Contributed by Jeff Kaufman, VP of Product & Strategy, L2TMedia
What Are Vehicle Ads?
Vehicle ads (VAs) allow auto advertisers to promote their new and used inventory to potential customers on Google’s search results pages.
The ad includes a vehicle image, make, model, price, mileage, location of the vehicle (city) and advertiser’s name. The ads are generated based on the dealer’s inventory provided in a feed through the Google Merchant Center.
When a Vehicle Ad is clicked, the consumer is taken directly to the vehicle description page on the advertiser’s site. At that point, the consumer, can call, fill out a lead form or search the website for more information. All Google conversion actions are available for Vehicle Ads campaigns.
VAs are available for new and used cars only. This feature is not available for service or parts.
Why Do Vehicle Ads Matter?
Vehicle Ads give dealers the opportunity to take up valuable real-estate on the search results page.
With active Vehicle Ads campaigns, a single search can now yield a Vehicle Ad (for 1 or more, in-stock vehicles), in a paid search ad and organic results.
The prominent placement gives more opportunities for a searcher to click through to your dealership. Vehicle Ads also give dealers a prime opportunity to highlight their inventory side-by-side with aggregators and national used car franchises who often appear higher in paid search results because of the ability to outbid the competition / willingness to pay a lot more per click.
Results
Vehicle Ads can help advertisers get in front of high-intent audiences. “Advertisers who complemented their existing Search campaigns with the vehicle ads beta saw a +25% average increase in conversions,” Google said in the announcement. These are real people, searching for specific makes and models, who are in-market for a new or used vehicle.
Real L2T Dealer Results – San Diego Honda Dealer
The Challenge
This Honda dealer is in the highly competitive market of Southern California, so the dealer is always looking for ways to stand out in the marketplace and get their inventory in front of as many in-market shoppers as possible, particularly those searching on Google as they research.
The Approach
Presented with the opportunity to test Google Vehicle Ads to display their in-stock used inventory, the dealer partnered with L2TMedia to take part in the closed alpha in October 2021.
The Results
- 368 True Leads
- $23.25 CPL
- CPL is 41% lower than the Used/CPO benchmark