Top 8 PPC Advertising Networks

Pick the right battleground for your PPC campaigns! This guide explores 8 top PPC ad networks. We'll compare reach, targeting, formats, and pricing to help you pick the winner. Know Your Audience: Who are you trying to reach? What's their online behavior? PPC Networks at a Glance: Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, YouTube Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Twitter Ads and Pinterest Ads. Choose Wisely! Consider your budget, goals, and target audience to select the PPC networks that will help you conquer your marketing objectives.

PAID MEDIA

Haider Irfan

2/10/20216 min read

Person viewing a PPC report on Laptop
Person viewing a PPC report on Laptop

The similarity between different ad platforms is not guaranteed. When determining where to allocate advertising funds, various factors may come into consideration, including:

  • User base of the platform.

  • Ad serving volume.

  • Opportunities for creativity.

  • Budget of the advertiser.

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Through this, advertisers are able to significantly expand their audience and target potential customers based on their online habits and preferences.

Which PPC ad platform is suitable for your business?

Your company is likely to reap advantages from multiple platforms that are mentioned below.

This section will cover additional information about the PPC ad networks listed below:

  • Ads by Google.

  • Ads by Microsoft.

  • Videos on YouTube.

  • Posts on Facebook.

  • Images on Instagram.

  • Profiles on LinkedIn.

  • Tweets on Twitter.

  • Pins on Pinterest.

The structure of the text will be changed to avoid plagiarism while maintaining the context and meaning. The markdown formatting will be preserved.

The structure of the text should be altered without changing the context and semantic meaning in order to eliminate any plagiarism. It is important to maintain the markdown formatting.

Advertising on Google

The Google Ads platform is highly favored among advertisers due to its vast reach, which includes a large volume of searches on the Google search engine and a wide range of websites on the Google Display Network (GDN).

Google's search engine facilitates billions of searches daily.

According to Google, their Google Ads display ads can be seen on more than two million websites and in over 650,000 apps, allowing for maximum exposure to the target audience. The display network offers various targeting options such as remarketing, in-market audiences, and similar audiences.

Both search and display campaigns offer the option to target specific demographics such as age, gender, parental status, and household income. This inclusion of demographic targeting may decrease the potential reach of ads, but it also enhances the precision of the targeting.

Placements : Results from Google search engine, web placements on the Google Display Network (GDN), shopping platforms, mobile applications, and YouTube.

Available Ad Formats: Text, image, responsive, and video options.

Pricing: GDN uses a cost-per-click (CPC) model that takes into account the competition and the quality of the ad. Additionally, it also offers the option of cost-per-1,000 impressions (CPM).

Note: The cost per click (CPC) on search keywords for Google Ads may vary depending on the industry. In order to combat this, it is important to think outside the box and consider alternatives such as a targeted campaign on the display network or exploring other advertising platforms.

Ads by Microsoft

According to data from the Microsoft Search Network, there are approximately 12.2 billion PC searches every month.

Advertisers can utilize Microsoft Ads' tools to easily import their campaigns from Google Ads, streamlining the initial setup process.

One of the benefits of Microsoft is its exclusive access to Yahoo search traffic. It also plays a crucial role in providing digital assistant voice searches and has the capability to target searchers based on LinkedIn profile data, including company, job function, and industry.

As stated by Microsoft:

According to the statement, Microsoft Advertising is the sole digital advertising platform, apart from LinkedIn, that provides LinkedIn Profile Targeting.

Placements : Platforms such as search engines and the Microsoft Audience Network, which consists of native content placements on various sites including MSN, Outlook.com, the Edge browser, and high-quality partner websites. Additionally, LinkedIn is also included.

Advertisement Formats: Text content for search results and responsive design for native placements. LinkedIn offers a variety of ad formats, including text ads, Dynamic Search Ads, and shopping campaigns.

Pricing : Our pricing is based on a CPC model, taking into consideration the competition and the quality of the advertisement.

Advice: Although Microsoft Ads permits advertisers to transfer campaigns from Google Ads, simply replicating the same campaign without making necessary adjustments for the Microsoft Ads platform may lead to errors. It is important to modify bids (usually lower), match types, and incorporate any relevant Microsoft Ads ad extensions.

YouTube-Video Sharing

According to YouTube's press page, the platform has a monthly reach of more than 2 billion logged-in users worldwide. This makes it a highly effective platform for advertisers to connect with their target audience.

The Google Ads platform is responsible for managing and creating campaigns, while YouTube Analytics in the YouTube account provides detailed insights on the audience's demographics and engagement.

Job Opportunities : YouTube.

Types of Advertisements: In-stream ads that can be skipped, in-stream ads that cannot be skipped, short bumper ads, video discovery ads, and masthead ads.

Pricing: Cost Per View (CPV), Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM).

Pro Tip: Advertisers have the opportunity to connect with potential customers by utilizing the same targeting options offered on the Google Display Network.

The Social Media Platform - Facebook

Facebook is currently the leading social network worldwide with over 2.6 billion monthly users, according to their latest press release.

The targeting of users can be highly specific, encompassing demographics, interests, behaviors, and other factors. Retargeting is possible on Facebook by utilizing user engagement on the platform, as well as actions taken outside of Facebook, through the use of advertisers' Facebook pixel data and the uploading of customer lists.

Placement Options: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network.

Mobile: Facebook's mobile properties and Audience Network.

Available Ad Formats: Mobile canvas, video, single image, carousel, and slideshow. The Audience Network on mobile offers a range of display and video formats, including native, interstitial, rewarded, and in-stream video.

Pricing: The cost for each desired action is determined by the bid, estimated action rates, and ad quality.

Tip: Ideal for reaching specific and detailed demographics, as Google and Bing may not offer the same level of targeting.

Instagram

According to a statistic from Statista, Instagram boasts an active user base of more than 1 billion, with a demographic that typically skews towards a younger audience compared to Facebook's user base.

Campaign creation and management for Facebook is conducted through the Facebook Ads platform, as it is a subsidiary company. Although Facebook suggests utilizing Automatic Placements, which targets all placements in a single campaign, the advertiser has the flexibility to choose any preferred placement.

Advertising Placement: Instagram Feeds and Stories can be utilized in conjunction with all Facebook placements.

Advertisement Formats: Single image, video, carousel ad, and collection.

Pricing: The cost is determined by the desired action, taking into account the bid, estimated action rates, and ad quality.

Pro Tip: The demographic of Instagram users is generally younger compared to Facebook, and the platform has slightly lower user volume.

LinkedIn

With Microsoft now as its owner, LinkedIn offers a vast pool of data and potential targets for advertisers seeking to reach the professional community.

LinkedIn has a vast network of over 500 million professionals who can be specifically reached through various professional categories, including job title, level of experience, company, and other factors.

Placements : The LinkedIn Audience Network includes a vast number of mobile sites, apps, and ad exchanges, totaling in the tens of thousands.

On-the-go: Promotions within the LinkedIn application and LinkedIn Audience Network.

Advertisement Types: Text and image ads displayed on LinkedIn, as well as native ads shown on sites and applications within the LinkedIn Audience Network.

Pricing: Our pricing is determined by the competition and the relevance of your ad, using a CPC model. We also offer CPM and CPS options for cost-per-send.

Tip: A successful approach on LinkedIn is providing valuable tips, whitepapers, or other relevant content pertaining to the industry of the users.

Twitter - Microblogging Platform

Twitter has a variety of methods available to connect with the 330 million monthly active users who utilize the platform.

Twitter ads are unique in that they are exclusively hosted on Twitter, without any involvement from external network partners.

The format of promoted tweets is highly versatile, as it allows for a wide range of combinations of text and other media that adhere to the overarching guidelines.

Placement Options: Twitter.com and the Twitter mobile application.

Mobile: Advertisements displayed within the Twitter app's feed.

Types of Ad Formats: Advertisements on Twitter can come in different forms such as promoted tweets which can include text, images, GIFs, or videos, promoted accounts, and promoted trends.

Pricing: CPC is used for promoted tweets and promoted accounts, while promoted trends are managed by a Twitter sales representative.

Guideline: When it comes to advertising on Twitter, it is important to also have a strong engagement strategy in place. While promoting an account may attract new followers, high-quality tweets will ultimately lead to the most successful outcomes.

Pinterest - Discover and save ideas.

According to the statistics of Pinterest's user demographics, there are 200 million active monthly users who utilize the platform to explore trends, generate ideas, and find products, with a significant portion being potential buyers.

According to the data, 7% of the users are women and 40% of them have a household income of $100,000.

Placement Options: Pinterest.com and the Pinterest app.

Smartphone : Advertisements displayed within the Pinterest application feed.

Types of Ad Formats: Pins that are promoted, one-tap promoted pins, promoted video pins, cinematic pins, and promoted app pins.

Pricing: The cost per click (CPC) is applicable for promoted pins and app installs, while the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) is used for promoted video pins.

Tip: When searching on Pinterest, keep in mind that the queries are typically broader compared to Google. It is recommended to conduct keyword research before starting your search. Having a strong presence on Pinterest can lead to better results, as the shares and saves on the platform have a longer lifespan and do not require any additional cost for the advertiser.