Well, you already understand what paid traffic is, what it is for, and that there are different ways to reach your audience. But where is this audience and where are these ads going to be published?

As we know, Google and social networks are the most visited sites on the internet, receiving millions – and even billions – of hits every day, and it is on these platforms that you should look to promote your ads with paid traffic.

There are several platforms that stand out and each may require a different strategy because they appeal to different audiences.  But there are many advantages to having these platforms, mainly because they offer several tools that facilitate and maximize your efforts with paid traffic.

The main one is the metrics system that allows you to have access to all the information about your audience, their behavior, their reaction to your ads, and personal characteristics, and still provide you with enough data to design your marketing strategies and campaigns.

More than that, it allows you to monitor and analyze the success of your efforts and the return on your investments,  which is perfect for closely monitoring your performance and identifying possible points for improvement.

That's why practically all brands are present on these platforms because through them it is possible to reach a huge audience and create versatile, interactive campaigns that can generate a huge return on your investment.

Let's talk about the costs of working with paid traffic, but first, let's identify the main platforms for you to generate traffic.

Platforms used in paid traffic

1. Google Ads

The main ad platform used to generate traffic is Google Ads, which is a Google platform exclusively for ads.

With Google Ads, you can rank your page in the search results made on the site. Ranking means that your page will appear in the first results when someone searches for questions related to the type of content you produce or the type of product or service you offer.

There are several strategies that can rank you and bring you a good result in traffic organically, using good SEO techniques, for example. But with paid traffic, your site will appear first in Google results, with that “Ad” tag, before all other results.

A point that highlights Google Ads is its metrics system, which allows you to analyze and monitor your ads and their performance, giving important details that can make all the difference in your digital marketing strategy.

Another way of working with Google is through AdSense, which serves to publish an ad on Google's partner pages, further expanding its traffic capture network, because your ad will appear on numerous sites for many people who are interested in the subject.

Have you ever noticed that when you search for a product, you end up getting multiple ads about similar products? That's what happens with AdSense. Your ad will appear to people who have already searched for terms similar to those that define your content or product.

2. Facebook(Meta) Ads

As we have already mentioned,  social networks are among the most visited sites in the world, so it is practically impossible to ignore them when we talk about digital marketing strategy and paid traffic.

Like Google, Facebook relies on Facebook Ads, which is the tool used to publish sponsored posts on the social network and promote them among its users.

Here, the recommendations of the ads happen according to the niche, taste, and preferences of each user of the network, and Facebook Ads itself has tools so that you can target your ads in a segmented way to your audience.

3. Instagram Ads

Instagram is the fastest-growing social network in terms of users and deals because the platform has become an excellent way to generate traffic and get more leads and conversions. The platform has 1 billion active users per month!

If you didn't already know, Instagram is owned by Facebook, and it has gone on to become one of the top advertising platforms in the world. Because it has several tools and a vast audience, advertising on Instagram is one of the best things you can do.

You can create an image and video ads in different formats, insert links and texts and also have an Ads Manager, which is the Facebook manager! You can use the same Facebook Business account to promote your ads on these two platforms.

There are several ways to target your ad: you can determine the type of device (computer, smartphones, etc.) your customer uses, or determine that they are promoted to users in certain locations, among several other targeting options that can help you to have a more successful campaign on Instagram and Facebook.

4. YouTube Ads

Another platform with great potential is the giant YouTube, which uses YouTube Ads as a tool to manage and promote its ads.

This is where you target your ads, which appear within the YouTube videos themselves or as a suggestion.

The upside is that video ads grab a lot of attention and have a high conversion rate, and you have the same targeting tools to target your ads and reach the audience you want.

5. LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn is the best option if you have a business-to-business (B2B), because this is a business-oriented platform, and it has several tools to promote your ads.

You can count on ads on the Timeline (Sponsored Content), in the sidebar of the texts on the site (text ads), or through emails, with sponsored emails.

Of course, LinkedIn also has options to segment your campaign and better target your digital marketing campaign. For example, considering that this is a professional network, you can segment your ads by role, experience level, profession, company size, and many others.

6. Bing Ads

While Google dominates as a search engine, Bing also stands out, being the second most visited search engine in the world, and it's a partnership between Microsoft and Yahoo that is always in development.

It works on the same basis as Google Ads and you will have no difficulty creating ads and targeting your promotion.