13 Alternatives to Google Ads for Digital Marketing

To help you discover effective alternatives to Google Ads for digital marketing, we asked founders and directors for their expert recommendations. From establishing partnerships with trusted reviewers to investing in long-term SEO strategies, here are the top thirteen alternatives they shared and why they work.

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Establish Partnerships With Trusted Reviewers

The best alternative to Google Ads is performance PR—we saw this when I was a co-founder at Leesa. When people google “best mattress for back pain” or even “Leesa review,” instead of having to pay for those branded or non-brand keywords on Google, establishing partnerships with trusted reviewers who rank well on SEO can be extremely effective and can turn into lucrative affiliate partnerships.

Alex Realmuto, Founder and CEO, Rubix

Leverage Meta Ads for E-Commerce

Meta Ads, formerly Facebook Ads, is a compelling alternative to Google Ads. As an e-commerce expert, I’ve found Meta Ads can be highly effective for boosting brand awareness and driving sales.

Meta Ads allows you to reach users across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger with precise targeting based on demographics, behaviors, and interests. You only pay when someone engages with your ad, keeping costs low while maximizing results.

For one client, an outdoor gear retailer, we ran a Meta Ads campaign targeting customers with an interest in hiking and camping. We used eye-catching imagery of people enjoying nature along with a 15% off coupon code. The campaign led to a 28% increase in revenue from new customers in just 30 days.

Unlike Google Ads, which relies heavily on search, Meta Ads meets your audience where they are—scrolling through their social feeds. With the rise of social shopping, Meta Ads is ready to become an even more significant channel for e-commerce businesses. If you’re looking to diversify beyond Google Ads, Meta Ads should be at the top of your list.

Steve Pogson, Founder, First Pier

Utilize Cost-Effective Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great alternative to Google Ads, which often delivers exceptional return on investment. This strategy involves building and nurturing a subscriber list, and then sending targeted, personalized messages directly to potential customers’ inboxes. Email marketing allows businesses to maintain ongoing communication with their audience, providing valuable content, promotions, and updates that keep the brand top-of-mind.

One of the main advantages of email marketing is its cost-effectiveness. Once you’ve built a subscriber list, the cost of sending emails is minimal compared to paying for each click or impression in paid advertising. Email marketing also offers precise targeting and segmentation capabilities, allowing businesses to tailor their messages based on subscriber behavior, preferences, or demographics. 

This personalization can lead to higher engagement rates and conversions. Also, email marketing provides detailed analytics, enabling marketers to track open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, and continuously refine their strategies for optimal performance.

Tom Richards, Director and Founder, Adbetter

Capitalize on Amazon Advertising

For our clients in e-commerce, especially those with a strong presence on Amazon, Amazon Advertising is a robust alternative to Google Ads. This platform allows us to place ads directly where customers are ready to purchase, which is a significant advantage. By utilizing Amazon Advertising, we help clients increase their product visibility and sales on one of the world’s largest retail platforms. 

The direct integration with Amazon’s shopping experience means that ads can be highly relevant, targeting consumers based on their shopping behaviors and the keywords they use during their buying journey. This results in higher conversion rates compared to traditional search ads and is particularly effective for clients with a substantial catalog of products.

Marc Bishop, Director, Wytlabs

Harness TikTok for Viral Marketing

With the advent of social media marketing came numerous platforms in the form of social media apps. These tools invite users to create and share messages in multiple forms, and watch those of other users. One of the newest and fastest-growing social media apps that our company finds valuable is TikTok. While still fairly new, TikTok is a great place for social media marketing as it reaches millions of customers and allows them to click on the content directly. The app offers many tools for enhancing media creation. 

As a direct result of its expansive viral potential, we can gain tons of attention quickly and cheaply. Our professionally created videos have earned attention, and many have gone viral organically. We have also enjoyed the pick-up by influencers, and posted and reposted content that our customers have created to further engage our target audience.

Ashley Kenny, Co-Founder, Heirloom Video Books

Optimize Campaigns With Microsoft Ads

An effective and close alternative to Google Ads for digital marketing is Microsoft Ads, previously known as Bing Ads. This platform offers several compelling advantages that make it a viable option for businesses looking to diversify their advertising strategies.

We often recommend our clients use both Google and Microsoft Ads. The cost-per-click (CPC) on Microsoft Ads is generally lower compared to Google Ads, which can be particularly beneficial for businesses with smaller budgets or those in highly competitive industries where Google Ads CPCs can be prohibitively high. While Bing typically has 3-5 times less traffic than Google, it often delivers higher conversion rates and lower cost per acquisition.

Microsoft Ads provides broad reach and network capabilities. It allows advertisers to run campaigns not only on the Bing search network but also on its partner networks, including Yahoo and AOL. This broadens your reach beyond just one search engine, tapping into a wider audience.

Similar to Google Ads, Microsoft Ads offers robust targeting options, including demographic targeting, location targeting, and device targeting. This ensures businesses can effectively reach their desired audience segments.

For instance, a law firm in Chicago was already running Google Ads and SEO and was looking to expand its client base. We helped them launch and run Microsoft Ads to target potential clients searching for legal services on Bing. After a few months, we compared the results with Google Ads. The lower CPC and higher conversion rates helped the firm maximize its advertising budget, even though the Microsoft Ads budget was four times lower. With targeted ads focusing on demographics and specific locations within Chicago, the law firm was able to effectively reach prospective clients looking for legal assistance at a lower cost per lead.

Overall, Microsoft Ads is a strong alternative to Google Ads due to its extensive network, cost-efficiency, and advanced targeting and AI features. These benefits make it a valuable platform for businesses aiming to diversify their digital marketing efforts and drive high-quality traffic that is more likely to convert.

Alex Martkovich, Founder, New Digital

Implement Influencer Marketing Strategies

You may utilize influencer marketing as an alternative to Google Ads. This strategy involves collaborating with individuals who have a significant and engaged following on social media platforms or within specific niches. These influencers can range from macro-influencers with millions of followers to micro-influencers with smaller but highly-targeted audiences. Influencer marketing leverages the trust and rapport these individuals have built with their followers to promote products, services, or brands.

The effectiveness of influencer marketing lies in its ability to tap into pre-existing communities and leverage social proof. Unlike traditional advertising, influencer collaborations often feel more authentic and relatable to consumers, leading to higher engagement rates and brand trust. This approach can be particularly effective for reaching younger demographics who may be more resistant to traditional advertising methods. 

Also, influencer partnerships can provide valuable backlinks and social signals, indirectly boosting SEO efforts. While the cost structure differs from pay-per-click advertising, influencer marketing can offer a strong return on investment, especially when working with micro-influencers who often have higher engagement rates relative to their follower count.

Henry Purchase, Founder, SEOSpace

Target Professionals With LinkedIn Ads

One specific alternative to Google Ads for digital marketing is LinkedIn Ads. I’ve found LinkedIn Ads to be particularly effective for B2B marketing. LinkedIn’s targeting capabilities allow us to reach decision-makers and professionals in specific industries, making it easier to generate high-quality leads. The platform’s robust analytics also provide valuable insights into campaign performance, enabling us to refine our strategies and maximize ROI.

Dinesh Agarwal, Founder, CEO, RecurPost

Explore Diverse Advertising Platforms

Google serves as a prominent SEM platform, but still, if you are looking for alternatives worth exploring for your business, include Microsoft Ads and social media marketing on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Quora.

These platforms attract significant user engagement, making them ideal for promoting your business based on your target audience and objectives.

Additionally, consider media buying and utilizing third-party websites for further promotional opportunities. These avenues can broaden your reach and enhance your marketing efforts effectively.

Amit Rawat, Digital Marketing Manager

Engage Users With Pinterest Ads

Pinterest Ads offer a fantastic alternative to Google Ads, especially for businesses with visually appealing products. Unlike Google Ads, which is primarily text-based and intent-driven, Pinterest thrives on imagery and inspiration. This platform is ideal for brands in the fashion, home-decor, food, and beauty industries. It’s a visual discovery engine where people go to find new ideas, meaning your ads need to be visually captivating to catch users’ eyes.

Pinterest’s unique advantage lies in its user behavior. People on Pinterest are often looking to make purchasing decisions or find products to complete projects. They save pins to boards, creating collections of things they want to buy or try out. This behavior means that users are already in a mindset open to engagement, making it easier to convert interest into sales. With Pinterest Ads, you can reach an audience that’s not just browsing but actively searching for solutions or inspiration, providing an edge in driving conversions.

Jessica Bane, Director of Business Operations, GoPromotional

Integrate Ads Seamlessly With Taboola

If you’re looking for a fresh way to reach audiences online, consider Taboola. It’s an alternative to Google Ads, focusing on blending advertisements seamlessly into website content. 

Taboola suggests your ads as related content on popular sites, which feels less intrusive and can capture the reader’s interest more naturally as they browse. This subtle integration helps engage visitors without the usual ad disruption, potentially increasing click-through rates and driving more traffic to your site.

Omër Güven, Co-Founder & CEO, Fintalent

Maximize Reach With Instagram Advertising

Being a tech CEO, I can confidently state that Instagram advertising is a robust alternative to Google Ads. Besides great visual content, Instagram offers precise demographic and interest-targeting features. Especially for a consumer-facing tech company like ours, leveraging Instagram’s user base of over a billion people can help us build brand recognition. Equally important, with visual ads, we can creatively represent our services, resulting in increased customer engagement.

Abid Salahi, Co-founder & CEO, FinlyWealth

Invest in Long-Term SEO Strategies

One alternative—and the best one, in my opinion—to Google Ads is search engine optimization. While Google Ads/PPC campaigns can provide an immediate impact of some kind, it’s the long-game aspect of SEO that will ultimately provide the best ROI over any other type of marketing campaign. SEO campaigns require less budget to stay competitive, and though it takes time to see results, they will be more consistent and less expensive over time. More than anything, SEO requires extensive time on your part, but if you can swing it, it will be by far your most effective digital marketing effort.

Steve DiMatteo, Owner, Cleveland Vintage Shirts

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