💰 What's in the Paid Ads hub? (Direct answer)
Five platform guides: Google Ads for search and Shopping campaigns, Facebook Ads for Meta's Ads Manager and Advantage+, Instagram Ads for Reels, Stories, and Shopping tags, LinkedIn Ads for B2B targeting and Lead Gen Forms, and YouTube Ads for video campaigns and CPV bidding. Each guide covers setup, targeting, bidding, creative, and tracking for that specific platform. All five are free, with no account required.
Five platforms, one practitioner's playbook
Most "how to advertise on X" articles get rewritten from a platform's own help documentation. These five guides come from the other direction — accounts set up, audited, and run, with the mistakes and fixes that only show up once real budget is on the line.
Each guide stands alone. You don't need to read all five to get value from one. If you only run Google Search ads, the Google Ads guide covers everything from account structure to Quality Score. If you're deciding between Meta placements, the Facebook Ads guide and Instagram Ads guide are written to be read together or separately.
Written and tested by Rohit Sharma. For the organic side of the same channels, see our SEO guide, ecommerce SEO guide, and GA4 guide for measuring the traffic these campaigns send.
Pick your platform
Each guide is written to be used on its own — start with the platform you're actually running budget on.
Google Ads Guide 2026: Campaigns, Bidding & Optimisation
Account structure, keyword research and match types, conversion tracking, Quality Score, bidding strategies, negative keywords, ad extensions, Performance Max, and Google Shopping through Merchant Center.
Facebook Ads Guide 2026: Meta Campaigns, Targeting & Creative
Ads Manager and Business Manager setup, campaign/ad set/ad structure, the Meta Pixel and Conversions API, audience targeting, Advantage+ campaigns, creative testing, bidding, placements, and retargeting funnels.
Instagram Ads Guide 2026: Reels, Stories, Feed & Shopping
Placement-by-placement breakdown of cost and creative specs, shooting and editing for Reels and Stories, Feed carousel and video creative, Instagram Shopping tags, creator partnerships, and Explore ads.
LinkedIn Ads Guide 2026: B2B Campaigns, Targeting & Lead Gen
Campaign Manager setup, Campaign Group structure, the LinkedIn Insight Tag, job title and company targeting, Matched Audiences, Lead Gen Forms, Account-Based Marketing, and Thought Leader Ads.
YouTube Ads Guide 2026: Video Campaigns, CPV & Targeting
Campaign setup inside Google Ads, ad formats and campaign types, audience targeting, bidding strategies, video creative production, YouTube Shorts ads, Video Action and Demand Gen campaigns, and Performance Max for video.
Who each guide is built for
Different businesses, different platforms — here's what maps to what.
E-commerce & DTC Brands
Google Shopping and Performance Max for purchase-intent traffic, paired with Instagram Shopping tags for visual discovery. Pair both with our ecommerce SEO guide for the organic side of the funnel.
B2B & SaaS Marketers
LinkedIn for job-title and company targeting plus Lead Gen Forms, backed by Google Search for high-intent keyword capture. See our SEO for startups playbook for the organic complement.
Local & Service Businesses
Google Search with location targeting and call extensions, plus Facebook local awareness campaigns. Cross-reference with our local SEO guide to cover both paid and organic local visibility.
Creators & Video-First Brands
YouTube Shorts and Video Action campaigns for top-of-funnel reach, paired with Instagram Reels for cross-platform distribution. See our video SEO guide for the organic video side.
Performance Marketers
Cross-platform tracking is the hard part — Meta Pixel, Conversions API, Google Ads conversion tracking, and the LinkedIn Insight Tag all need to feed the same reporting. Our GA4 guide and reporting guide cover the measurement layer.
Agencies & Consultants
Hand a client the platform-specific guide that matches their spend, rather than a generic paid media overview. Benchmark new hires against the account structures and targeting approaches covered in each one.
How the five platforms compare
A quick side-by-side before you pick where to start.
| Guide | Best For | Primary Ad Formats | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | High Intent | Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Display | Capturing demand from people already searching |
| Facebook Ads | Broad Reach | Feed, Advantage+, video, carousel | Building awareness and retargeting website visitors |
| Instagram Ads | Visual Discovery | Reels, Stories, Shopping, Explore | Visual and lifestyle brands, product discovery |
| LinkedIn Ads | B2B Precision | Sponsored Content, Lead Gen Forms, Thought Leader Ads | Reaching a specific job title, industry, or company list |
| YouTube Ads | Video Storytelling | Skippable in-stream, Shorts, Video Action, bumpers | Brand awareness and mid-funnel video engagement |
Which platform should you start with?
Match your business type to the platform that fits it best.
People search for what you sell
Start with Google Ads. You're capturing demand that already exists instead of creating it.
→ Google Ads guide Broad ReachYou need awareness and retargeting
Start with Facebook Ads. Advantage+ and Meta's audience tools are built for reach at scale.
→ Facebook Ads guide Visual ProductYour product sells on how it looks
Start with Instagram Ads. Reels and Shopping tags are built for visual discovery and impulse purchase.
→ Instagram Ads guide B2B / EnterpriseYou sell to a specific job title or industry
Start with LinkedIn Ads. It costs more per click, but the targeting precision is unmatched for B2B.
→ LinkedIn Ads guide Brand StoryYou need to explain or demonstrate something
Start with YouTube Ads. Video formats give you room to explain what a headline or image can't.
→ YouTube Ads guideMore free guides on IndexCraft
Paid traffic works best alongside a solid organic foundation. Browse the rest of the site by category.
FAQ — Choosing a Paid Ads Platform
Which paid ads platform should I start with?
It depends on how people find your business. If buyers actively search for what you sell, start with Google Ads — you're capturing existing demand. If you sell visually or need to build awareness first, start with Meta (Facebook and Instagram). B2B companies selling to a specific job title or industry usually get better lead quality from LinkedIn, despite the higher cost per click. Video-first brands and anyone doing top-of-funnel storytelling should look at YouTube.
Can I run Google Ads and Meta Ads at the same time?
Yes, and for most businesses with any real budget it's the standard setup. Google Ads captures people already searching for a solution, while Meta reaches people before they start searching. Running both means separate conversion tracking — a Google tag and the Meta Pixel/Conversions API — and a media budget split that reflects which channel is actually driving revenue, not just clicks.
How much budget do I need to start with paid ads?
Most small businesses see reliable signal with $300-$3,000 a month on a single platform, though this varies a lot by industry and cost-per-click. LinkedIn tends to need the highest minimum budget because of its cost-per-click; Google and Meta can produce usable data at lower spend. Whatever the platform, budget enough for each ad set or ad group to leave the learning phase within a week or two.
Do I need a different tracking setup for each platform?
Yes. Each platform has its own tag: Google Ads conversion tracking (often layered on GA4), the Meta Pixel plus Conversions API for Facebook and Instagram, and the LinkedIn Insight Tag for LinkedIn. YouTube campaigns run inside Google Ads, so they typically share Google's conversion tracking. None of these tags substitute for the others — each platform's algorithm only optimises against the events it can see.
Are these paid ads guides free to use?
Yes. All five guides are free, with no account or email sign-up required. They're written from direct campaign management and account audit experience across these platforms, not summarised from other articles.