--- title: "Advertising platforms: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the advertising platforms teams use. Share of Search among Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, Microsoft Advertising and LinkedIn Ads, the advertising platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/advertising-platforms" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Advertising platforms: Which are searched most? Compare the advertising platforms teams use. Share of Search among Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, Microsoft Advertising and LinkedIn Ads, the advertising platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: Advertising platforms - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 5 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: Google Ads, 80.3% ## Which brand is most popular in search among advertising platforms worldwide? - In September 2026, Google Ads was the most searched among advertising platforms worldwide, with an estimated 5M branded searches and 80.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. - Meta Ads is in 2nd place, 67.2 percentage points behind at 13.1% Share of Search. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Meta Ads’ estimated Share of Search among advertising platforms worldwide increased from 10.7% to 13.1%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, TikTok Ads’ estimated Share of Search among advertising platforms worldwide decreased from 7.1% to 4.8%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google Ads’ estimated Share of Search among advertising platforms worldwide peaked at 83% in December 2025 and was lowest at 77.1% in August 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Meta Ads’ estimated Share of Search among advertising platforms worldwide peaked at 15.4% in August 2026 and was lowest at 9% in November 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Microsoft Advertising rose from 5th to 4th among advertising platforms worldwide. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, LinkedIn Ads fell from 4th to 5th among advertising platforms worldwide. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google Ads held steady: its estimated Share of Search among advertising platforms worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [Google Ads vs Meta Ads: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/google-ads-vs-meta-ads): 80.3% against 13.1% Share of Search. - [Google Ads vs TikTok Ads: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/google-ads-vs-tiktok-ads): 80.3% against 4.8% Share of Search. - [Meta Ads vs TikTok Ads: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/meta-ads-vs-tiktok-ads): 13.1% against 4.8% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for advertising platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Google Ads gained estimated Share of Search among advertising platforms worldwide, from 77.1% to 80.3%. - In September 2026, Meta Ads lost estimated Share of Search among advertising platforms worldwide, from 15.4% to 13.1%. - In September 2026, TikTok Ads lost estimated Share of Search among advertising platforms worldwide, from 5.6% to 4.8%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for LinkedIn Ads worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 60.5K to 49.5K in September 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Google Ads | 80.3% | 5M | +22.3% | Google | | 2 | Meta Ads | 13.1% | 823K | 0.0% | Meta | | 3 | TikTok Ads | 4.8% | 301K | 0.0% | TikTok Ads | | 4 | Microsoft Advertising | 0.96% | 60.5K | 0.0% | Microsoft | | 5 | LinkedIn Ads | 0.79% | 49.5K | +22.2% | Microsoft | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 79.8% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Meta Ads | 550K | 10.7% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | TikTok Ads | 368K | 7.1% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | LinkedIn Ads | 60.5K | 1.2% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 1.2% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 82.7% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Meta Ads | 450K | 9% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 6% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 1.2% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | LinkedIn Ads | 49.5K | 0.99% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 83% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Meta Ads | 450K | 9.1% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 6.1% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Microsoft Advertising | 49.5K | 1% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | LinkedIn Ads | 40.5K | 0.82% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 81.1% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Meta Ads | 550K | 10.8% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 5.9% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 1.2% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | LinkedIn Ads | 49.5K | 0.97% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 81.1% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Meta Ads | 550K | 10.8% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 5.9% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 1.2% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | LinkedIn Ads | 49.5K | 0.97% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 78.8% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Meta Ads | 673K | 12.9% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 5.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Microsoft Advertising | 74K | 1.4% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | LinkedIn Ads | 60.5K | 1.2% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 79.2% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Meta Ads | 673K | 12.9% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 5.8% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 1.2% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | LinkedIn Ads | 49.5K | 0.95% | 5 | | May 2026 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 79.2% | 1 | | May 2026 | Meta Ads | 673K | 12.9% | 2 | | May 2026 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 5.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 1.2% | 4 | | May 2026 | LinkedIn Ads | 49.5K | 0.95% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 79.2% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Meta Ads | 673K | 12.9% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 5.8% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 1.2% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | LinkedIn Ads | 49.5K | 0.95% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 79.2% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Meta Ads | 673K | 12.9% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 5.8% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 1.2% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | LinkedIn Ads | 49.5K | 0.95% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Google Ads | 4.1M | 77.1% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Meta Ads | 823K | 15.4% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 5.6% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 1.1% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | LinkedIn Ads | 40.5K | 0.76% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Google Ads | 5M | 80.3% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Meta Ads | 823K | 13.1% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | TikTok Ads | 301K | 4.8% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Microsoft Advertising | 60.5K | 0.96% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | LinkedIn Ads | 49.5K | 0.79% | 5 | ## What is being compared - **Google Ads**: Measured on the search terms “google ads” and “googleads”, summed into one figure. - **LinkedIn Ads**: Measured on the search term “linkedin ads”. - **Meta Ads**: Measured on the search term “meta ads”. - **Microsoft Advertising**: Measured on the search term “microsoft advertising”. - **TikTok Ads**: Measured on the search term “tiktok ads”. - [Google Ads](/demand/global-en/brands/google-ads) - [LinkedIn Ads](/demand/global-en/brands/linkedin-ads) - [Meta Ads](/demand/global-en/brands/meta-ads) - [Microsoft Advertising](/demand/global-en/brands/microsoft-advertising) - [TikTok Ads](/demand/global-en/brands/tiktok-ads) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among advertising platforms worldwide? In September 2026, Google Ads was the most searched among advertising platforms worldwide, with an estimated 5M branded searches and 80.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Advertising platforms: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/advertising-platforms This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/advertising-platforms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.