For South African Workshops
Google Ads
for Mechanics
We run Google Ads for mechanics and independent workshops, built around makes, models and the jobs that fill the bays — services, repairs and roadworthy work — rather than the flood of people searching for spares, part numbers and DIY fixes. Custom pricing. No lock-in. You keep your own account.
Google Ads Certified · In Google Ads since 2020 · One specialist, not an account manager
Documented Client Accounts
Four client accounts our founder personally managed, two American and two South African. None of them is a motor workshop account, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Judge the method, then read the numbers on the results page.
What You Get
Google Ads for workshops,
run by one specialist.
A workshop wins on repeat customers and specialist work, and the account is built to find both. You deal with Vogien and Tumaini directly, every time.
Make and model campaigns
Someone searching for a Toyota service in your town is worth far more than a generic “car service” click. Your marques get their own ad groups and ads.
Parts traffic cut out
Spares, prices and part numbers surround every service keyword. They are the biggest waste in workshop accounts, and they are blocked before launch.
Repairs apart from services
Gearbox, clutch and diagnostic work is higher ticket and more urgent. It gets its own budget so routine services can’t set its price.
Every call tracked
Workshops book by phone. We track calls with a minimum duration so the bidding learns from real bookings, not wrong numbers.
You own everything
Your Google Ads account, your billing, your data. Leave whenever you like and the full history stays with you.
One workshop per area
We won’t take a competing workshop in your area. Two workshops in the same auction only raise each other’s costs.
Built For Workshops
Four kinds of workshop job.
Four different campaigns.
Most workshop accounts run one “mechanic near me” ad group — which throws away the make-and-model advantage an independent has.
01 · The repeat base
Services by make & model
Routine and major services for the marques you know best, including cars still under warranty. Brings customers back every year, and the specialist terms are far less contested.
02 · Highest ticket
Repairs & diagnostics
Gearboxes, clutches, diesel, electrical faults and warning lights. Urgent, higher value, and bid higher than a routine service.
03 · Deadline driven
Roadworthy & inspections
Pre-roadworthy repairs and pre-purchase inspections. Clear intent with a date attached, which makes it the cleanest demand in the trade.
04 · Recurring contracts
Fleet & commercial
Bakkies, delivery vehicles and small fleets. Low volume, repeat work for years, and a business buyer who compares on turnaround.
Stop Paying For These
The searches that look like
workshop jobs and are not.
This is where most of the budget actually goes. Blocked from day one.
People buying parts
brake pads price · spares · clutch kit · part number
People fixing it themselves
how to change oil · check engine light meaning · obd scanner · youtube car repair
People studying the trade
mechanic course · motor mechanic apprenticeship · trade test · automotive training
People who want a job
mechanic jobs · mechanic salary · diesel mechanic vacancies · workshop assistant
Your free audit shows you exactly which of these your current account is paying for, in rands, from your own search terms report.
Worth Knowing
Why independents should
bid on warranty work.
Since the Competition Commission’s automotive aftermarket guidelines came into effect in 2021, many owners can have in-warranty cars serviced at an independent workshop, subject to the conditions in those guidelines. A lot of owners still don’t know that, and most workshop accounts never mention it.
That makes “[make] service [your town]” one of the best-value searches in the trade. The owner is choosing between a dealer and an independent, the intent is clear, and an ad that answers the warranty question directly wins more of those clicks.
Roadworthy and pre-purchase work behaves differently again — it comes with a deadline and converts fast. For how those budgets compare, see what Google Ads costs in South Africa and our checklist of the ways Google Ads wastes budget.
Pricing
Custom pricing.
Cancel any time.
Your pricing is custom. After a free audit and a conversation about your goals, we scope a management fee around how much you want to invest — separate from your ad spend, which stays in your own account, on your own card, and we never touch it. No lock-in and no notice period.
Want numbers for your business? Try the Google Ads cost calculator: it opens pre-set for mechanics.
Questions
What workshop owners ask us.
Can an independent workshop compete with dealers on Google?
On the right searches, yes. Dealers bid on their own brand. An independent wins on specific makes in its own area, on repairs, and on roadworthy work — especially when the ad answers the warranty question directly.
Should we mention in-warranty servicing in our ads?
If you meet the conditions, it is one of the strongest things you can say. Many owners don’t know that the aftermarket guidelines let them use an independent. We would check your setup against the guidelines before putting it in an ad.
How much should a workshop spend?
Enough to be visible every weekday for your main makes and repair work in your area, rather than a little on every car search. The Google Ads cost calculator gives a starting range for mechanics, and the audit narrows it.
Do we need a website?
You need a fast page with your number, the makes you work on and a booking form. That is a lower bar than a full website. If it’s what’s holding you back, say so — it’s better to fix it than to buy clicks that land somewhere slow.
Will you work with another workshop in our area?
No. Two workshops in the same auction only push up each other’s costs.
Are we locked in?
No. Month to month, cancel any time, and the account stays in your workshop’s name.
Related Trades
Other trades we build campaigns for.
Google Ads for electricians
Certificates of Compliance, fault finding, backup power and commercial work, with Eskom and municipal searches filtered out.
Google Ads for security companies
Alarms, armed response, CCTV and fencing, with job-seeker and tender traffic blocked.
Google Ads for removal companies
Local, long-distance, office and storage moves, with bargain hunters and box shoppers removed.
Areas we cover include George, Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha, Bloemfontein, East London, Kimberley. See every area or every industry.
Free Audit
Find out how much of your
budget went to parts shoppers.
Send your details and Vogien will go through your Google Ads for mechanics personally — how much went to spares and DIY searches, which makes you are not bidding on, and whether repairs are getting the budget they deserve. Straight answer either way, or get in touch another way.
Request your free audit
For mechanics and workshops specifically.