Exploring the features & benefits of google vehicle ads for UK dealerships

Few industries are as competitive as the online automotive industry. Not only is it a highly saturated market, with new competitors springing into action every month, ad space online has become a vital way to maintain a connection with interested potential buyers.

As a digital marketer, one of the most challenging elements of automotive PPC is tracking the often complicated buyer journeys to conversion. Knowing your audience like the back of your hand can only get you so far. You need tools specifically designed with this industry in mind.

This is where the beauty of Google Vehicle Ads. We’ve already introduced you to these new ad types, but this article is here to take things a step further. Think of it as your one-stop solution to get you on the road to success with this new and exciting ad type.

Read on to learn the benefits of Vehicle Ads, and exactly how to make the most of them:

• What are vehicle ads?
• The benefits of vehicle ads
• A few restrictions to keep in mind 
• How to get set up
• Crossing the finish line

What are Vehicle Ads?

There’s a chance you might have heard about Vehicle Ads before. Sometimes they’re referred to as Vehicle Listing Ads or VLAs, and they’ve actually been trialled in the US for nearly 2 years now. Finally, after some updates and improvements here and there, they’re rolling them out to the UK.

Vehicle Ads are actually a type of Performance Max campaign, which work a little differently to a conventional ad. Google uses its data on your vehicle inventory in Google’s Merchant Center and couples that with the search history of users, showing your ads to users with a high conversion intent. Basically, using their masses of data to calculate who might be most likely to click on your ad.

These ads are totally unique in their setup compared to your historical Google ad campaigns for vehicles, because they source their data from your uploaded vehicle inventory in Google Merchant Center. This means that all of those key details about each model, including mileage, price and year, are automatically paired up with each listing.

These ads will display product photos, your dealership location and specific details of each vehicle, including things like the price, mileage, make and model. Clicking on any of these ads will lead the user to a specific vehicle page on your site.

The benefits of Vehicle Ads

Let’s go over some of the great benefits of this new ad type:

Detailed listings
Thanks to the highly specific details for every single product that you list in Google Merchant Center, your ads will automatically share that same level of detail. This makes the highly specific search queries from users instantly match up to your ads.

Increased visibility
With more ad listings available in more detail, you have a much higher likelihood of your ad showing up from long-tail searches of specific colours, models and features of each vehicle.

Improved audiences
Thanks to Google’s increasingly sophisticated algorithms, your ads will be shown to an already engaged and highly relevant audience, as part of the recent Performance Max ad types.

Accurate attribution
You have a data trail for everything! This provides unparalleled insight into what is performing well and what listings are generating the most ROI. Make informed decisions based on this data to upgrade your marketing strategy over time.

A few restrictions to keep in mind

All dealers must have a physical business location that customers can visit in person, as this location will be used in your ads. It also qualifies the legitimacy of your business, cutting down on false advertising and ultimately strengthening the quality of automotive digital marketing overall, so it’s worth this extra step.

You’ll want to verify this important detail of your business as soon as possible, as you won’t get access to the Google Vehicle Ads program until it is approved on their end.

Vehicle Ads support new and used car inventory from dealers. However, ads must be for non-commercial passenger vehicles, so if you’re looking to lease your vehicles, auction products or sell parts and services, these aren’t the ads for you. Ads from private sellers or car brokers are not permitted. Additionally, vehicle types such as motorhomes, motorcycles, race cars, farm vehicles and buses are not allowed.

How to get set up

Follow these steps to get started with Vehicle Ads:

1.  Log in to your Google Ads account, and set up paired accounts with Google Business, and Merchant Centre.

2.  Verify your business address, then, once it is confirmed through Google, fill out the form to enable Vehicle Ads.

3.  You’ll get a confirmation email from Google after applying for this program. Then log in to your Merchant Center account.

4.  Click “Growth”, then “Manage programs”, then “Get started”, found on the vehicle ads card.

5.  Now your accounts are set up and ready to make some ads.

Now all that’s left to do is build out your Merchant Center feed, and start experimenting with what Vehicle Ads can do for your next campaign.

Crossing the finish line

This is a new, immersive approach to the demands of customers searching specifically for vehicles online. Packed full of detail and armed with highly targeted placements using Performance Max style ads, Vehicle Ads are the coming together of Google’s vast data, and a fresh approach to marketing to a very modern audience.

This is an opportunity to deliver an engaging experience for your audience, tailoring your ads directly  to their specific search queries. Now’s the time to explore what Vehicle Ads can do your your ROI.