Getting Started with Google Vehicle Ads

Vehicle Ads are a massive opportunity for auto dealers to advertise live inventory in the best placements on Google search pages. However, they require multiple critical steps to get off the ground. Unlike other auto advertising on Google, Vehicle Ads are set up in Google Merchant Center and require Google Business Profile access in addition to Google Ads. In other words, for Vehicle Ads to run, you need three different platforms to be in sync. We can handle most of this process for you, so in the end, you will just see the performance and inventory in Google Ads and not need to keep an eye on the other two platforms.

Here is everything you need to know to launch Vehicle Ads for your dealership.

1 – Vehicle Ads are a Beta Program

Vehicle Ads are still in beta. In order to run them, your Google Ads and Google Merchant Center accounts must be allow-listed for the feature. As a Google Premier Partner, Adpearance has access to the latest beta programs, and accounts that we manage are automatically allow-listed. In addition, we’re supported by dedicated Google experts to offer our clients the cutting-edge tech necessary to outperform the competition.

2 – Auto Dealers Now Need Merchant Center Accounts

Until now, most dealerships haven’t had a reason to create an account in Merchant Center, because shopping wasn’t an ad type available for the auto industry. To access Vehicle Ads, dealerships need a Merchant Center account. The data collected here will eventually be sent to Google Ads for advertising Vehicle Ads. We will create this account for you as part of the setup process.

3 – Linking Merchant Center and Google Business Profile Accounts

Most dealerships already have a Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) account, which now needs to be linked to your Merchant Center account and be approved by Google. It adds to the credibility of the Vehicle Ads program and your business’s ad for Google to go through the additional verification process and ensure that the advertised inventory matches the dealership it belongs to. 

If you don’t have a Google Business Profile, now is the time to get started — you’re missing out on an SEO opportunity that can boost your organic and paid traffic.

4 – Enabling Vehicle Ads

In general, once you have set up and linked the three Google accounts necessary to run Vehicle Ads, you have to request approval from Google to enable the program for your business. Once Google approves the request, you can set up your inventory feed and campaigns. This process can be skipped if the accounts are created by Adpearance because any account under our business is automatically whitelisted for this program. 

5 – Creating, Registering, and Submitting an Inventory Feed

Vehicle Ads are a highly dynamic ad type that can seamlessly update on a daily basis to match your current inventory and prices. Still, it all depends on the quality of the inventory feed you submit to Google. When setting up your feed it is important to audit your vehicle product images to make sure that they meet the Vehicle Ads image guidelines.

As the go-to dynamic inventory provider, Adpearance leverages a proprietary tool to pull inventory feeds directly from your dealership’s website.

6 – Passing Google’s Website Review

To ensure that Google sends its users to high-quality landing pages that match the ads being promoted, Vehicle Ads users must pass the website policy review. To pass, landing pages must display the correlating vehicle’s price and availability at the associated location. It also must provide the user with the option to buy or reserve the vehicle online and pick it up at the associated local dealership.

7 – Enabling Vehicle Ads in Smart Shopping

The final step to set up Vehicle Ads is to start a Smart Shopping campaign within Google Ads and select “show Vehicle Ads” when prompted. You are now ready to launch your first Vehicle Ads campaign!

Getting the Ball Rolling

Is your dealership interested in running Google Vehicle Ads but not sure where to start? Reach out for a free digital analysis to understand your business’s position in the competitive landscape and learn more about how Vehicle Ads can boost your digital advertising strategy.