If your ancestor died during a time when there might have been an obituary or a death notice, search every paper that might have published something. In an urban area, consider the daily newspapers and suburban newspapers that might have included a notice as well–especially if the ancestor actually lived in a suburb. For rural areas, consider all nearby newspapers, ones in the county seat, and perhaps ones in the nearest “large” town, which could be 40 or 50 miles away–especially after auto travel became popular. Newspapers in towns where your ancestor used to live might also have published a notice as well.
And always consider ethnic or denominational newspapers, even if they were not published near your ancestor lived.
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Often the obituaries are identical in each of the newspapers if the funeral home was the one who supplied the information. But if someone at the newspaper knew the individual personally, you might find some extra gems in the obituary!