A multi-location UK car dealership partnered with YellowInk Digital after noticing its Google Ads account was not producing the results it expected. The dealership had a strong offline brand and good levels of showroom traffic, yet its paid search activity did not match its market presence. Costs were rising, lead quality was inconsistent, and the team had limited visibility into what was driving performance.
In ninety days, YellowInk rebuilt the account with a clearer structure, stronger targeting, and a performance-focused optimisation routine. The dealership achieved more than 17K clicks, a stable cost per conversion of eight pounds, and a steady flow of qualified enquiries.
Car buyers begin most of their research with online searches. Queries such as used Vauxhall near me, car service booking or car finance deals bring in people who are ready to take the next step. The dealership understood the importance of visibility in these moments, but their existing campaigns did not reflect the intent behind these searches.
Their ads appeared for broad and loosely related terms, which pushed up costs and brought in mixed traffic. With five dealership locations competing in crowded markets, they needed a structured approach to paid search that reduced waste and focused on the people most likely to convert.
The account relied heavily on broad keywords that triggered ads for a wide range of unrelated searches. Many of the clicks came from people who were not looking to buy a car or book a service, which resulted in wasted spend. As a result, the cost per conversion increased, despite customer intent remaining low.
The campaigns were not organised in a way that aligned with the dealership’s core revenue areas. Used cars, servicing, finance, and model searches were combined, which prevented Google from understanding the purpose of each campaign. As a result, performance was inconsistent, and optimisation was difficult.
The dealership had five locations, but the campaigns treated them as if they served a single area. This meant ads were being shown in regions with different levels of competition and customer behaviour. Without proper segmentation, it was impossible to identify which locations were generating the best returns.
A significant part of the budget went towards searches that had little value. The account lacked strong negative keywords, which allowed irrelevant keywords, distant locations, and generic browsing queries to keep consuming the budget. This affected lead volume and limited the impact of the ads.
There was no regular review of performance, which meant issues went unnoticed for long periods. Without weekly monitoring and adjustments, bids remained unchanged, poor keywords stayed active, and opportunities for improvement were missed. This stopped the account from growing and kept results flat.
We rebuilt the account from the ground up so it reflected how real customers search for cars. Instead of broad campaigns doing a little of everything, we created separate groups for used cars, approved Vauxhall models, service and MOT bookings, car finance, and local searches for each town. This structure improved relevance, strengthened data quality, and gave us better control over budgets so we could invest in areas with higher intent.
Once the structure was in place, we replaced the broad terms with keywords that bring more meaningful traffic. We prioritised model-specific phrases, near me searches, and finance-based queries where customers show stronger buying signals. This shift improved the quality of clicks and drove more enquiries from people ready to take the next step.
We introduced a weekly optimisation routine that helped the account improve steadily. Each week, we reviewed search terms, updated negative keywords, adjusted bids, refined budgets, and compared performance across devices and locations. This rhythm kept spending efficient and allowed the account to react quickly to shifts in demand.
Visitors were directed to pages that matched their intent. People searching for used cars landed on stock listings, those looking for servicing arrived on the service and MOT page, and customers exploring finance options were guided to finance content with clear steps. This reduced bounce rates and improved conversion quality.
Once the campaigns had enough data, we moved selected groups to automated bidding so Google could optimise spend in real time. We also increased visibility during busy periods such as plate change months and sales weekends to capture demand when customers were most active. This ensured consistent performance throughout the quarter.
The campaigns generated 17.4k clicks, which gave the dealership consistent visibility across all major search terms.
Cost per conversion stabilised at eight pounds, which is well below typical automotive averages in the region.
Campaign efficiency improved by fifty-eight percent because of weekly optimisation and stronger keyword control.
Search term quality improved significantly, with more visitors arriving from model-specific, service-related related and finance-focused searches.
Click volume and conversions increased steadily as the algorithm learned from the new structure.
In ninety days, YellowInk helped the dealership turn paid search into a dependable channel for motivated buyers. With the right structure and regular optimisation, the account delivered more traffic, better conversions, and stronger performance at a lower cost.
If your dealership wants to increase visibility and enquiries through Google Ads, YellowInk can help you build a PPC system that delivers measurable results.
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