The core mission for Excella PPC was to dramatically amplify Driveo.com’s online presence and customer acquisition efforts. Driveo.com, a prominent SaaS platform designed for local car dealers in the U.S., sought to expand its market reach and increase its sales funnel inflow.

• Increase qualified leads (calls + forms) for vehicle inquiries

• Reduce wasted spend from low-intent searches

• Scale budgets safely based on real performance signals

• Expand into stronger geographic and demographic segments

Google Ads for car dealerships demands precision. Automotive clicks are expensive, and “traffic” means nothing if it doesn’t turn into real vehicle inquiries

1) Budget Optimization (scale with control, not hope)

We started by treating the budget as a performance lever, not a fixed number.

Initial analysis + incremental increases

• reviewed historical spend patterns and which campaigns actually generated results
• identified where Driveo.com was paying for volume without meaningful lead outcomes
• increased budgets in controlled increments only after campaigns proved stable

Resource allocation based on results
As performance data matured, we shifted budget toward what consistently worked:

• more investment in high-performing keywords and ads
• reduced exposure to weak segments and low-quality searches
• phased out or rebuilt underperforming assets instead of letting them “sit and spend”

2) Data-Driven Decisions (analytics first, opinions last)

Our weekly decisions were based on real-time performance signals, not assumptions.

Advanced analytics

• monitored search queries, conversion rates, and lead quality indicators continuously
• used performance trends to pivot quickly when patterns changed
• tracked efficiency by campaign theme, keyword intent, and geo segments

A/B testing as a system
We ran structured testing cycles across:

• ad copy angles (price/value, inventory, availability, financing, urgency)
• calls to action (call now, check availability, request quote, schedule visit)
• landing page alignment to reduce drop-off after the click

This created a consistent improvement loop instead of random “tweaks.”

3) Market Expansion (capture demand at every intent level)

For Google Ads for car dealerships, growth comes from controlling intent — not simply adding more keywords.

Keyword expansion + match type strategy
We expanded the keyword portfolio to capture multiple layers of intent:

• high-intent searches (ready-to-buy, specific dealership intent)
• mid-intent searches (research + comparison)
• controlled exploration for new demand discovery

Match types were used strategically:

• tighter match for predictable performance
• broader coverage only when query quality was proven and controlled through negatives

Geographic + demographic targeting
We identified segments that delivered the best balance of:

• lead volume
• conversion rate
• lead quality

Then we leaned into the winners:

• increased bids/budgets in the most profitable regions
• reduced exposure in areas that consistently produced weak intent
• refined demographic performance to improve conversion rates and reduce junk leads

4) Continuous Query Control (where wasted spend usually hides)

Car dealership traffic can turn into “window shoppers” quickly. We maintained strict control through:

• ongoing search term reviews
• aggressive negative keyword expansion
• removing irrelevant query themes that look “automotive” but don’t convert

This kept budgets focused on real purchase intent.

After rebuilding the account structure and scaling budgets based on performance data, Driveo.com saw a clear jump in both volume and efficiency:

• Lead generation increased by 780% (more calls and form submissions from high-intent searches)

• Higher conversion rate driven by tighter keyword intent and improved ad-to-landing-page alignment

• Less wasted spend after continuous search term reviews and negative keyword expansion

• Stronger performance by region after shifting budgets toward the most profitable geographic segments

• More consistent results at scale thanks to ongoing A/B testing of ads and continuous optimization cycles

If you’re running Google Ads for car dealerships and you’re not happy with performance, contact us for a consultation. We’ll audit your account, identify what’s holding results back, and share a clear action plan to improve lead quality and increase lead volume.