Vehicle Listing Ads (VLAs): A Technical Guide for Dealerships

Vehicle Listing Ads (VLAs) are essentially Product Listing Ads (PLAs) for cars. VersaFeed has been managing these since their beta launch in 2021 and has deep expertise in the unique data feeds and ad requirements they involve. If you’re facing challenges with VLAs, please contact us.

This guide provides a technical deep dive into VLAs, focusing on the challenging aspects and key differences from standard ad formats.

VLA Requirements 📋

• VIN Required: Exceptions exist, notably in the UK.
• Vehicle Type: Cars, SUVs, and trucks only.
• Geography: US, CA, AU, and UK only.
  

VLA Restrictions 🚫

• Seller Type: Must be a licensed dealership; no private sellers or auto brokers.
• Physical Location: A physical dealership is expected, though not always strictly enforced.
• Ineligible Vehicles: No ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, boats, tractors, RVs, etc.
• Prohibited Listings: No auctions, parts, or salvage titles.
  

How VLAs Differ from PLAs 🔍

• No Checkout Requirement: Full online checkout is still uncommon for dealerships, and VLAs do not require it.
• Automotive Attributes: The data feed focuses on attributes like engine, transmission, body_style, and mileage instead of retail data like size and color.
  

Local Inventory Ads (LIA) Comparison 📍

Some may be familiar with Local Inventory Ads (LIA), which let merchants list in-store products in Google Ads.

• Feed Structure: VLAs do not have a separate “inventory” feed — there is only one primary feed. The VLA feed is like a merged version of a standard product feed combined with a LIA feed.
• Repeatable Store Codes: The store_code attribute is repeatable, so a single VIN row can contain multiple store_codes if that vehicle can be shipped to different lots/dealerships.
• Google Business Profile (GBP): As with LIA, a properly configured GBP is required. Google may require your landing page links to use the GBP store_code if your pages don’t display the correct dealership/location details.
  

Other Notable Points 📌

• Vehicles can be new or used; used vehicles must include mileage.
• Display Ads: VLA campaigns may also show on the Google Display Network (GDN) which can have poor performance (consider disabling GDN).
• Landing Page Requirements: Much like LIA landing pages, VLA landing pages have some special requirements: price, mileage, VIN, and dealership name/location must be displayed.
• Price Flexibility: However, you may be able to simply have a “Check Today’s Price” button for dealers unable to list prices.
• Beyond the actual VLA feed, you will also need a Google Ads campaign that is actively managed by either an agency or a capable in-house PPC team.
  

Our Experience with VLA Data Pipelines 🛠

In practice, most dealerships’ VLA setups involve multiple vendors, creating a complex and often fragile pipeline:

1. The dealership’s internal inventory management system holds basic vehicle details.
2. Data is sent to an automotive data syndication platform (Homenet, vAuto, others) to enrich the listing with VIN-based details.
3. Enriched data is pushed to the dealership’s website platform (often not ecommerce-enabled).
4. A feed manager like VersaFeed consolidates and formats the data to meet Google’s requirements.
   

Bottom line: The data pipeline can often be messy and interconnected. Removing a vendor may seem straightforward, but it can break hidden functionality -- expect challenges during onboarding!

A Note on Other Platforms: Meta AIA 📣

Meta (Facebook) offers its own version called Automotive Inventory Ads (AIA). Dealers should evaluate these alongside VLAs for broader coverage.

VersaFeed has been working with VLAs since their beta days. If your dealership is running into feed or campaign challenges, contact us to get them solved.