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RPM Agency · Google Ads for automotive shops
A1 Autos is a 4WD servicing and accessories workshop based in Tweed Heads South. When we were brought in they had no Google Ads presence at all. The objective: build a predictable phone enquiry engine from scratch, tracked end-to-end so every dollar of spend could be tied to a booked job.
A1 Autos had never run Google Ads. Growth was capped by word-of-mouth and local foot traffic around the Tweed Heads workshop.
Without tracking, the business had no way to see which channels drove enquiries, meaning no way to invest in what actually worked.
Tweed Heads and the Gold Coast is a crowded 4WD market with national chains (TJM, ARB, Ironman, Pedders) and dozens of local workshops. Entering without tight strategy means burning budget fast.
Then the next 5 months were spent sharpening it. The unlock was discipline applied from day one, not bolted on after the fact.
From account creation to fully live campaigns in under 72 hours. Three campaigns launched together: a Brand campaign protecting "A1 Auto" searches, a Performance Max campaign on Maximize Conversions targeting buyers within 10km of Tweed Heads, and a non-brand Search campaign on phrase-match suspension and 4x4 keywords. Dedicated landing page built to convert enquiries, not just clicks.
Click-to-call, call tracking on the main workshop line, lead form submissions (page-load tracking on the thank-you page), and business profile integration for directions and store visits. Every phone ring was attributable from the first day of spend.
29 creative assets in a "Suspension Services" asset group running against 7 search themes: 4x4 suspension installation, 4WD lift kits, GVM upgrades, Tweed Heads 4x4 stores, auto suspension shops near me, 4x4 off-road servicing Gold Coast, and suspension specialist.
Opted out of the Search Partners Network and Display Network on the Search campaign. Set location targeting to "people in my targeted location" only, no broadcasting to anyone searching about Tweed Heads from elsewhere. Every impression was paid for with purchase intent behind it.
Over the first 3 months we progressively excluded 250+ non-buyer search terms. Categories we cut: wreckers and parts stores, competitor locations (TJM, ARB, Ironman, Pedders branch searches), exhaust-only intent, DIY and "how to" queries, blue slip / pink slip generics, and specific competitor mechanics.
After 3 months of live performance, we tightened gender targeting based on who was actually converting into booked jobs. Not an assumption, a response to the data.
Excluded 54 mobile app categories (news, social, games, shopping, travel) and 18 content labels so Performance Max wasn't serving on irrelevant inventory that couldn't produce enquiries.
Blended cost per enquiry across 1,550 tracked leads in 6 months. Well below typical automotive workshop lead costs.
Discipline applied from day one. Most accounts launch loose and try to tighten after the fact, usually after months of wasted budget. We launched tight: right geo, right audience, right conversion signals, with a negative keyword defence layered in as real search term data came through. The result was a workshop that went from zero paid acquisition to 1,550 tracked enquiries in 5 months, and a business that now has a lever it can pull the moment the diary needs filling.
Went from no paid ads at all to a phone that won't stop ringing. The diary hasn't been this full in years.Owner, A1 Autos