Auto repair keywords overlap heavily with auto parts retail. 'Brake pads', 'oil filter', 'spark plugs'—these searches are dominated by DIYers buying parts at AutoZone. At $28.50 average cost per lead, every parts-shopper click adds up. Without thorough negative keywords, 25-35% of budget goes to retail, not repair searches.
Oil changes, brake repair, transmission work, and check engine diagnostics attract very different customers with different intent levels. Lumping all services in one campaign means generic ads and poor Quality Scores. A 'transmission repair' searcher needs specialist messaging, not a 'full service auto shop' ad—the mismatch kills conversions.
'Check engine light on' has high volume and urgent intent—something is wrong with the car RIGHT NOW. Yet most shops don't have dedicated campaigns for diagnostic searches. These customers need an immediate appointment to understand what's wrong, and they're much more likely to approve repairs once diagnosed.
Broad match keywords trigger your auto repair shop ads for searches like "auto repair shop jobs" and "auto repair shop salary". Without negative keywords, you're paying for clicks that will never convert.
Fix: Add comprehensive negative keyword lists and switch high-value keywords to exact match.
Your homepage isn't optimized for conversions. Auto Repair Shops who click ads expecting specific services bounce when they land on a generic page.
Fix: Create dedicated landing pages for each service with clear CTAs and matching message.
You're paying the same CPC at 3 AM as you are during peak hours. But auto repair shop searches convert differently throughout the day.
Fix: Analyze your conversion data by hour and day, then adjust bids accordingly.
Running the same ads for months means you're leaving performance on the table. Different messages resonate with different auto repair shop customers.
Fix: Run at least 3 ad variations per ad group and let Google optimize.
These keywords waste budget without delivering customers:
Retail parts shoppers, not repair customers. They're going to AutoZone, not a mechanic.
DIYers looking for YouTube tutorials, not professional service.
Parts shoppers who will change their own oil.
Career researchers and job seekers, not vehicle owners.
Parts shoppers doing their own brake job, not paying for brake service.
Two powerful tools for auto repair shops to improve your Google Ads performance