Optimizing Google Ads

Maximizing ROI on a Modest Google Ads Budget with Smart Competitor Targeting

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Challenge

With 12 dealerships to promote on a modest budget, we needed to drive meaningful traffic and inquiries without getting caught in costly bidding wars against industry giants like Truckpaper. The goal was to increase parts and service inquiries by efficiently reaching local customers ready to engage.

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Approach

Instead of competing for generic or branded terms that would inflate click costs, we focused our Google Ads campaigns on competitor brand keywords. By targeting customers searching for competitors’ parts and service offerings, we positioned our dealerships as a viable alternative — especially for aftermarket parts, preventative maintenance, and nonwarranty work. This strategy leveraged geo-targeting to tailor campaigns for each dealership’s local market, capturing highly relevant traffic while avoiding overspending on clicks for searches where our brand would naturally appear.

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Results

• Achieved exceptional click-through rates ranging from 5% to 17%, significantly outperforming industry averages.

• Maintained a low cost-per-click between $0.50 and $0.80, stretching our budget further across 12 locations.

• Increased daily parts and service inquiries, helping convert competitor customers into new business opportunities.

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Why It Worked

By avoiding head-to-head competition on high-cost generic terms and focusing on competitor brand searches, we delivered relevant ads to motivated buyers without driving up costs. The local targeting further enhanced relevance and conversion potential, making every advertising dollar work harder.