Most car buyers do not start on a dealer website. They begin on Google. With Google Vehicle Listing Ads your dealership can show real cars from your lot directly in search results. When someone types in 2025 Chevy Silverado near me your cars can appear with photos, price, mileage, and your store location right at the top of the page.
At New Trail Marketing we build and manage Vehicle Ads campaigns that bring in better traffic and more real leads for car dealers.
Google Vehicle Ads are a new ad format built specifically for automotive dealers. Instead of sending people to a generic landing page, Vehicle Ads showcase your actual cars in stock.
Each ad displays:
Vehicle photo
Make, model, year, trim
Mileage (for used cars)
Price
Dealership name & location
When shoppers click, they land on your VDP (Vehicle Detail Page), not a random lead form. This means higher intent traffic and better conversion rates.
VLA’s are mostly shown at the very top of a Google search results page, other times they can be found a little further down the page. VLA’s are Google’s way of competing with classified sites like cars.com and Auto Trader. This is Google’s answer to showcasing your new or used inventory right at the shopper’s fingertips or mouse cursor. The user no longer has to click on a classified site to see the vehicles that you have for sale.
Inventory Feed Setup – We connect your car list to Google Merchant Center so your cars appear in the right format
Campaign Creation – We set up and launch your ads inside Google Ads. We create our campaigns differently from the OEM PPC vendors.
Ongoing Optimization – We track results, adjust settings, and keep improving performance
Leads to Sales – Shoppers find your cars online, click through, and contact your team. Many times the users can be tracked visiting the dealership by the store visits conversions in Google Ads.
We handle all the hard parts from the tech setup to daily campaign management so your sales team gets more calls and messages from people ready to buy.
Just like with Google search, your VLA campaigns can be set up to target certain demographics and locations. This way your listings will reach the most relevant audience. With a laser-focused targeting approach, this can lead to higher quality leads and an increase in monthly sales figures.
When your VLAs show up in front of a potential buyer, you will know your vehicle will be seen with a chance to grab their attention with a great vehicle picture.
Get all of your new and used inventory in front of people who are raising their hand and asking for the vehicle you have in stock. There is no better way to increase your vehicle sales, for less money, than by implementing a Google VLA campaign today.
Your cars appear in Google shopping style results where people already search. This puts your dealership in front of shoppers who are close to making a decision. The more buyers that see your cars the more chances you have to sell.
Shoppers click knowing the exact car they want to learn about. This means they are more serious and ready to take the next step. Your sales team spends less time chasing weak leads and more time closing deals.
Google stated that running VLAs next to a dealerships search ads, it resulted in a 27% increase in leads for used vehicles, decreased the CPA (cost per acquisition by 18%, and increased the conversion rate by 17%*
When someone does a search for the vehicle they are looking to purchase and your VLA shows up first in front of your competitors, that is the edge you need. There are several approved OEM paid search vendors out there that do not run VLAs because they are not equipped to do so. This is leaving your dealership’s paid search marketing behind in the rearview mirror.
Whenever you update a vehicle’s information, your data feed will be updated as well. There is no need to go to multiple places to update anything. As long as the vehicle information is on your site, your data feed will reflect that so the shopper is seeing the latest pricing and vehicle information. When that vehicle sells, it will no longer be shown in your vehicle listing ad campaign.
You only spend money when someone clicks to see your car. This means you are not wasting money on people who are just scrolling by. Every dollar goes toward real interest in your inventory which makes your budget work harder.
We bill out a flat rate fee every month, this way you know ahead of time what your budget allocation is for your paid search marketing. VLA’s will run in conjunction with your search ads that we will manage for you as well at no extra cost.
We recommend starting with $500-$2000 depending on your area and possible competition. We recommend splitting up your new and used car paid search budgets as we like to run two different campaigns. This works out well for coop funds as the manufacturers only pay back on new card spending and not used cars.
You will pay Google directly for your monthly ad spend. Billing can be setup on a credit card or a bank account, or invoice billing after your account has been running for at least 3-6 months with enough ad spend.
Yes you do need a Google Merchant Center account because that is where your live inventory feed connects. This account tells Google which cars you have for sale and updates your ads whenever your inventory changes. If you do not already have an account our team can set it up for you and make sure it works correctly with Google Ads.
Google Vehicle Ads are made for cars trucks and SUVs. You can run them for both new and used inventory. Right now Google does not allow powersports RVs or motorcycles but most dealerships with traditional car inventory are a perfect fit.
The setup process usually takes a couple of weeks depending on how quickly we can connect your inventory feed and verify your accounts. Once the feed is approved by Google we can launch campaigns right away. After launch we start gathering data so we can improve results and lower your cost per lead.
Regular search ads can send people to your site but they do not always show the exact cars you have in stock. Vehicle Ads give shoppers photos price and details right on the search page so the traffic you get is more qualified. This leads to more serious buyers contacting your dealership and fewer wasted clicks.
Here is what makes us different:
Automotive focus – We have worked with many dealers over the past decade and know the market
Proven results – Lower cost per lead and stronger conversion rates than OEM providers
Active management –Using custom scripts, we watch and adjust campaigns every day to bring better results
Full reporting – You always know how your money is spent and how your ads perform. We are 100% transparent and do not hide behind the “trade secret” excuse
Flat Rate Management Fee – We charge a flat rate fee for our Google Ads management for all of our car dealership clients.
Track Real Conversions That Matter – We track phone calls, form fills, and store visits (if available) all from within the Google Ads account and GA4 account you own.
Get Started with Google Vehicle Ads (VLAs) Today
If you want to move more cars and stand out in your market now is the time to add Vehicle Ads to your marketing plan.
Book a free call with New Trail Marketing today and learn how Google Vehicle Ads can help your dealership sell more cars this month.
