Display Advertising in Cincinnati That Doesn't Show Up on Garbage Websites
Walter814 understands display advertising done wrong. We've seen it a thousand times - Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky business owners spend good money on display ads, then find out their brand is plastered all over sketchy mobile games and random apps nobody's ever heard of. We're based right here in the Tri-State and we've managed display campaigns for businesses from Downtown Cincinnati to Florence, Covington to Mason. We won't let your budget disappear into low-quality placements. We focus exclusively on sites and platforms where actual humans pay attention. You own your account, you see every placement report, and we don't lock you into contracts.
The Big Problem With Display Advertising Nobody Tells You About
Most Cincinnati business owners who try display advertising end up angry. And they have every right to be.
Their ads appeared on weird mobile games. On apps they've never seen before. On websites that look like they were built in 1998. Meanwhile, the agency keeps sending reports talking about "millions of impressions" like that's supposed to make them feel better.
Here's what actually happened: Google has a massive network of partner websites and apps where they can show your ads. Some are legitimate. Most are complete junk. And most agencies never bother to check which ones are showing your ads because it's extra work.
We check. Every single week.
So Where Are My Ads Actually Showing Up Right Now?
If you're currently running display advertising with another agency, there's a good chance you have no idea where your ads are appearing. Most agencies don't share placement reports because they don't want you to see how much of your budget is going to worthless websites.
We pull placement reports every week and show you exactly which sites displayed your ads. Then we block anything that doesn't meet our standards. If it's a sketchy app, it's gone. If it's a low-quality blog with fake traffic, it's blocked. We'd rather your ad show 500 times on a real news site than 50,000 times on "Super Ninja Candy Crush Deluxe."
This isn't complicated. It's just work that most agencies don't want to do.
What Even Is Display Advertising?
Simple version: these are the visual ads you see while browsing websites, watching YouTube videos, checking your email, or using apps on your phone.
Search advertising shows up when someone types something into Google. Display advertising shows up while people are doing other things online. The goal isn't to get an immediate sale. The goal is to get your brand in front of the right people enough times that when they DO need what you offer, they think of you first.
For example, if you're a Northern Kentucky HVAC company, most people aren't searching for you right this second. But if they see your ads 10 times over the next few months while they're browsing online, and then their furnace dies in January, guess who they're going to remember? (This pairs perfectly with our Google Ads for home service companies to capture them when they're ready to call.)
Why We Use Demand Generation Instead of Regular Display
Traditional display advertising spreads your ads across millions of websites. Most of them are terrible. We've switched almost all our clients to what Google calls "Demand Generation" campaigns because they give us way more control.
With Demand Gen, we can opt out of Google's giant junk network completely. Instead, your ads ONLY show on premium Google properties: YouTube (including Shorts), Gmail, and the Discover feed on people's phones.
These are places where people are actually engaged. They're watching videos they chose. They're checking emails they want to read. They're scrolling through content curated for them. They're not accidentally tapping on an ad banner while trying to play a mobile game.
Better placements. Better engagement. Less wasted money.
How Do You Figure Out Who Should See My Ads?
We don't just spray your ads across the internet hoping someone relevant sees them. We use actual data to find people who look like your best customers.
If you've got a list of customer emails - even just a few hundred - we can upload it to Google (securely, they never see the actual emails). Then Google finds thousands of other people in Greater Cincinnati or across the country who match the same profile as your customers. Same age ranges, same interests, same online behavior.
We can also target people who visited your website but didn't call or contact you. Show them your ads for the next month or two to stay on their radar.
And we exclude your current customers from "new customer offer" campaigns so you're not wasting money advertising to people who already use your service.
This Sounds Expensive. What Does It Cost?
For most businesses in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, display advertising budgets can be as cheap as $200 and $300 per month in ad spend. That's usually cheaper than search advertising because you're not paying $30 or $50 per click.
A lot of our clients run display and search together. The display ads build awareness over time, then the search ads capture people when they're ready to buy. Total combined budget is usually somewhere between $3,500 and $6,000 per month depending on the industry.
We'll talk real numbers on our first call. We're not going to tell you to spend more than makes sense for your business.
Who Should Actually Use Display Advertising?
This works well for businesses where people don't hire you the first time they see your name. Industries where trust matters. Services where the buying cycle is longer.
Think about it: if your roof starts leaking, you're not necessarily hiring the first roofer you find on Google. You're probably calling the one whose name you've seen around Cincinnati for months. The one that feels familiar and trustworthy.
We work a lot with home service companies (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing) across the Tri-State. Also professional services like lawyers and accountants. Healthcare practices. Restaurants in OTR, Hyde Park, Downtown. B2B companies in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. Really any business where building name recognition helps you win customers. (Check out our full PPC services to see all the ways we can help your business grow.)
How Long Until I See Results?
Display advertising isn't like search advertising where you might get calls the first week. This is a longer play.
Most businesses see the impact after about 2-3 months. Their search ads start performing better because more people recognize the brand. They get more direct website traffic from people typing their name into Google. They start hearing "I've seen your ads everywhere" from new customers.
If you need leads this week, start with search advertising. If you want to build a brand that dominates your market over the next year, add display advertising to the mix.
We're Done With Agencies That Don't Care Where Our Ads Show Up
Here's the thing: most agencies set up your display campaigns and never look at them again. They just let Google's algorithm decide where your ads go. Then they send you monthly reports with big impressive numbers about "reach" and "impressions."
We think that's lazy and dishonest.
We check placement reports every single week. We block bad sites aggressively. We focus on quality over quantity. And we show you exactly where your money is going.
If you're tired of wondering whether your display advertising is actually doing anything, or if you've been burned before by seeing your brand on terrible websites, let's have a conversation.
Call us at (859) 905-9573 or fill out the form.
No high-pressure sales pitch. Just honest talk about whether this makes sense for your Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky business.
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With Walter814 We believe in ownership, education and honest ethical practices. Walter814 provides the tools and knowledge necessary for businesses to make informed decisions about their digital marketing strategies. We allow each business to completely own all marketing accounts in their campaigns.
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Local Roots, National Reach We combine the grit and "Cincinnati nice" work ethic of the Tri-State with the sophisticated technical strategy required to scale brands across the United States. Whether you are a local service provider in Northern Kentucky or a national ecommerce powerhouse, we treat your business growth as our own. LEARN MORE