In the Brisbane business landscape, the competition for digital real estate is fiercer than ever. Whether you’re a solar installer in Fortitude Valley or a boutique law firm in the CBD, the way you allocate your Google Ads budget determines whether you scale or stall.
The biggest drain on Australian marketing budgets isn’t high CPCs—it’s the fundamental misuse of the Search and Display networks. Many business owners treat them as interchangeable options, but using the wrong network for your specific goal is a guaranteed way to burn through your daily spend with zero ROI.
Here are the critical mistakes to avoid when deciding where your ads should live.
1. Using Search to Build Brand Awareness
Search is a high-intent channel. Users are actively looking for a solution to a problem. If you are a plumber and someone searches for "emergency pipe repair Brisbane," they have a high intent to buy.A common mistake is trying to use Search for "top of funnel" awareness. Bidding on broad, generic terms just to "get your name out there" is an expensive strategy. If you want people to know your brand exists before they need you, the Display Network is your tool. Display allows you to reach people while they are browsing news sites or watching YouTube, at a fraction of the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) compared to Search.
2. Defaulting to 'Search with Display Select'
When setting up a new campaign, Google often recommends "Search Network with Display Select." For most local businesses, this is a trap. It mixes high-intent search traffic with passive display traffic in a single budget.Because the algorithms prioritise spending your money, they often dump excess budget into low-quality display placements that don't convert. To maintain control, always keep these campaigns separate. This allows you to implement precision over volume by tailoring your messaging specifically to the user's mindset on each platform.
3. Ignoring the 'Interruption' Factor of Display
Search ads are an answer; Display ads are an interruption. A common mistake is using the same hard-sell copy on both.On the Search Network, your ad should be direct and offer-driven. On the Display Network, you are competing with the content the user actually wants to see. If your Display ad looks like a boring classified, it will be ignored.
Actionable Tip: Use Display for remarketing. If a user visited your site but didn't book, use a Display ad to offer a specific testimonial or a "Brisbane-exclusive" discount to bring them back. This is where you focus on fixing the gaps in your conversion funnel rather than just chasing new cold traffic.
4. Misjudging the Cost-to-Conversion Ratio
Many business owners see the low CPCs of the Display Network (often cents vs. dollars on Search) and assume it’s the better deal. This is a mathematical fallacy.Search: High CPC, High Conversion Rate = Sustainable Lead Cost. Display: Low CPC, Very Low Conversion Rate = Often higher Cost Per Acquisition (CPA).
If your goal is immediate leads, Search is almost always the winner. If your goal is to stay top-of-mind during a long consideration cycle—like a home renovation or a legal dispute—Display is your best friend. You must understand when to hunt demand versus when you need to nurture it over time.
5. Neglecting the Destination
Sending Search traffic to a generic homepage is bad; sending Display traffic there is a disaster. Because Display traffic is "colder," the landing page must work twice as hard to build trust quickly.Australian users are savvy. If they click an ad on a news site and land on a cluttered, slow-loading page that doesn't immediately address their location or need, they will bounce. Every click you pay for must lead to a high-performance environment designed to convert that specific audience segment.
The Verdict: Which should you choose?
Avoid the "either/or" mentality. Most successful Brisbane businesses use a 70/30 split. Use 70% of your budget on Search to capture the people ready to buy right now. Use the remaining 30% on Display (specifically Remarketing) to stay in front of the people who looked but weren't quite ready to commit.Stop guessing with your digital spend. If you’re not sure if your current Google Ads setup is working for or against you, let’s talk. At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane businesses stop the bleed and start seeing real, measurable growth.
Contact Local Marketing Group today for a strategy that actually fits your business goals.