I’ve been wondering about this for a while, and I figured I’d throw it out here to see if others have had the same experience. When it comes to insurance services ads, everyone seems to have a different opinion about what “actually converts.” Some swear by search ads, others say display is underrated, and a few people claim social is where the real action is. After trying a few things myself, I’ve realized it’s not as simple as picking one “best” platform.

The main pain point for me was confusion mixed with frustration. I kept reading blog posts and watching videos that made everything sound super clear and easy. In reality, I was putting money into ads and not really seeing consistent results. Some days I’d get decent leads, other days nothing at all. It made me question whether the issue was my ad copy, my targeting, or the platform itself. Honestly, it felt like guessing most of the time.

I started with search ads because that’s what most people recommend first. The logic made sense. If someone is actively searching for insurance, they’re probably closer to making a decision. And yes, I did see some conversions there. The downside was the cost. Insurance PPC can get expensive fast, especially if you’re testing and tweaking a lot. I noticed that while the leads were higher intent, the volume wasn’t always there unless I increased the budget.

Then I experimented with display ads. I didn’t expect much at first, but insurance display ads surprised me a bit. They didn’t convert directly as often as search, but they helped with visibility. I started seeing familiar names and returning visitors, which told me people were noticing the ads even if they weren’t clicking right away. It felt more like planting a seed than closing a deal, but that still mattered in the long run.

Social platforms were a mixed bag for me. I tried a few campaigns focused on advertising for insurance with simple messages and clear targeting. What I learned is that social works better for awareness and education than instant conversions. People scrolling through their feed aren’t always in “buy insurance now” mode. However, when I paired social ads with retargeting, things improved. Folks who had already seen my brand elsewhere were more likely to engage.

One thing that really helped was thinking less about platforms in isolation and more about how they work together. Instead of asking “which one converts best,” I started asking “which one helps at which stage.” Search caught people who were ready. Display kept my ads visible over time. Social helped build some familiarity and trust. That mindset shift made a big difference for me.

At some point, I looked into networks that focus more on finance and insurance traffic instead of general platforms. That’s when I started paying closer attention to how insurance services ads perform when they’re shown to the right kind of audience from the start. I came across some insights while browsing about insurance services ads, and it made me realize that placement and audience quality matter just as much as the ad format itself.

What didn’t work for me was chasing trends blindly. Every time someone said “this platform is killing it right now,” I’d be tempted to jump in without a plan. Most of the time, that just led to wasted spend. I learned the hard way that testing small and watching patterns over time beats rushing into whatever is popular that month.

If I had to give a simple answer based on personal experience, I’d say no single platform wins on its own. Insurance PPC tends to bring in stronger intent leads, display ads help with long-term visibility, and social ads support awareness and retargeting. The best results came when I stopped expecting one platform to do all the work and instead let each one play its role.

I’m still tweaking things and learning as I go, but at least now I don’t feel lost. I’d be curious to hear how others here approach this. Do you focus on one main channel, or do you mix things up too?