Local Business Ad Generator

Frequently asked questions

Can it add my address, hours and phone number?

No, and you would not want it generated. Contact details are exactly the kind of text that comes out subtly wrong, and a wrong digit on a local ad costs you the inquiry it was meant to produce. Add them afterwards in a design tool and check every character.

Should a local ad show my actual premises?

Where you can, yes — a photograph of the real shopfront is usually the better choice because locals recognize it. Use generated visuals for atmosphere, seasonal creative and service illustration, and use real photography for the place itself.

How do I make a local ad feel local?

Specificity. A generic stock-looking scene reads as a national chain; details that match your actual trade, premises and season read as the business down the road. Describe the setting concretely rather than accepting a generic interpretation of your industry.

Can I advertise an offer in the image?

Set offer text afterwards, and only where you can update it. Offers expire, and an image with a dead promotion baked in keeps running long after the deal has gone — which generates complaints rather than customers.

Does the local business ad generator have a page for my type of business?

There are 40 business-type pages, including restaurant, cafe, bakery, salon, barbershop, gym, dentist, clinic, plumber, electrician, roofer, hotel, boutique and mobile repair. If your trade is not listed, use this page and name the trade in the brief. Each page opens the same generator with a brief written for that trade.

Can I generate pictures of my own staff or customers?

No. The page has no upload and draws new people, who are not your staff or customers. Do not present a generated person as a real employee, patient or client. For pictures of the people who work with you, use real photographs taken with their agreement.

Can I use a generated image for a dental, medical or legal practice?

You can use it as a picture, but keep the content generic. An image that implies a result, a credential or a promised outcome can break the advertising rules that apply to regulated trades, and those rules differ by region. The page does not give legal advice, so check the requirements that apply to your practice.

Can I use the image on a printed flyer or a window poster?

The download is a PNG, so it can be placed in a flyer or poster layout. Portrait 2:3 is the closest shape to a poster, though it is not the ratio of A4 or Letter, so place it in a layout rather than expecting it to fill the sheet. Premium returns a larger Full HD download, which gives a printer more to work with.

How is this page different from Small Business Ad Maker?

Both use the same engine and the same four shapes. This page and its 40 trade pages open with a brief written for a specific trade and a neighborhood audience, while Small Business Ad Maker opens with a general brief for any small business. Pick the one whose opening brief needs the fewest edits.

Why does the picture show a different kind of shop than mine?

A short brief leaves the details to chance. Name the trade, the products or services you sell and the setting in plain nouns, for example a small neighborhood bakery counter with bread on wooden shelves. Then generate again, since each run is a new draw.