Car
Dealership
PPC.
Car dealership PPC puts your inventory in front of in-market shoppers the instant they search — across Google Search, Vehicle Listing Ads, and Performance Max. Done right, it’s measured on cost per sale and days-to-turn, not raw clicks.
Paid Search That Moves Metal
Automotive PPC is a volume game with thin margins, which means precision is everything. The difference between a profitable account and a money pit is conversion tracking, feed health, and relentless negative-keyword work — the unglamorous fundamentals most agencies skip. We start there.
The RadioVision Dealership PPC System
Google Search & conquest campaigns
We structure campaigns by new, used, and service, target in-market and conquest audiences, and write compliant ad copy that drives qualified VDP views — not tire-kickers.
Vehicle Listing Ads & feed management
Your live inventory belongs in search results. We set up and maintain the inventory feed that powers Vehicle Listing Ads so your actual units — with photo, price, and mileage — compete for attention.
Performance Max, managed
PMax can be efficient or a black box. We feed it quality assets and clean conversion signals and watch it closely, so it complements Search and VLAs instead of cannibalizing them.
Conversion tracking & call tracking
Every campaign is wired to measure VDP engagement, form leads, and calls, so spend is judged on showroom-ready shoppers and ultimately units sold.
How to Split a Dealer PPC Budget: Search vs. PMax vs. VLAs
The three core Google campaign types do different jobs, and the fastest way to waste a dealer budget is to treat them as interchangeable. Here is how we think about the split:
- Search captures the highest-intent, most controllable demand — model and trim queries, “near me” searches, and conquest terms. You control keywords, negatives, and messaging, which makes it the foundation of the account and usually the first dollars funded.
- Vehicle Listing Ads (VLAs) put your actual units — with photo, price, and mileage — in front of shoppers already comparing inventory. They run off your feed, carry strong purchase intent, and often deliver the most efficient cost per VDP view, so they typically earn a meaningful, feed-quality-dependent share.
- Performance Max extends reach across YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps and layers in Google’s automation. It is powerful but opaque, so we cap it relative to Search and VLAs, feed it quality assets and clean conversion signals, and watch closely that it isn’t simply harvesting branded searches the Search campaign would have won anyway.
There is no universal percentage. The right split depends on your inventory depth, market competition, and whether the priority is moving aged units, conquesting a rival brand, or defending your own. We start with a structure weighted toward Search and VLAs, then shift budget toward whatever is producing the lowest cost per sale.
Paid, Organic & Owned Together
PPC delivers immediate volume; automotive SEO and local search lower your blended cost per sale over time, and email re-engages the database. We run them as one automotive advertising system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does car dealership PPC cost?
Automotive clicks are far cheaper than legal, often in the $1 to $4 range, but volume is high, so budget discipline matters. We build campaigns around cost per sale and VDP engagement rather than raw clicks, and concentrate spend on the inventory and conquest opportunities that move metal.
What are Google Vehicle Listing Ads?
Vehicle Listing Ads surface your live inventory directly in Google search results with photo, price, and mileage. They depend on a clean inventory feed, which we set up and maintain so your actual units compete for in-market shoppers.
Should dealerships use Performance Max?
Performance Max can drive efficient inventory and conquest results when it is fed quality assets, clean feeds, and proper conversion signals. We manage PMax alongside Search and VLAs rather than letting it run as an unmonitored black box.
How fast does dealership PPC work?
PPC can drive showroom traffic and VDP views within days of launch. The first weeks focus on conversion tracking, negative keywords, and feed health so the budget concentrates on shoppers who actually convert.