works by placing your article/ad at the bottom of websites in its network as a relevant ad that resembles a normal article or blog. Since their ad network is so huge, all these websites have the possibility to link to your main website. 

Google Ads may be the most dominant force in digital advertising, but it’s a good idea to consider diversifying your advertising efforts by exploring alternative platforms. Facebook Ads, Microsoft, Amazon Advertising, LinkedIn Ads, and Outbrain all offer unique features, targeting options, and engaged audiences. These alternatives can expand your reach, target specific demographics, and increase your online advertising success. You’ll need to experiment with various platforms and analyze the results to determine the most effective mix for your business goals. A well-rounded and effective advertising strategy goes beyond a single platform and takes advantage of the potential offered by all the options of the digital landscape.

If you want to know more about Google Ads, read our article, “Pros and Cons of Running Google Ads Yourself vs Hiring a Professional”, or contact us.

Tags: Google Ads, alternatives