Paid advertising frameworks are evolving fast. Yet many local business owners still ask: “Should I use display ads or search ads?” The conventional advice is to “do both,” but that advice is often shallow.

In this post, I’ll challenge the usual narrative, show you when display or search (or a hybrid) makes sense, and walk you through a real case where Advanced Local helped a business strike the right balance and grow. You’ll walk away with clarity, not confusion.

What Are Display Ads and Search Ads — and How Do They Differ?

TL;DR: Display ads push your message to audiences via visuals on the web; search ads appear to users actively typing queries. Use display for awareness; search for intent-driven leads.

We often summarize the difference as “push vs. pull.” Search ads are “pull” — users pull up results via keywords. Display ads are “push” — you push your message onto webpages, apps, or placements your audience visits. 

Here’s a clearer breakdown:

Because these mechanisms work differently, the trade-offs are nontrivial. Many local advertisers leave money on the table by applying generic rules without context.

Why the Conventional “Just Use Both” Advice Can Mislead You

I want to push back: advising all businesses to always “do both” display & search is a weak shortcut. It ignores budget limits, business models, stage of awareness, and tracking realities.

Here’s why it can be harmful:

• Diluted budget: If your search campaigns are broken, splitting funds to display dilutes your ability to fix search first.
• Misaligned goals: Display excels at awareness, but if your conversion funnel isn’t already optimized, display spend rarely leads directly to sales.
• Complex tracking: Display often relies on view-through conversions, which are harder to validate. If your analytics is weak, you risk attributing credit wrongly.
• Creative drain: Display demands visuals, design, variants. If you produce weak creative, your display suffers, dragging down overall ROI.

So the smarter question isn’t “Should I use both?”, but “In what sequence and ratio should I apply them — for my business?”

When Should You Use Search Ads vs Display Ads (Especially Locally)?

Below are pragmatic rules that better fit local and service-based businesses (plumbing, HVAC, roofing, legal, etc.).

When Search Ads Make Sense

• High-intent queries exist: People actively typing “roof repair Ogden” are hotter leads.
• You have conversion-ready landing pages: Search traffic demands tight alignment to convert.
• The budget is lean: Search gives more control per dollar.
• Your business is hyperlocal: You need to target by zip, city, or radius — search enables tight geotargeting.
• Your funnel is short: You don’t need long nurturing; you want direct calls or inquiries.

When Display Ads Add Value

• The awareness stage is weak: If no one knows your brand, display helps you seed it.
• Remarketing: Show ads to people who visited but didn’t convert.
• Complementary funnel play: Use display to warm cold or unknown prospects, then capture via search.
• Visual appeal matters: If your service can be showcased (before/after photos, project images), it helps to use visuals.
  
• You’re promoting content: Display is good for driving traffic to blog posts, guides, case studies — which feeds back to search.

The sweet spot often lies in a phased approach: start with search, then layer display when your funnel is stable enough to absorb it.

What Are the Biggest Mistakes When Combining Display & Search?

Here are pitfalls most local marketers and agencies fall into (with advice on how to avoid them):

1. Launching display before search is stable
   Display traffic needs a funnel to convert. If search isn’t converting well, you’ll waste display spend feeding a leaky bucket.
2. Using broad audience targeting recklessly
   Display is powerful, but if you target too broadly (e.g. “all homeowners”), you’ll waste impressions. Use tighter segments (interest, behaviors, in-market) and layered exclusions.
3. Ignoring creative variation
   Showing the same banner for months kills performance. Rotate images, headlines, callouts, test video vs static.
4. Over-attributing display credit
   View-through conversions are often overvalued. Always cross-check with CRM or last-click models to confirm the real impact.
5. Tracking gaps between display and search
   \ If your attribution, phone tracking, or conversion tagging is inconsistent, you’ll misread which channel is driving value.
6. Letting one channel cannibalize the other
   If your display and search ads compete for the same keywords or audiences, you risk paying twice. Use negative audience overlaps.

Case Study: How Advanced Local Helped a Local Service Brand Optimize Both Channels

Here is an anonymized example from our portfolio. It illustrates careful sequencing and balance.

Client type: Home services provider (e.g. HVAC & maintenance)
Location: Mid-sized metro within Utah region

 Initial situation:

• Strong search campaign but plateaued
• Little display usage
• Poor creative assets and no remarketing flows

Goals:

• Raise leads 30%
• Keep or lower cost per lead (CPL)
• Introduce display advertising without hurting search ROI

Phase 1: Stabilize Search

• Audited and restructured keywords and ad groups
• Fixed negative keyword leakage
• Improved ad copy and landing pages
• Set up robust tracking (calls, form fills, offline import)

Within 3 months, we boosted conversion rate by 25%, reduced CPL by 20%.

Phase 2: Introduce Display (Cautiously)

• Built clean remarketing pools (visited service pages, but didn’t convert)
• Launched small-budget responsive display ads with project photos and offers (“Free inspection”)
• Layered targeting: in-market users, similarly profiled look-alikes, and neighborhood zip codes
• Excluded recent converters and overlapping search keyword audiences

Within the next quarter:

• 15% more lead volume
• Display accounted for ~10% of total leads, but contributed to brand awareness
• Overall CPL dropped slightly as users warmed through display then clicked search

Lessons Learned & Adjustments

• The best converting days were days with both display impressions plus search click; the two channels reinforced each other.
• We shifted more budget into display remarketing over time, while keeping search dominant.
• We ran segmentation tests: mobile-only display vs all devices, video vs static — to refine what works.

Today, this client sees display as a supporting channel, not a primary driver — but one that strengthens search and expands reach.

How to Build Your Display + Search Strategy

Here’s a playbook you can adapt:

1. Audit your search channel first
   Fix structure, copy, and tracking — ensure search is profitable or at least break-even.
2. Segment your audience for display
   Use remarketing, in-market audiences, demographic filters, life events, zip-based layers.
3. Design ads with intent bridging
   Use display creative that reminds users of search queries they might make — e.g. “Need AC repair? Click now.”
4. Align creative with messaging
   Match offers, promises, and CTA across display and search paths.
5. Set measurement guardrails
   Monitor view-through vs click conversions separately, and reconcile with last-click data.
6. Allocate budget deliberately
   Begin small on display (10–20% of ad spend) and grow once roi patterns emerge.
7. Optimize relentlessly
   Rotate creative, update excluding segments, prune low-performing placements, split-test.
8. Watch attribution biases
   Be skeptical of over-crediting display — always check real ROI.

When Display Might Be a Bad Idea for Your Business

• Your service is ultra niche with no scalable visual appeal.
• You have zero tracking infrastructure or analytics.
• Your budget is tiny (you don’t have room for “test and learn”).
• You’ve not yet done local SEO or search campaigns — display alone probably won’t deliver traffic that converts.

In those cases, it’s smarter to build a strong search and organic presence first, then layer display.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Display and search ads operate differently: display is push / awareness; search is pull / intent.
• The blanket “do both” advice is shallow and often harmful if your budget or funnel is weak.
• Local service businesses should usually start with search and layer display only after search is stable.
• Common mistakes include broad targeting, weak creative, over-crediting display, and tracking gaps.
• The best results come when channels reinforce each other — display warms users, search captures them.
• Always tie results back to real business outcomes (calls, leads, jobs) — not vanity metrics.

Unlock Scalable Growth with a Professional SEM Audit

If you’re a local business owner or service provider struggling to get ads that scale, book an audit with Advanced Local. Let us analyze your search and display setup, fix leaks, and build a tailored dual-channel plan for growth. Contact Advanced Local today or call us to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is search always better than display?

No. Search often performs better for conversion, but display excels at awareness, remarketing, and feeding your funnel early. The right mix depends on your business, budget, and funnel maturity.

Can display ads drive direct sales?

Rarely. Display is better at initiating awareness or remarketing. Most sales still come from follow-up (like search or direct navigation).

How much budget should I allocate to display vs search?

It depends. A typical starting split is 70–90% search and 10–30% display (mainly remarketing) — but this should adjust as you collect data.

What creative formats work best for display ads?

Responsive display (automated resizing), static banners, animated GIFs, and short video all work. Always test. Use real project visuals and strong CTAs (“Free quote,” “Call now”).

How do I measure if display is helping search?

Use attribution modeling, track assisted conversions, and compare lift in branded search volume. Also monitor display-driven clicks that later convert on search or direct paths.

Should I exclude search audiences from display campaigns?

Yes—in many cases it helps prevent cannibalization. Exclude high-value search audiences from your broader display campaigns, but maintain overlap for remarketing.