The Routine

It's simple: if you spend 30 minutes once a week inside your Google Ads account to trim wasted spend, match ads to real inventory, you'll push more high-intent car shoppers to vehicle listings and test drive forms.

Review search terms, add negative keywords, tune ad groups and ad copy, adjust Performance Max and Dynamic Search Ads, check landing page speed on mobile devices, and align conversion tracking with CRM data.

Why A Weekly Routine Matters For Car Dealerships

Car dealerships win in a competitive market when Google Ads campaigns stay aligned with actual inventory, local buyers, and the buyer journey.

A short, repeatable Google Ads optimization habit improves ad relevance, strengthens online visibility in search engines, and moves your PPC budget toward qualified traffic that books test drive appointments.

Here's your 30-minute optimisation plan...

Minute 0–5: Check Account Health And Key Metrics

Open Google Analytics and Google Ads, then confirm that the data matches.

• Look at campaign performance by channel, device, and location.
• Scan click-through rates, cost per lead, and conversion rate for search ads, Performance Max campaigns, and video ads.
• Make sure conversion tracking is firing for calls, form fills, and key pages like vehicle detail pages, value trade, and finance or lease deals.
• Confirm your Google Business Profile is linked for location extensions so local searches show contact details and map pins.

Goal: a quick snapshot before deeper fine-tuning.

Minutes 5–10: Search Terms And Negative Keywords

Search intent changes every week, so prune irrelevant traffic.

• In each search campaign, open the Search Terms report.
• Add negative keywords for service and car repair, DIY, parts, careers, and faraway cities that waste ad budget.
• Add long tail target keywords that clearly show buyer intent, such as “certified pre-owned [model] near me,” “lease [model] payment,” or “test drive [model] today.”

Result: less wasted spend, more qualified leads.

Minute 10–15: Ad Groups, Ad Copy, And Ad Extensions

Tight structure improves ad relevance and Quality Score.

• Separate campaigns for new, used, and lease deals. Keep ad groups themed by model or body style.
• Refresh ad copy so headlines match target keywords and purchase intent, for example, “Book A Test Drive Today,” “In Stock, See Vehicle Listings,” or “Lease Offers On Approved Credit.”
• Add ad extensions, including sitelinks for New Inventory, Used Inventory, Specials, Service Center, and Financing, plus call extensions and structured snippets such as “Models, Trims, Features.”

Tip: Include customer testimonials in descriptions to build trust.

Minute 15–20: Performance Max And Dynamic Search Ads

Use automation, keep guardrails.

• In Performance Max, confirm your inventory feeds reflect actual inventory. Exclude categories you do not want, like wholesale units. Check search categories and audience signals to keep the system focused on high intent.
• For Dynamic Search Ads, set exact landing page rules to Vehicle Detail Pages and model hubs, and exclude Service and Blog if you are driving sales, not service traffic.

Watch: search terms from PMax and DSA for new negatives that protect the PPC budget.

Minutes 20–25: Budgets, Bids, And Audiences

Move dollars to what works, not what used to work.

• Shift ad spend toward campaigns and ad groups with the lowest cost per qualified lead and the highest test drive rate.
• If automated bidding is in use, confirm the right goal, for example, Maximize Conversions with a target CPA or Maximize Conversion Value if you track sold units.
• Layer retargeting ads for shoppers who viewed Vehicle Detail Pages but did not submit a lead, and use audience exclusions to avoid paying twice for the same person across search campaigns.

Outcome: optimal budget allocation based on data-driven optimization.

Minutes 25–30: Landing Page And Mobile Devices Check

Great ads fail if the landing page misses the moment.

• Open your top two landing pages on a phone, then test load time and forms. Reduce fields, make contact details tap to call, and keep the path to a test drive short.
• Make sure the page shows actual buyers the correct vehicle, price, lease-based or finance details, and clear next steps.
• Verify that UTM tags are present so CRM data ties back to the campaign and ad group that won the lead.

Finish: note one test for next week to uncover growth opportunities.

Bonus: Simple Weekly Checklist

• Add three negative keywords per campaign
• Add two new relevant keywords per top ad group
• Replace one low-performing headline in each search ad
• Review one Performance Max asset group for clarity
• Confirm that one landing page passes the mobile test

What To Track Over Time

• Key metrics by week, including impressions, clicks, click-through rates, cost per lead, and test drive bookings
• Share of top searches for brand and model terms in your market
• Lead quality from each campaign using CRM data, including show rate and sold units

When To Split Or Combine Campaigns

• Split separate campaigns for New, Used, and Lease to control budgets
• Create model-specific ad groups when volume supports it
• Consolidate tiny ad groups that do not gather enough data for automated bidding

What Dealers Should Avoid

• Broad match keywords without strong negatives can flood the account with irrelevant traffic
• Mixing service, parts, and sales inside one campaign muddies purchase intent
• Sending traffic to a homepage instead of a relevant landing page adds extra clicks and loses actual buyers

How DealerSmart Helps

DealerSmart runs Google Ads for car dealers and local car dealerships. We structure search campaigns, manage Performance Max and Dynamic Search Ads, build retargeting ads, and align landing pages with inventory.

Our PPC managers track metrics weekly, adjust budgets, and report clear outcomes, including qualified leads, foot traffic, and scheduled test drive results.

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