Best advertising platforms for ecommerce

The short answer

Most online stores should run two platforms first: Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Google Shopping / Performance Max. Meta creates demand for visual, giftable or impulse products. Google Shopping captures people already searching for what you sell, and your product feed does most of the work. TikTok is worth testing once you can produce a steady supply of short videos. The right split depends on whether your product is searched for (Google-heavy) or discovered (Meta-heavy).

Where ecommerce businesses usually advertise

1. Meta (Facebook & Instagram). Visual, impulse-friendly products; Advantage+ shopping campaigns and retargeting of cart abandoners.
2. Google Shopping / Performance Max. Shows your products to people already searching for them. Needs a clean Merchant Center feed.
3. Google Search. Cheap brand protection plus high-intent product queries ("buy", "gift set", model names).
4. TikTok. Strong for products that demo well on video. Needs fresh creative every few weeks.
5. Pinterest. Home, fashion, beauty and gift products that people plan purchases around.

Usually skip: LinkedIn. Consumer products at ecommerce price points cannot carry LinkedIn click costs.

How to split a small budget

Under $1k/month: pick Meta or Google Shopping based on whether people search for your product. $1-2k: run both. Add TikTok after that.

Common mistakes

• Running Search on broad, one-word keywords ("candles", "shoes"). Low intent, high cost.
• Splitting a small budget across more than two or three platforms.
• Judging Meta on last-click ROAS alone. It under-reports its role in later Google and direct sales.

These are typical patterns, not rules. Your price point, margins and whether people search for what you sell can change the order, which is what the tool above checks.