How is AI shaping
Paid Search.

How is AI shaping Paid Search?

Green Line Digital POV on Google’s AI Max for search.

Artificial intelligence continues to transform digital marketing, and Google’s latest roll out, AI Max for Search, is one of the clearest signals yet of where paid search is heading. Rolled out globally in May 2025, AI Max layers new AI-powered capabilities onto existing Search campaigns.

At Green Line Digital, we see AI Max as more than just another optional feature. It’s a preview of how Google intends to evolve Search campaigns in the years ahead.

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What is AI Max for search?

AI Max is not a brand-new campaign type. Instead, it’s a suite of AI-driven enhancements that can be switched on within existing Search campaigns. With AI Max, Google takes a larger role in shaping results: targeting can expand beyond keywords, ads can be customized on the fly, and final URLs can be swapped dynamically to better match user intent.

The result? Campaigns that can reach further and adapt faster—but also campaigns that require more oversight to ensure they’re driving toward the right outcomes.

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Our POV: Evolution, not just “Features”

Google describes AI Max as “added features,” but our view is different: this is the direction of paid search. Just as Performance Max evolved from optional to essential, we expect AI Max to gradually become the default way campaigns are managed.

That doesn’t mean keywords no longer matter. Traditional search campaigns still take priority when a query matches one of your existing keywords. For now, AI Max works alongside your search efforts, complementing, not replacing them.

The real value is in the flexibility and the insights it provides. By letting AI into your search campaigns, you can get custom search ads for each search- many of which you wouldn't even have thought of! Between keywordless targeting, location-based interest targeting, and dynamic creative pulled directly from client websites. AI Max also gives us visibility into which headlines resonate, which landing pages convert, and how Google interprets a brand’s digital footprint. Those insights can shape not just campaign performance but broader marketing strategy.

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How to approach AI Max.

Our recommendation is to test deliberately. Start by layering AI Max onto existing campaigns that have a smart bid strategy in place (Max conversions or Max conversion value). Double-check that your landing pages make sense, exclude irrelevant URLs, and maintain strong negative keyword strategies to protect your budget.

Monitoring is critical, especially since Google’s AI can (and will) expand reach beyond your existing keyword set to find new potential customers. By staying close to the data, you’ll know when AI is adding value and when it’s not.

If you’re hesitant, consider running AI Max within an experiment campaign first. Google has also begun offering more transparency into reporting, making it easier to see what pages are being used, what creative was generated, and what keywords were matched. Those levers give advertisers more confidence as they test.

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The takeaway.

AI Max for Search represents a shift toward AI enhanced paid search, and we believe it’s only the beginning. While traditional search campaigns remain important today, the brands that start experimenting now will be best positioned when AI-driven targeting inevitably becomes the norm.

At Green Line Digital, our approach is the same as it was with Performance Max: test early, learn quickly, and apply insights before the market catches up.

The future of paid search is AI-powered. The time to prepare is now.

Green Line Automotive joins as a Shift Preferred Provider for General Motors Canada.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

Green Line Automotive to Offer Comprehensive Digital Marketing Services to GM Canada Dealers Through Shift Digital Preferred Partner Program.

Rolling Meadows, IL – October 7, 2025 – Green Line Automotive, a leading provider of digital marketing solutions for automotive dealers, is proud to announce that it has been added as a Shift Digital Preferred Provider for General Motors Canada’s dealer marketing program. Through this collaboration, Green Line Automotive is now an approved vendor for a full suite of digital services tailored to meet the needs of GM Canada dealers.

As part of this partnership, Green Line Automotive (www.gldauto.com) will offer participating dealers a robust lineup of digital marketing solutions, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Paid Search, Social Media Advertising, Streaming Television (OTT/CTV), and more integrated services designed to improve digital visibility and drive in-store traffic.

“We’re thrilled to be selected as a Shift preferred provider and excited to help GM Canada dealers grow their digital footprint with modern, performance-driven strategies,” said Brent Rogers, Founder and Partner at Green Line Automotive. “Our mission is to make digital advertising more accessible, transparent, and results-focused—backed by real-time reporting and dealership-first service.”

Green Line Automotive brings years of experience in the North American automotive space, supporting OEMs, regional groups, and individual rooftops with cutting-edge digital strategies that align with today’s car buyer journey. The new partnership with Shift allows GM Canada dealers to seamlessly onboard Green Line’s services through a program built to scale performance and efficiency.
For more information about Green Line Automotive’s services or to enroll through the Shift program, visit www.gldauto.com or email gmcanada@greenline.nyc

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About Green Line Automotive:

Green Line Automotive is a digital advertising agency created for automotive dealerships. Our mission is to deliver tier-one automotive advertising expertise, technology, and service to tier-three dealers. We give you an advantage over your competition by giving every dealership the best in technology, coupled with a fully customizable approach.

See our premier services at gldauto.com such as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or contact us at info@greenline.nyc or 833-GLD-CARS.

Facebook: @greenlinedigitalauto
Instagram: @greenlinedigitalauto
LinkedIn: Green Line Digital Auto

Why doesn’t my website show up in AI searches?

One of the biggest questions we’re hearing from dealers and marketers today is: 

“Why doesn’t my website show up for AI searches—on tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or other large language models (LLMs)?” 

It’s a valid concern. As more dealerships explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) fits into their marketing, visibility in these emerging AI-driven search experiences is becoming just as important as visibility on Google.

But the real question isn’t just why your website doesn’t show up. Instead, it’s: 

“Why do website and CMS providers block LLMs and AI tools from crawling in the first place?”

Why websites get blocked from AI tools.

Most dealership websites are managed through a Content Management System (CMS) such as Dealer.com, Dealer eProcess, or Dealer Inspire. These providers often block bots—including crawlers used by LLMs like ChatGPT—for two primary reasons:

1. Protecting Analytics Data
   Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and other reporting platforms rely on accurate user behavior data. If automated bots are allowed to crawl freely, they inflate traffic, skew engagement metrics, and disrupt conversion tracking. That means you can’t clearly separate real shoppers from automated bot activity—leading to poor marketing decisions.

2. Conserving Server Resources
   Every visit—human or bot—uses server resources like CPU, bandwidth, and memory. Allowing unlimited bot crawling can slow down websites, damage SEO performance, and even cause downtime. By default, CMS providers block these crawlers to keep dealership websites fast and available for real customers.



This isn’t unique to AI tools—it’s the same reason some providers block marketing software like SEMrush or Ahrefs unless you specifically request access.



The solution: LLM.txt for dealership websites.

So, how can you make your website accessible to AI without opening the floodgates to all bots?



Enter LLM.txt—a new solution designed specifically for AI tools and large language models.



Think of it like this:

• XML sitemaps help Google understand your website’s structure for search indexing.
• LLM.txt is a specialized sitemap for AI tools.

Instead of crawling every page (and overloading servers), LLM.txt provides AI with a curated map of your website—pointing to the most important and relevant content.



This gives ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI models structured access to your dealership’s key information (inventory pages, service specials, financing details, etc.) without disrupting analytics or performance.

Why this matters for dealerships.

AI-driven search is already influencing how consumers research and shop for vehicles. If your dealership’s website isn’t optimized and accessible for these tools, you risk falling behind competitors who are embracing AI visibility today.

By working with your CMS provider—or a digital marketing partner—you can implement strategies like LLM.txt to:

• Increase AI visibility – Make sure your dealership appears in AI-powered search results.
• Protect performance – Maintain clean analytics and fast site speed.
• Future-proof your marketing – Stay ahead of where search and consumer research are headed.

Final takeaway.

Website providers aren’t blocking AI tools to keep you invisible—they’re protecting site performance and analytics. The key is finding the balance between safeguarding your website and opening the right doors for AI.



For dealerships, now is the time to ask:

• Is my website accessible to AI search tools?

• Do I have an LLM.txt strategy in place?
• Am I future-proofing my digital marketing for AI-driven search?



Those who take action now will lead the next wave of automotive digital marketing.

Everything you need to know from the 2025 Google Marketing Live event.

This year’s Google Marketing Live event was once again all about AI. It has become a central focal point in not only the search results, but also in tools & tactics Google continues to roll out on Google Ads. With over 3 hours of information, what’s the stuff you need to know?

Here are our key takeaways and thoughts on next steps for our clients.

Be where your customers are. The customer journey from discovery to decision has changed and will continue to change.

• Ensure you have a full funnel approach and proper channel allocation to reach customers where they are.
  • While Google might want you to put all your dollars in their suite of products (they’re calling PMAX + Demand Gen + AI Max, the “Power Pack”), the real takeaway is to build awareness (video, display, programmatic), influence consideration (Meta, TikTok, and even Demand Gen), and drive decision making (Search, PMAX, Shopping).
• YouTube is more important than ever, and is still the #1 streaming service. With the amount of time spent, and the research that consumers conduct on YouTube, they are implementing new shoppable experiences.
  • What you need to think about is making sure you are in the space with great video content. Ensure you have videos in all sizes, lengths and orientations and that your messaging aligns with other media in market

• Incrementality testing: Previously only available for large spending accounts, Google Ads will allow you to see what’s truly driving conversions with lower budgets (~$5,000) - across all campaign types
• Cross-channel budgeting tools and attribution in GA4: Google is rolling out core new features to help marketers plan budgets cross-channel, as well as updates to attribution tools to include more social platforms, to give us a lot more visibility into where we should put your ad dollars for optimal effectiveness

AI MAX & Integrated Ads In AI Mode Are Here

The most important change that is here, and likely to stay, is AI Max for search campaigns. This is a new campaign type that can be used alongside PMAX. Our team feels that AI Max will likely replace traditional search over time.

So what really is it?

• Keywordless targeting allowing Google the ability to explore and match to broader queries to find your customers
• Real time asset creation based on URLs and existing creative
• Transparency into headline and landing page performance all in one place
• Google’s full details here

Another key feature that we’ve been anticipating for a while is Integrated Ads in AI mode. Google’s now showing Search and Shopping ads inside AI Overviews, allowing you to connect with potential customers during their research. If you’re running campaigns like Performance Max, Shopping, or broad match, you’re automatically eligible for these new placements.

Google has heard advertisers and is developing more tools for controls, new customer acquisition, and transparency.

• PMAX Channel Reporting - you can read more about that in our earlier blog post on the latest updates to Performance Max Reporting
• More prospecting controls are coming:
  • PMAX: The screenshot shared during the talk showed exclusions for customer lists, which we are amped for! What this means is we’ll have more campaign controls to exclude users who have recently searched for or interacted with your brand.
  • Demand Gen: New customer acquisition goal coming soon!
  • There’s no action needed for these, your teams are waiting to see what and when the features are released and will take action as needed.
• New tools:
  • Asset Studio in Google Ads: Create assets and variations for images and video directly in platform with Google AI.
  • Merchant center features: A/B title experiments, video hub that pulls from social & web and can easily sync to Google Ads, optimize images from feeds

So what’s next?

We’re most excited about the new prospecting tools, transparency and control tools that are rolling out. But we are testing into AI Max to be ready for key changes. Need help adapting to the new state of Paid Search? Let’s connect.

Is your agency counting VDP views as a conversion?

One of the most common mistakes our Paid Search specialists find when inheriting or auditing a Google Ad account is that Vehicle Detail Page (VDP) views are being marked as primary conversions. While knowing how many VDP views you are driving throughout the marketing process is important, counting them as a conversion can harm your ad account and sway the decisions you make based on the data you are seeing. Here’s why.

1. VDP Views Are Engagements, Not Conversions

Conversions should represent lead opportunities such as a form submission, a call, or a “Get E-Price” request. While a VDP view has its place in consumers submitting a lead, it is not a signal of high intent.

Counting VDP views as conversions can create a false sense of success. Your campaigns may appear to perform well because users are clicking around and browsing, but these actions may not translate into actual leads or sales.

This makes it harder to:

- Measure true ROI
- Compare across channels
- Make informed marketing decisions

2. It Skews Smart Bidding and Optimization

With Google’s rollout of Performance Max campaigns, their automated bidding strategies like Maximize Conversions, Maximize Conversion Value or Target CPA are becoming more popular than ever before. These campaigns (and any campaign type using automated bidding strategies) rely on your account’s conversion data to make real-time decisions. If you’re feeding the algorithm VDP views as conversions, you’re telling Google to optimize for people who simply look at cars, not people who are ready to buy them. While Google is smart, it will go after the path of least resistance and VDP Views are low-hanging fruit compared to a lead form.

This can lead to:

- Wasted budget on low-intent traffic
- Fewer true leads
- Less efficient ad spend

3. Better Ways to Track VDP Interest

VDP views are still valuable—they tell you what inventory is attracting attention and can help you refine your merchandising and retargeting strategies.

What do we do at Green Line? Our team imports VDP Views (asc_item_pageview) as secondary conversions. This way, we can still analyze the data without influencing bidding strategies or skewing the reports.

Your Google Ads conversions should reflect your business goals. If your goal is to generate leads or sales, then use those actions as your conversion signals and treat VDP views as supporting metrics—not success metrics. Are you curious how your conversions are being measured? Schedule an audit with our team and find out how to start getting more hard conversions (form fills, chats and phone calls).

Utilizing Performance Max for Conquesting Local Dealerships

Targeting your competition in traditional paid search has always been a costly and low-converting strategy. If you've tried it before, you know that competing requires a substantial budget. Bidding on competitors' names is expensive due to low relevance, driving up costs without guaranteeing results. Beyond the financial burden, many OEMs regulate and discourage this practice.

Knowing this, we decided to test a new way to target competitors by utilizing audience signals in Performance Max campaigns.  In our approach, we started with all applicable assets (feeds, images, video, text) enabled, a competitive incentive offer, and coupled that with a max conversion bid strategy.

 The audience signal that we created was a mix of search themes and a custom-built segment.  While this approach doesn’t directly target the competitor, we can utilize the power of Google’s audience signals to find people related to / interested in our competitors. 

After some initial testing, our data shows that Performance Max campaigns targeting competitor audiences captured nearly double the clicks at a similar cost. CPCs were about 54% lower, contributing to a nearly 93% lower CPA for calls/form fills than on search.
 
We think the reason is twofold:

1. Performance Max campaigns serve on several additional Google Products, which helps to expand the campaign's reach and reduce CPCs while improving Conversion Rate.  
2. Audience Signals help find related customers based on their behaviors, where they are more likely to convert.
   

Based on our testing, if conquesting is an area of focus for your automotive dealership, we would recommend testing into a conquesting audience signal on Performance Max instead of a traditional paid search campaign.

Google Ads Introduces Channel Performance Reporting in Performance Max

Google announced its latest improvement to its Performance Max campaigns - deeper insights into channel performance. These insights will allow our Paid Search specialists optimize campaigns and achieve better results for our clients.

Top 3 Takeaways from Google’s Performance Max Update

1. Channel-Level Insights: You can now view how each Google channel (Search, YouTube, Display, etc.) contributes to your ad performance— giving us the ability to optimize creative for each channel

2. Full Search Terms Visibility: Access to detailed search term reporting lets you refine targeting and creative to better align your ads with customer intent.

3. Deeper Creative Analytics: Get performance data on individual ad assets so you know exactly which visuals and messages drive results.

Channel-Level Performance Reporting

Channel-level performance reporting in Performance Max will allow digital advertisers to see how their campaigns perform across different Google platforms, including Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail, Discover, Maps, and Search partners. This will allow our team to identify which channels are driving conversions and create strategies to improve lower-performing channels. While the reporting will break down each channel’s performance, you cannot opt out of running ads in a specific channel or allocate more/less budget to a specific channel. 

Enhanced Search Terms Reporting

Performance Max does not currently use keywords to serve ads. While that is not changing, they are giving advertisers more information around the keywords consumers are searching that trigger Performance Max ads. This will allow us to improve our negative keyword strategy (another recent enhancement of Performance Max Campaigns) to exclude irrelevant traffic and improve ad copy to better match customer intent.

 

Detailed Asset Reporting

Google is now sharing more data on how each asset used in the Performance Max asset group is performing. Having a better understanding of the CTR and which assets are converting will help your digital agency create high-performing assets that resonate with your target audience. 

Diagnostic Tools for Optimization

Google has also rolled out diagnostic tools to help identify issues affecting specific channel performance. Having this tool will allow quicker identification and a faster solution to get ads back up and running as planned.  

What’s Next

While Google announced these updates, they are not fully available in all ad accounts. Green Line Automotive aims to optimize our digital automotive strategies, improve customer engagement, and drive better business outcomes. We look forward to implementing these tools for our Automotive Paid Search clients and sharing our experiences in future updates.

 

What Google’s Q1 2025 Algorithm Updates Mean for Auto Dealers

Did you notice dips in your organic search traffic to your dealership website in Q1? Google’s latest algorithm updates made a big impact that will require you to adjust your current SEO strategy. Here’s a breakdown of what changed — and what it means for dealerships like yours.

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1. Local Intent Signals Are Stronger Than Ever

Google is placing even more emphasis on hyperlocal signals to serve users better. For dealerships, this means:

• Having accurate and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) details across the web is critical.
• Google is prioritizing businesses with strong local citations, user-generated content (like reviews), and proximity-based relevance.
• “Near me” searches are even more tailored to real-time location and user intent, so Local SEO matters more than ever.

What you should do: Ensure your Google Business Profile is fully optimized, frequently updated (our Google Posting Tool can help!), and packed with high-quality photos and features, current sales and service offers.

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2. Content Quality and Topical Authority

Google’s March 2025 Core Update focused heavily on content usefulness and topical depth. Thin, repetitive content is being de-ranked in favor of in-depth, informative, and well-structured material.

For dealerships, this means it’s no longer enough to list cars and prices — your site should answer:

• What are the benefits of leasing vs. buying this model?
• How do hybrid and EV models compare?
• What maintenance tips apply to your vehicle lineup?

What you should do: Build out useful and updated content that addresses real customer questions  — FAQs, vehicle comparisons and backend structured data will help your content go further. Our Content Marketing for Automotive approach helps separate you from the competition. 

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3. Page Experience Updates (Especially Mobile)

Google’s updated Page Experience signals now place more weight on mobile usability, page speed, and interactive elements. Clunky, outdated dealership websites are likely to lose ground to faster, mobile-first competitors.

What you should do:

• Optimize for fast load times, especially on mobile.
• Make CTAs (like “Book a Test Drive” or “Get Financing”) easy to tap and not blocked by other website features such as Chat tools.
• Ensure that inventory search and form submissions are easy to use on phones.
• Reduce intrusive interstitials, such as pop-ups, to encourage faster load times and fewer layout shifts.

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4. AI-Generated Content Scrutiny

As AI-generated content floods the web, Google has refined its algorithm to favor content that shows clear signs of human oversight and expertise.

What you should do: Even if you're using AI tools to help generate content, review and personalize it. Add real dealership insights, customer stories, and photos from your actual location to build trust and authority.

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5. Video and Visual Search Integration

Video results are showing up more often in mobile search and Google Discover. Google’s AI is also better at understanding video content context.

What you should do: Create short videos highlighting your vehicle features, dealership tours, or service center tips. Post them on YouTube, embed them on your site, and optimize titles and descriptions with local keywords. You can also use these videos in your paid digital media as well! Google Performance Max campaigns also support YouTube short video content. 

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Key Takeaways

The Q1 2025 Google updates focus on authenticity, user intent, and localized relevance. For auto dealerships, that means it’s time to:

• Refresh your content strategy
• Polish your local SEO
• Enhance mobile experiences
• Show real human value behind your digital presence

Want to make sure your website ranks well in 2025? Contact us today for a free digital audit or schedule a meeting to learn more about our Search Engine Optimization strategy. 

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Green Line Automotive Becomes Audi of America After Sales Digital Agency of Record

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rolling Meadows, IL- (April 29th, 2025) - Green Line Automotive has been selected as the Agency of Record for Audi of America After Sales Tier One National Digital Media. Green Line created two custom websites, https://audidealeroffers.com/ and https://auditechnicians.com/, and is running paid media to support Audi’s initiatives. 

Green Line Automotive is working with AoA After Sales in two key areas of its business: promoting Audi Dealer Service Offers and assisting Audi Dealerships with their Technician Recruitment efforts. Audi Dealer Offers, https://audidealeroffers.com/, allows Audi Dealers to upload service offers and promotes having Audi owners service their vehicle at an Audi Service Center. Green Line is running biddable media to help promote the website and assist consumers in finding an Audi Dealership close to them as a complimentary Tier One strategy to what individual Audi Dealerships are running. 

The Audi Technician Recruitment website, https://auditechnicians.com/, has a main goal of collecting technician applications of varying skill levels and serving as a resource for participating dealerships to fill open technician roles. Green Line is running regional ads on Meta to drive traffic and applications to the site.

“The team at Green Line is so excited to be a Tier One partner for another great brand. Working with Audi of America After Sales to develop and promote these sites has been wonderful. We are happy to be a part of such great resources to their Dealerships and to the Audi consumers,” said Brent Rogers, Vice President and Managing Partner of Green Line Automotive.

Green Line Automotive provides industry-leading insight on digital marketing efforts, specifically tailored to each client’s needs. From strategies such as SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Video & First Party Data Integrations, there are multiple avenues for every dealership to engage with their target audience.

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About Green Line Automotive
Green Line Automotive is a digital advertising agency created for automotive dealerships. Our mission is to deliver tier-one automotive advertising expertise, technology, and service to tier-three dealers. We give you an advantage over your competition by giving every dealership the best in technology, coupled with a fully customizable approach.

For more information on GREEN LINE AUTOMOTIVE:

See our premier services at gldauto.com such as Automotive Search Engine Optimization or contact us at info@greenline.nyc or 833-GLD-CARS.

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