Ideally, an auto dealership should be running a pay-per-click campaign through Google AdWords, but what if you just don't have the staff or the time to manage an AdWords campaign? Google now offers a simplified option called Google Boost through Google Places in which you can basically "set it and forget it." Unfortunately, this platform is only available in certain markets but will eventually be offered across the country.

Once you claim your Google Place for your car dealership, you can see if Google Boost is available for your market. If it's available, all you have to do is set your budget for the month, and Google takes care of the rest. Based on the information about your dealership in your Google Place page, Google will pick keywords for which your ad will show up in the sponsored section. Just as in AdWords, you only ultimately pay for each click, and Google will automatically manage your budget to give you more impressions and clicks depending on how high you bid.

The great thing about Google Boost, especially for small dealerships with limited staff and a low advertising budget, is that you don't have to spend time picking out keywords, setting bids, writing ads, etc. Of course, on the flip side, you don't get the level of customization and targeting that you can get through managing your own AdWords campaign.

Google Boost offers both cost-effective and low maintenance search engine marketing for auto dealers.