Who are the big 3 of online advertising?

Google, Meta, and Amazon rule the roost. Google dominates search, Meta owns social feeds, and Amazon nails shopper intent. They snag most ad dollars by knowing users inside out.

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Think of online ads as a massive arena where three giants fight for your clicks and cash. Google, Meta, and Amazon—they're grabbing over 60% of global ad money in 2026. Google rules search with precision strikes: you type "web developer Portland," boom, their ads pounce on your intent. Trillions of queries yearly, unbeatable data from Gmail to Maps.

Meta's the social butterfly, floating across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp feeds. Billions scroll daily; ads slip in seamlessly, targeting your likes, friends, life stage. Your Vispaico pitch? Hit agency owners who just posted about slow builds—feels like a nudge from a friend.

Amazon? Shopping cart kings. They know your abandoned carts, past purchases, wishlists. "Buy now" buttons glow for impulse grabs. Prime Day hauls billions; their DSP auto-bids across the web.

Why these three? Data moats deep as oceans. Google tracks everywhere via pixels; Meta owns social graphs; Amazon has purchase history gold. Duopolies in niches—Google and Meta own 50% of display and social, Amazon controls 40% of e-commerce.

Your strategy: web agency outreach? Google for "site rebuild" searches. Meta for agency chats. Amazon if selling dev tools. Cross-fire maximizes impact.

Numbers dazzle: Google $300B+ revenue 2025, Meta $150B, Amazon $50B ads. Growth? AI personalization, shoppable posts, connected TV boom.

Challenges: privacy laws clip wings. Apple's ATT slashed iOS tracking, inflating costs. Antitrust hawks circle; EU fines loom. TikTok nips at heels with viral youth, but the big 3 adapt fast.

TikTok's 10-15% share, but lacks purchase depth. Snapchat and Pinterest nibble, no real threat.

Street wisdom: diversify don't abandon. Start Google for intent, Meta for awareness, Amazon for retargeting. Track cross-channel—pixels everywhere.

For music drops? Meta crushes playlist pushes; Google finds searches; Amazon streams.

Future: AI agents will book buys direct, but big 3 embed first. Retail media explodes—Walmart, Shopify join, but trio leads.

Pick battles: low CPC Google long-tail keywords like "24hr website design." Meta broad interests first, then narrow wins. Amazon sponsored products if selling digital goods.

Pro tip: auction dynamics—peak hours bid wars rage. Off-peak steals deals.

Your edge: smaller markets have milder competition, CPMs $2-8 versus major metros $15+. Underserved niches; dominate there.

Real win stories: buddy scaled SaaS via Google remarketing, 5x ROAS. Coffee chain hit local via Meta, doubled traffic. E-commerce Amazon listings, 10x sales.

Pitfall: siloed thinking—one platform flops, all suffer. Unified attribution's key.

2026 vibe: cookieless world favors first-party data. Big 3 hoard consented information.

Dive multi-platform, test $50 each, scale winners. Your domain portfolio? Ads drive traffic goldmines. Who's your buyer? Match platform to hunt. Big 3 your ladder—climb smart.