Google Vehicle Ads for Car Dealers

It’s here. Well, it’s in Beta testing in the UK & Ireland but it will be coming live (late 2024). So, its time to prepare for Google Vehicle Ads.

If you are a car dealer in the UK, Google Vehicle Ads (or Vehicle Listing Ads) will promote your stock to interested searchers across Google’s massive reach. These highly visual, inventory-linked ads enable dealerships of all sizes to showcase vehicles directly from their showroom. Like Google Shopping Ads, the drive high visibulity for car dealers in the UK looking to tap into this high-demand audience and promote their inventory more efficiently, Google Vehicle Ads deserve serious consideration.  

The benefits of using Google Vehicle Ads for Car Dealers?

The ads showcase dealer inventory with an image of the vehicle and critical information such as make, model, year, milage and price. The dealer’s name is also displayed. Unlike traditional Google ads, these ads are image based, highly visible with high Click-Through-Rates and campaigns are targeted based on search users keywords, location and over time these campaigns can be optimised to develop leads or drive showroom visits.

• Attract qualified leads: Reach users actively searching for your cars.
• Showcase your cars: Promote all available vehicles, giving customers a wider range of options.
• Online & Offline Visits: Target both online and offline conversions, driving traffic to physical dealerships, where your sales-people can work their magic.
• Measurable results: Track campaign performance and optimise bidding strategies based on data.
• Remove reliance on third-party platforms: With dealers capturing users at the point of their search, they can drive traffic and enquiries to their site in a far more cost effective manner than previously available on used car dealer marketplaces.

At the League of Advertising we set up Google Merchant Centre accounts and run Google Vehicle Ads & Performance Max ads.

How does Google Vehicle Listing Ads work?

For a car dealer to use Google Vehicle Ads, a Google Ads account is required, and a Google Business Profile with which a dedicated Merchant Center account will then need to be set up and linked. This is where the feed is housed as campaigns are all created and served within Google Ads.

We help set you up with all these assets before running ads.

Merchant Center feed 

Both new and used vehicles can be uploaded to the Merchant Center and you’ll need to make sure that you include important information for each piece of stock you upload. The details you use will match details car buyers searching on Google, so ensure you have the key details in your listings.

Performance Max campaigns

When inventory campaigns are created – these are known as Performance Max campaigns – make sure to target potential customers in your area who match the demographics of the type of vehicles being sold. If you are a national company then of course you’ll want to target the whole of the UK, but if you are restricted by region or local to a certain area, be realistic about who you are targeting. Remember you want to attract high-intent buyers! 

Google will use the information you’ve provided in the Merchant Center feeds and your campaign settings to match it with a user’s search query. The user will then be served relevant ads that are displayed in the shopping carousel at the top of a search page.

Pay-per-click structure 

Car dealers will pay for their Google Ads on a cost-per-click basis, so only when users engage with the ads will they be charged a fee on an auction basis determined by varying factors. This means you can set a daily budget for your business that can be managed accordingly so you know exactly how much you’ll be spending.   

Get Started with Google Vehicle Ads

To get started with Google Vehicle Listing Ads, contact our team today. Get on the grid at the starting position and be ready to put the peddlw down and drive sales.

Want to know more, contact the league of advertising today.