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Google Changes the SEM Rules Again

Scott Zagurski

Full Sticker
Jan 21, 2015
14
7
First Name
Scott
Yesterday, our SEM world did change. http://searchengineland.com/243057-243057

With no ads running on the right side of the desktop search engine results page in Google for many results, the auction has less inventory on page one. This has already started to balloon PPC prices on terms that truly create a lot of leads.

For some of us, our OEM and our Tier 2s will make this auction even more pricey. Watch your brand name dealership campaigns, watch your broad match and modified broad match PPC campaigns closely. If you don't know what these tactics are, question your provider now.

Good news, for those of us who run their own campaigns, everything will end up like the mobile results. Bad news, the small budget dealerships will not stand a chance in this new world in PPC.
 

✨ AI Highlights

Google removed right-side ads from desktop search results, reducing available ad inventory and causing PPC prices to spike for high-performing keywords—a change that particularly impacts dealership brand campaigns and broad match strategies. Scott Zagurski warns that small-budget dealerships will struggle to compete in this new landscape, while dealers managing their own campaigns may benefit from the shift toward mobile-like auction dynamics. The key takeaway is that dealers need to closely monitor their PPC spending and vendor strategies in response to these structural changes in Google's ad placement.

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