Guides · Google Ads

Are Google Ads too expensive for an auto repair shop?

Every month the Google bill gets bigger, and you're not sure it's worth it. Here's how it played out at our sample shop, the way a mechanic works a car: concern, cause, correction, verification.

1

The concern

Nate's Google bill had crept up to $1,600 a month. He was ready to shut the ads off.

Bar chart of auto repair Google Ads return by service showing brakes earn 9 dollars per dollar and oil change ads lose money
Some services pay for themselves many times over.
2

The cause

Nolavi followed each ad to the bank deposit. Brake ads brought in $9 for every $1 spent. Tire ads brought in $2. Oil change ads lost money once you counted the discount.

Nolavi marketing idea to move auto repair ad budget from oil changes to brake repair
One idea, with the math, ready for a tap.
3

The correction

We moved the oil change budget to brakes and alignments and kept tires only on weekends, when tire searches peak.

4

The verification

The bill stayed the same, but sales from ads went from $8,900 to $13,700 a month. Nolavi shows it every Monday, by service.

Auto repair shop Google Ads results before and after moving budget: same spend, higher sales
Verified against real deposits.

Example shop. Nate's Auto Repair is Nolavi's sample shop with made up numbers. The steps are exactly how Nolavi works on a real shop's data.

Questions

Quick answers.

How much should a repair shop pay per customer on Google Ads?

It depends on the job. A $500 brake job can afford more than a $50 oil change. Look at profit per job, not just cost per click.

Should I turn off my Google Ads?

Not before you know which services they pay for. Usually some ads earn a lot and a few waste most of the money.

Keep reading

See it on a sample shop.

Open the demo and find this kind of problem yourself in a minute. Or book your 14 day free trial: it starts with a quick call, and we set it all up and fit it to your shop.

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