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What it Takes to be a Successful PPC AdWord Bidder...
Full exploitation of Automotive Digital Marketing opportunities goes way beyond purchasing leads from 3rd party sources and following up on them. One aspect of this that you need to be aware of is the PPC AdWord bidding process.
Laying the foundation and then managing a Pay Per Click campaign is a somewhat complex process. If you have someone on staff that has both the know-how and the time to devote to this process… congratulations. For most auto dealers, working through a reputable digital marketing agency is a more reasonable choice. But even if you use an agency, you should be aware of the basics of this process so that you can properly evaluate the services provided.
Bidding for a Google Pay Per Click (PPC) ad involves a structured process where advertisers compete to have their ads displayed to users searching for relevant keywords. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the process:
Step 1 - Campaign Setup
Goal Definition: Before bidding, determine the goal of your campaign. Common goals include driving traffic to your website, increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or boosting sales.
Campaign Type: Choose the type of Google Ads campaign that best suits your goals. The most common types include Search Network (text ads on search results), Display Network (image ads on websites), Shopping (product listings), and Video (YouTube ads).
Step 2 - Is Keyword Research
Identify Relevant Keywords: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find keywords relevant to your business, products, or services. Keywords should match the search terms your potential customers are likely to use.
Choose Keyword Match Types: Choose match types for your keywords:
Broad Match: Ads appear for searches related to your keywords, even if the query doesn’t contain the exact terms.
Phrase Match: Ads appear for searches that include the exact phrase or close variations.
Exact Match: Ads appear for searches that match the exact keyword or close variations.
Step 3 - Set Up Ad Groups
Group Similar Keywords: Organize your selected keywords into ad groups. Each ad group should focus on a specific theme or product category.
Create Ads: For each ad group, create multiple ads that target the grouped keywords. Ads should be relevant, compelling, and include a clear call-to-action or CTA.
Step 4 - Bidding Strategy Selection
Manual Bidding: You set a maximum cost-per-click or CPC that you’re willing to pay for a click on your ad.
Automated Bidding: Google adjusts your bids automatically based on your goals. Common strategies include:
Maximize Clicks: Focuses on getting as many clicks as possible within your budget.
Target CPA or Cost Per Acquisition: Google aims to get as many conversions as possible at your target cost per acquisition.
Target ROAS or Return on Ad Spend: Google adjusts bids to maximize revenue based on a target return on ad spend.
Enhanced CPC or eCPC: Adjusts your manual bids based on the likelihood of a conversion.
Step 5 - Bid Adjustments
Consider Device Adjustments: Increase or decrease bids based on the device (mobile, desktop, tablet) users are using.
Or…Location Adjustments: Modify bids based on geographic location.
Or…Time Adjustments: Adjust bids based on the time of day or day of the week.
Or Even…Audience Adjustments: Increase or decrease bids for specific audience segments, such as returning visitors or users who have previously interacted with your site.
Step 6 - Ad Rank and Quality Scoring
Ad Rank: Google determines your ad position based on your bid amount and Quality Score. The formula is: Ad Rank = Bid Amount x Quality Score.
Quality Score: A measure of the relevance and quality of your ad and landing page. Factors include:
Expected Click-Through Rate or CTR: How likely users are to click on your ad.
Ad Relevance: How closely your ad matches the intent of the user’s search.
Landing Page Experience: The relevance, transparency, and ease of navigation of the landing page your ad links to.
Step 7 - Setting a Budget
Daily Budget: Set a daily budget for each campaign to control how much you spend.
Bid Caps: If using automated bidding, set bid caps to limit how much Google can bid on your behalf.
Step 8 – Understanding how the Ad Auction Functions
Real-Time Bidding: Every time a user enters a search query that matches your keywords, Google runs an auction to determine which ads will appear and in what order.
Competing with Others: Your ad competes with others based on Ad Rank, which is determined by your bid amount, Quality Score, and the impact of ad extensions and other ad formats.
Step 9 - Monitoring and Optimization
Performance Tracking: Use Google Ads reporting tools to monitor the performance of your ads, including metrics like CTR, conversion rate, and cost-per-conversion.
Adjust Bids and Keywords: Continuously optimize your bids, pause underperforming keywords, and test new keywords to improve campaign performance.
A/B Testing: Test different ad copy, landing pages, and bidding strategies to identify what works best.
Step 10 - Billing and Payments
Pay Per Click: You only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
Invoicing: Set up billing options, which could be automatic payments (charged after your ads accrue costs) or manual payments (prepaying for your ads).
This process allows advertisers to effectively compete in Google’s PPC ecosystem, ensuring that their ads reach the right audience at the right time while maintaining control over costs.
Wrap Up
As you can see, this is a complex process and requires some experience and skill. Again, if you have that talent in-house... GREAT! If not, you still need to be a player and should seek some professional assistance.
DealersEdge Resources:
DealersEdge is currently working on a complete Digital Marketing Guidebook to aid the dealership marketer in the exploitation of all related strategies and techniques. Watch for the launch announcement in Q4 2024.
In the meantime, please take a look at our Guide to Pre-Owned Success. Current studies show that 90+ percent of all car shoppers (new and used) start their selection process online. Since used inventories are less predictable than new vehicle stock, your Digital Strategy is even more important.
This DealersEdge Guide offered below leans heavily on Digital Marketing techniques for the Used Vehicle Departments and is a great place to start.
To learn more about this DealersEdge Published Guide, please see below...
Compete and Win in Today's Digitally Effective Used Vehicle Marketplace... Ed Shows you how...
75% of dealerships fail to maximize their Pre-Owned Potential. Be the Top Performer in your Market!
KPI for Success Today
Winning Inventory Objectives
Appraisal Effectiveness
Reconditioning as a Profit Center
Digital Parity- New Sales Process for Today's Digital Marketplace
Building and Maintaining a High Performance Dealership Website
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