Google launches new car ad format

Google is offering advertisers in the automotive industry a new tool, ad units customised for car sales, to drive their marketing efforts.

When people search for cars for sale, this new ad format will show nearby vehicles available for purchase.

The behaviour of online consumers has changed over the past two years.

More and more people are not only looking for their next car online, but they are also buying cars online.

A Google study found that 89% of new car buyers research their new car online.

16 per cent of new car buyers purchase their car online, up from just one per cent three years ago.

Every industry needs to meet the growing online shopping expectations of consumers, and the automotive industry is no exception.

With Google’s new Vehicle Ads, auto advertisers can present the right information and inventory to car buyers.

Here’s more information about Google Vehicle Ads and how to use them.

The Vehicle Ads Experience

When a user searches for cars for sale, they are presented with the option to buy or deliver a vehicle.

The ad format displays images and specific inventory information, including:

If a user clicks on a vehicle advert, they will be taken to a description page on the dealer’s website.

From there they are able to get the dealer’s contact information, which brings them closer to a purchase.

How to get started

Currently, car dealers within the United States are eligible to use vehicle ads.

The Vehicle Ad format does not automatically show up in your account. If you are interested, please contact Google.

If you are interested in starting vehicle ads, the first step is to create a vehicle inventory feed, which will need to be connected to Google Merchant Center.

Once the feed is created and uploaded, your Google Ads account needs to be connected:

Smart Shopping Campaigns are required to place vehicle ads. You will not be able to place vehicle ads in a standard shopping campaign.

Other requirements

You are eligible to participate in Vehicle Ads if you are a car dealer. The following are not allowed to place vehicle ads:

Vehicle ads are only allowed on non-commercial passenger vehicles (cars, trucks, SUVs, etc.). Vehicles not allowed for vehicle advertising include:

Finally, if you want to place vehicle ads, you cannot enable other Google Merchant Center programs.

Benefits of Vehicle Ads

Vehicle ads are better suited for bottom-of-the-funnel users. These users have a higher intent to shop, bringing them closer to their final purchase goal.

Before officially launching Vehicle Ads to the public, Google has conducted Beta testing with some advertisers. Advertisers have claimed that the benefits of the ads include a 25 per cent increase in conversion rates.

Google lists the key benefits of vehicle ads as

The final benefit listed by Google is auto-targeting. Depending on how you feel about smart shopping auto-targeting, you may be less inclined to try it. Vehicle ads are still worth testing to determine if they can deliver incremental lift.