Why VDP Views Shouldn’t Be Your Primary Google Ads Conversion
Don’t Let Vanity Metrics Derail Your Strategy—Focus on Conversions That Actually Drive Leads and Sales
One of the biggest issues we see when reviewing or taking over Google Ads accounts for dealerships is this: Vehicle Detail Page (VDP) views are being tracked as primary conversions. While VDP views are useful for understanding shopper behavior, treating them as conversions can throw off your performance data and lead to poor decision-making.
Let’s break down why this matters.
1. VDP Views Show Interest, Not Intent
A true conversion should indicate a strong lead—like a completed form, a phone call, or a “Get E-Price” request. A VDP view simply means someone looked at a car’s listing—not that they’re ready to take the next step.
When you track these as conversions:
- Your results may look better than they are
- It’s harder to gauge real ROI
- It becomes difficult to compare performance across platforms
2. It Confuses Google’s Smart Bidding
Smart bidding strategies like Maximize Conversions or Target CPA depend on solid conversion data. If your account tells Google that a page view is a win, the system will optimize toward users who are just browsing—not buying.
This can lead to:
- Ad dollars spent on low-intent traffic
- Fewer real leads
- Slower performance improvement
3. There’s a Better Way to Use VDP Data
VDP views still matter—they show which vehicles people are looking at. That’s valuable for retargeting and inventory decisions. But they shouldn’t be your north star.
What we recommend: track VDP views as secondary conversions. This lets you study shopper behavior without messing with your bidding logic or muddying your reports.
Make Sure Your Conversions Match Your Goals
If your goal is to generate leads, focus your conversion tracking on actions that reflect that. Page views are part of the process, but they’re not the finish line.
Not sure if your account is set up the right way? We’d be happy to take a look and help you refocus your campaigns on the results that truly matter—form fills, chats, and phone calls.
