Success Story — Used Car Lots & Google. A Necessary Evil.
How We Fixed Two Used Car Lots’ Google Ads Accounts—and Doubled Their Leads
Running Google Ads for used car dealerships can be one of the most profitable digital marketing strategies when done correctly, but also one of the easiest to waste money on when it’s not. Recently, we took over two used car lot accounts in South Jersey that had been struggling to generate quality leads despite spending thousands per month.
Both dealers faced the same issue: they weren’t getting the right clicks from the right people. Instead, their campaigns were built on a foundation of broad match chaos, incorrect settings, and zero structure. Within weeks of auditing, restructuring, and optimizing these accounts, both lots saw a dramatic turnaround in performance—and their phones started ringing again.
Here’s exactly what went wrong, what we fixed, and how your dealership can avoid making the same mistakes.
The Problem: Paying for the Wrong Traffic
The first step was auditing both Google Ads accounts. What we found was all too common for small, locally owned businesses that rely on “set it and forget it” advertising.
1. Irrelevant Broad Match Keywords
Both accounts were running broad match keywords like:
“cars”
“auto”
“used cars near me”
“trucks”
At first glance, these seem fine. But broad match tells Google to show your ads for anything related—which can mean your ads show for searches like “toy car set,” “car mechanic jobs,” or “free cars near me.”
Result: thousands of wasted clicks and zero qualified leads.
We replaced these with phrase match and exact match keywords focused on buyer intent, such as:
“used cars for sale in South Jersey”
“buy pre-owned SUV near Cherry Hill”
“affordable used trucks in Atlantic County”
This shift alone reduced wasted spend by over 40% within the first week.
The Fix: Building a Proper Foundation
2. Incorrect Location Settings
Both dealerships were accidentally targeting all of the United States. That meant their ads were being shown (and clicked) by people hundreds of miles away—people who were never going to visit the lot.
We fixed this by:
Targeting a 15-mile radius around each dealership.
Using “Presence: People in or regularly in your location” rather than Google’s default “Presence or interest in.”
Creating location-based ad copy that spoke directly to local shoppers (“Shop locally in Cherry Hill—Affordable Used Cars Available Now”).
The result was an immediate increase in conversion rates, because now every click came from someone who could realistically walk through the door.
3. Broken Account Structure
Both accounts lumped every keyword and ad into a single campaign and ad group. This “everything in one bucket” approach is the fastest way to lose control over performance.
We rebuilt the structure from scratch:
Separate campaigns by vehicle category: Sedans, SUVs, Trucks.
Ad groups by specific intent: “Used Honda Civic,” “Certified Pre-Owned SUVs,” “Affordable Pickup Trucks.”
Dedicated landing pages for each vehicle type with matching headlines and offers.
With better structure, we could write highly relevant ad copy and align search intent with the right page—improving both Quality Score and cost-per-click (CPC).
4. Lack of Negative Keywords
Neither account had a single negative keyword list. This meant they were paying for clicks from searches like:
“free used cars”
“car dealerships hiring”
“auto repair”
“toy cars”
We built robust negative keyword lists to block irrelevant traffic. Within days, their search terms reports looked cleaner, and conversion rates started climbing.
5. No Ad Schedule or Budget Control
Both accounts were running ads 24/7, even though neither dealership answered calls or accepted leads outside business hours. That meant wasted spend on clicks that went nowhere.
We added ad scheduling to run only during sales hours and one hour before/after (to catch early and late shoppers).
We also implemented bid adjustments to spend more during peak hours (Friday–Sunday afternoons) and less during slower periods.
That simple change improved lead quality and reduced cost per conversion by another 20%.
6. No Audience Targeting or Remarketing
Both accounts ignored one of the most powerful tools in Google Ads: audiences.
We added:
In-market audiences for “Used Vehicles,” “Car Shoppers,” and “Auto Financing.”
Remarketing lists to re-engage visitors who viewed inventory but didn’t convert.
Lookalike audiences based on past converters.
This allowed us to show ads to people actively looking for used cars and remind previous visitors to come back and complete their purchase inquiry.
7. Lack of Conversion Tracking and Reporting
Neither dealership had proper conversion tracking installed. They were “guessing” performance based on calls and visits. We implemented:
Google Tag Manager
Phone call tracking
Lead form submission tracking
Dynamic number insertion (DNI) for ad source visibility
Once tracking was in place, we could finally see which ads, keywords, and campaigns were driving actual leads—and which weren’t. This data guided our ongoing optimization.
The Results: From Wasted Spend to Predictable Leads
Within 30 days of restructuring both accounts, here’s what happened:
Wasted spend reduced by 60%
Click-through rate (CTR) doubled
Cost per lead dropped by 45%
Leads from qualified local buyers increased by 2.3x
More importantly, both dealers reported consistent foot traffic from online ads for the first time in months. Instead of paying for irrelevant clicks, they were finally competing where it mattered, at the local search level, with the right message, at the right time.
The Takeaway: Google Ads Only Work When Built the Right Way
Google Ads can be a money pit—or a lead machine. The difference comes down to strategy, structure, and attention to detail.
If your campaigns rely on broad match keywords, generic targeting, and no data tracking, you’re not advertising—you’re gambling. Used car shoppers are highly local, highly competitive leads. To win, your account must be optimized to match real search intent, precise locations, and measurable outcomes.
When done right, Google Ads becomes one of the most predictable and scalable lead generation tools for used car dealerships. When done wrong, it drains your budget faster than a test drive gone bad.
If your dealership’s ad account looks anything like the ones we fixed, it’s time for a full audit. Because in this market, every click—and every dollar—counts.
