Most people are looking to grow their business through their website. However, with millions of websites scattered across the internet it can be challenging to get noticed. Certainly getting found amongst Google's organic search results provides tremendous value, but obtaining top position for the phrases people use to find your products and services is more competitive than ever. Even if you're able to obtain one of the coveted positions your whole business can be put on it's head if Google decides to change their algorithm and bump you off the first page. That's why spending money on advertising is still an important part of your online marketing. Here are the five best places to spend your ad dollars online.

1. Google Adwords

If you can't show up organically in Google's search results Adwords provides the next best thing. It's a bit spendy, but you can still buy your way to the top for any keywords. Although the ROI of Adwords has decreased significantly over the years it's still my top choice for where to spend advertising dollars online. This is in large part due to the fact people see the search results when they're actually looking for your products and services.

2. Youtube

I hate giving all my money to Google but they own the top two places people are likely to search online. Youtube is a good place to advertise because it has a huge audience, the bar to entry for an ad is a little steeper (meaning there are fewer competitors), and the cost per view are still somewhat low when compared to other mediums.

3. Facebook

Facebook has a huge audience but for the most part they're going to ingnore your ad. You'll get the best results by promoting videos and remarketing to people who've already come to your website from Google or Youtube.

4. Instagram

Instagram and Facebook are one in the same. I think there's some return on investment if you have a product that's highly visual in nature, like clothing, but in general you should spend most of your budget on Adwords before delving into Facebook or Instagram.

5. Buy Sell Ads

Buy Sell Ads is nice becaue you're able to purchase display advertisments on websites that are likely to appreciate your product or service instead of just showing up all over the web. The costs are someone reasonable when compared to Facebook but a lot of the best ad inventory is already consumed.