AutoSweet is proud to share that we now offer Google’s Vehicle Listing Ads to our dealership partners! We have been implementing Vehicle Listing Ads for select dealers during the alpha phase for the past few months.
And, while this ad format has been in the alpha phase for a while now, until recently it was only available to the biggest third parties in automotive, like Carfax, CarGurus, TrueCar, and Edmunds.
But now, your dealership can run these ads to low-funnel car shoppers in your local area too!
Don’t let third parties continue to steal local traffic away, get in on the ground floor with Vehicle Listing Ads…
What Exactly are Vehicle Listing Ads?
According to Google, “Vehicle ads are a performance-focused, lower-funnel ad format that allows auto advertisers to promote their entire inventory of vehicles to interested customers shopping for vehicles on Google.”
In more simple terms, Vehicle Listing Ads are a visual ad format that will show shoppers:
- An image of your vehicle
- Important details such as make, model, price, mileage, and advertiser name
Additionally, these ads make it easy to advertise your entire inventory by automatically showing your vehicle ads when a shopper in your area searches for a vehicle that matches your current inventory.
How Will Vehicle Listing Ads Benefit Your Dealership?
Here are a few benefits that make Vehicle Listing Ads a great opportunity for your dealership:
Better-Qualified Leads & Web Traffic
Vehicle Listing Ads are designed to provide your dealership with a visual branding opportunity and better-qualified leads because car shoppers will get a preview of details on the car before they even click!
This means you’ll only be paying for clicks from shoppers who have seen key details about your vehicles and then make the decision to learn more by clicking your ad. You can then send the searcher to a relevant VDP for more qualified leads and traffic.
Less Competition Means Lower CPC (Cost-Per-Click)
Now is the time to get in on the ground floor with vehicle listing ads. This is a brand new ad format and competition for ad space is at the lowest it will ever be!
Ad space is only going to get more limited over time and dealers will likely need to pay more to play the longer they wait to get in on the action.
Automated Targeting & Optimization
Google uses machine learning to automatically optimize for both online conversions (leads) and offline conversions (store visits).
Your ads will automatically show your most relevant vehicle listings based on car shopper searches.
Who Can Run Vehicle Listing Ads?
Right now, the Vehicle Listing Ads program is in beta. This means only select advertisers and dealerships can run this ad type. AutoSweet has experience with implementing Vehicle Listing Ads as an alpha partner for the past few months.
This is a complicated process that involves uploading inventory feeds to the Google Merchant Center on a regular basis. AutoSweet automates this process by working with dealerships to automatically upload inventory feeds to the Google Merchant Center to prevent vehicles from being advertised after they are no longer available. Additionally, even in beta phases, running these types of ads requires special permission from Google.
Luckily, by partnering with AutoSweet, you can get started with vehicle listing ads today AND work with an experienced partner.
According to Google, these ads will support both new and used vehicle inventory from dealer or retailer stock. Vehicle ads from private sellers, individuals, or auto brokers are not permitted.
How Can Your Dealership Get Started with Vehicle Listing Ads?
The easiest way to get started is by working with an already approved advertising partner, like AutoSweet. To get started, fill out the form below for a quick strategy session with our experienced digital marketing consultants.
