Google Ads for auto repair shops can definitely serve as a primary source of leads and conversions – but only if they’re optimized to support the success of your company. Otherwise, you could end up spending too much of your ad budget without getting a great return on investment if you are not careful.

To avoid that, plan to have a chat with your marketing partner to gauge their approach and see if your Google Ads are as good as they can be. Be sure to hit on all the following points during that conversation, so you can see if their efforts are helping you achieve all your marketing goals for your auto repair shop, or if they are actually hurting you and just wasting your money

Ad Spend Matches Your Budget and Level of Competition

In order to get the most out of your Google Ads – without breaking the bank – your marketing partner needs to set a monthly ad budget that makes sense for your business. Your marketing partner should talk with you to set expectations of what an effectives spend would be and align it with your own budget.The total amount you spend should be based  on the level of competition in your area and cost per click estimations provided by Google. If you have many similar auto repair shops in a five mile radius of your shop, for example, then your ad budget needs to be higher than the only specialty shop in town.

Geographical Radius Lands Ads in Front of Nearby Customers

When customers look for a general auto repair shop, they usually don’t want to travel more than five miles away from home or work. Shops that specialize can pull from farther away, but knowing the maximum distance that you want to advertise is critical, so make sure that the geographical radius on your ads doesn’t exceed that limit. If your radius is too big, then you could get charged for ads that have no chance to convert, quickly wasting your ad budget.

Targeted Keywords Align with Your Auto Repair Services

Your Google Ads should always use keywords that perfectly align with the services you want to sell. If you specialize in tires, for example, then your keyword report should feature all the most popular search terms relevant to that service. Your marketing partner should have learned about your target audience and core services during the kickoff meeting. Then, they could use that info to create a custom keyword report that helps you sell the right services.

Ads Link to Landing Pages and Personalized Phone Numbers

To truly drive conversions and gauge the success of your Google ads for auto repair shops, your marketing partner must link them to landing pages and tracking phone numbers. The landing pages highlight the advertised service and give a clear call to action. This keeps your potential customers from having to wade through your website to find the info they need about your shop. Then, the tracking phone numbers allow you to measure conversions for each ad and listen to the quality of the calls so you can understand what’s working best.

Viewable Ad Metrics Show the Success of Your Marketing Efforts

Your marketing partner should provide you with an easy-to-understand monthly performance report for your Google Ads. Your marketing partner should also be available to explain the numbers on this report at your request. In addition, some marketers will grant you access to an interactive ad monitoring dashboard, so you can review the following live metrics yourself.

Cost-Per-Click

The average cost-per-click, or CPC, is how much you pay each time a prospective customer clicks on your ads. Think of it as how much you pay for each lead that comes your way, so you want them to be well-vetted with clear keywords that promote high conversion rates.

Clickthrough Rate

The average clickthrough rate, or CTR, is the percentage of people who saw your ad, and then clicked on it to learn more. Between one to two percent is a good target when running Google Ads for auto repair shops. Any lower and you may need to adjust your keywords to better match search intent.

Conversions

The conversion rate represents how many people clicked through your ad, and then called, emailed, or otherwise interacted with your shop in a way that shows intent to buy. You can set your own customized conversion type, although phone calls are used most often since they link back to the tracking phone number for each ad. You can increase conversions by running compelling ads with relevant keywords and linking them to well-built landing pages.

Although there are other metrics available, a glance at these three can tell you if your Google Ads are as good as they can be. You’ll want to look beyond the metrics for your account as a whole by reviewing the CPC, CTR, and conversions for your individual ads as well. 

Again, a good marketing partner will help you understand these numbers and will explain what tactics they are using to drive them higher.

Ad Optimization and Retargeting are a Must

Your marketing partner shouldn’t ever set up your ads and simply let them do their thing on their own. “Set it and forget it” does not work well with Google ads! Instead, they should regularly check their performance and optimize your ad campaigns to follow what’s working best. 

In addition, they should utilize retargeting ads to remind customers about your services if they clicked on one of your ads, but then left the landing page without contacting your shop. By using a tracking pixel on the website or landing page destination of the Google ads, you can show additional ads to your prospect on Facebook. You’ve no doubt experienced this before, where you went to a website to shop and then later have seen the same product following you around on other sites. Utilizing retargeting is an effective followup for your auto repair shop’s Google ads that can increase conversions, so it’s not a step that your marketing partner should skip. 

Want to Improve Your Auto repair Shop Marketing? We Can Help

If you’re not satisfied with your auto repair shop marketing campaigns, look to Shop Marketing Pros for help. We’re here to help you run the absolute best Google Ads for your auto repair shop and get the most out of your monthly budget. So, feel free to give us a call at 985-662-8419 to learn how we can boost the success of your shop.