Google Vehicle Ads are a game-changer for dealers wanting to push their stock in front of a wider audience. Currently, vehicles are not eligible to be displayed at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs), unlike stock in other industries such as clothing, beauty, sports etc. who can advertise their inventory as part of the Google Shopping tab.

However, Vehicle Ads are finally coming to the UK.  This new ad format has the potential to showcase a dealer’s inventory directly on Google Search, targeting potential buyers actively searching for specific vehicles.

WHAT WILL THEY LOOK LIKE?

Imagine a search for “2022 Ford Fiesta near me.” Right on the search engine results page, potential buyers would see relevant options from a number of dealerships, complete with eye-catching pictures with key details like make, model, price, mileage, and the dealership’s name. Clicking on the ad takes them directly to the detailed vehicle description page, streamlining their journey.

 

HOW DOES GOOGLE SELECT WHICH VEHICLES TO DISPLAY?

As you can imagine, there’s going to be a lot of competition for those top advertising spots, and while the official launch details are still under wraps, we suspect they will operate in a similar way to how Google Ads and Google Shopping currently operate.

Bids: Bidding will likely function similarly to Google Ads using a cost per click (CPC) model. With advertisers being able to set a maximum bid that they’re willing to pay for each click on their ad.

Budgets: Campaign budgets will allow overall spend to be controlled.

 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF VEHICLE ADS?

• More qualified leads: Showing customers key information and visuals about the car before they click, helps provide more qualified leads
• Omnichannel goals: Optimises for both online conversions (leads) and offline conversions (dealership visits)
• Automated targeting: Vehicle ads show your most relevant listings for a related user query
• Time-Saving Efficiency: Our automated feed solution will keep a dealers inventory synced with Google in real-time, saving valuable time and effort

 

WHAT IS THE SET UP PROCESS?

Advertisers will be required to upload their vehicle data feed to the Merchant Centre.  The Merchant Centre is a platform that allows businesses to upload and maintain product information, including pictures and pricing to be displayed in their vehicle ads.

The advertiser’s feed must include pertinent details about their vehicles such as make, model, price, mileage, colour etc.  Google uses all of this information to match a customer’s search to the most relevant cars.

The advertiser must then create a Performance Max campaign with vehicle feeds within their Google Ads account as well as linking their Google Ads account to the Merchant Centre and their Google Business profile.

 

WHEN WILL THIS BE AVAILABLE?

We’re waiting for a confirmed date from Google.  We’re expecting an announcement at the Car Dealer Live Event 2024, so keep your eyes peeled!

 

HOW CAN I SIGN UP?

Here at Click, we’re eagerly awaiting the release of this from Google and our teams are already preparing and getting ready.  Once Google Vehicle Ads is released in the UK, we’ll start to work with interested dealerships to support them in getting on board.

We also have our in house Digital Marketing Team who will be able to support with optimising and tracking the performance of the adverts.

Want to register your interest?  Fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch with you once the solution has been released by Google.