More clicks, lower cost: Dealers refine Google paid-search strategy, slash online marketing fees

摘要

Prices for Google paid search - a powerful digital marketing tool for auto dealers - have moderated in recent months after a big run-up in the previous two years, dealers say. Part of the reason is that dealerships have become smarter in choosing different, lower-cost key word combinations that drive traffic, and staying away from words and phrases that don't work. Asbury Automotive Inc., the nation's seventh-largest dealership group, has cut Google paid-search costs in recent months by choosing less expensive words and phrases that still attract shoppers, said Ryun Pavlicek, Asbury director of retail strategy. Paid search works like this: Dealers bid for key ad words. When a shopper chooses those key words in a search, the dealer's ad appears in a shaded box on Google search results. If a shopper clicks on the ad, the dealer pays Google the price of that winning bid.