Did you hear about the new ad types released by Google? This week’s Wednesday Workshop video explains the new ads and how you’ll need to think about changing your PPC strategy.

Welcome back to another Wednesday workshop with… Happy Hao Car. Inspired by the recent blog article written by our Director of SEM… This week. I’ve got some mobile specific digital marketing knowledge to drop on you…

Google is always working on cool stuff and mobile ad formats happen to be something they’re always working on. Lucky you… not even two weeks ago… they announced a full rollout of model automotive ads and DLAs are back too!

So, let’s get you up to speed on these ad types… First, these are mobile ad formats, so they’re going to show up on… yes, mobile phones. The smart ones! (does anyone have a dumb phone?)

According to Google, searches for “pictures of toyota tundra” (or fill in your favorite automotive brand) are up almost 40% in the last year and 80% of those searches are taking place on… uh huh smart phones!

The other ad type was out there last year… it went away and now it’s back as the Dealer automotive ad now. You PPC rock stars will remember these as DLAs.

These ads provide the mobile shopper with location, directions and click to call options all with a tap of the finger or squish of your thumb. Definitely, cool mobile PPC stuff.

With these new ad formats in play, you need to be aware of how they will affect your current strategy and what adjustments you might need to make.

Think about the model in your line up that is consistently your front runner. Camry, F-150, Accord and son on… What keywords are you buying for these models? “Ford Mustang”, “new Ford Mustang”, “Mustang”, “2016 Ford Mustang” and the tail gets longer from there, right?

If you analyze which of these keywords are being searched and clicked on more and what percentage of your spend is going there you’ll probably find that folks are overwhelmingly search “Make Model” or “Year Make Model” when they’re looking for a new Mustang. This reality means your campaign should adapt in a couple of ways…

For the potential traffic drop from these terms and moving budgets to make up for that traffic. Mobile has been causing a shift for some time now, it’s important for your dealership to be up to speed so you don’t get left behind.

Let me close this Wednesday workshop out with a couple tips…

1. Analyze your traffic data (your vendor might have to help) and look for how much traffic you’re receiving from Make Model or Year Make Model searches. Then understand how much of your traffic or spend is at risk. Our kick ass SEM team can help you with this if you need it. 2. This will sound simple and basic, but… make sure you have ad extensions set up. Many vendors miss this completey. The new ad types rely heavily on ad extensions, so make sure your call, location and sitelink extensions are set up.

If you have question or comments…. Throw them down below and if you Want more awesome digital marketing info….Then come on back next week for another…. Wednesday workshop from… Happy Hao Car!

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Greg Gifford is the Vice President of Search at Happy Hao Car. He has over 16 years of online marketing and web design experience, and has specialized in automotive SEO for the last 8 years, helping hundreds of auto dealers thrive while the industry has struggled during the recession. Greg speaks internationally at both automotive and SEO conferences, teaching thousands of small business owners and marketers how to get their sites to show up higher in local search rankings. Greg also spends his spare time doing freelance website design and SEO for local businesses. He graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BA in Cinema and Communications, and has an obscure movie quote for just about any situation.

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