If you're on a Base Plus, Advanced, or PRO package and you’ve recently received a notice from SimplePart, or you’ve seen your Google Ads suddenly stop running, you may be dealing with a domain conflict.
This guide breaks down what that means and how it affects your parts business.
How your parts website works
When you work with SimplePart, you get a dedicated online parts website that lives on its own web address.
Typically, it looks like this:
Your main dealership website: www.yourdealername.com
Your SimplePart parts website: parts.yourdealername.com
Your parts site is built as a separate website from your main site. This helps:
Keep your branding consistent
Make it easier for customers to find your parts
Support your marketing and SEO efforts
Where things can go wrong
Many dealerships use multiple marketing agencies—for example, one for service, another for new/used car ads, and SimplePart for parts.
Here’s the issue:
Google uses a tool called Google Merchant Center (GMC) to run shopping ads
Only one company can “claim” your website domain in GMC
If another agency claims www.yourdealername.com, Google may automatically remove SimplePart’s claim on parts.yourdealername.com
This is what’s known as a lost URL claim.
When that happens, Google treats your parts site as “unverified” and immediately shuts off your parts-related ads.
How this impacts your parts business
A domain conflict can cause immediate and noticeable problems:
Your Google Shopping ads for parts stop running
Your visibility drops—customers can’t find your parts online
Traffic decreases
Online parts sales decline
Your return on ad spend (ROAS) falls off a cliff
Google sees the domain conflict as a safety or ownership issue, so your ads pause automatically.
How you’ll know there’s a problem
When Google flags a domain conflict:
SimplePart receives an alert
Our Customer Support or Dealer Strategy team contacts you
You may also notice that your Google Ads have stopped running
You won’t get this notification directly from Google—so if you hear from us, it’s because something needs attention.
What you can do to fix it
To resolve a domain conflict, there are a few options. You don’t have to choose alone! Our team will help guide you.
Option 1: Release the claim on the main domain
If another agency claimed www.yourdealername.com in GMC, they may be willing to release it so your parts ads can run again.
Your next step:
Connect SimplePart with the agency so we can coordinate directly.
Option 2: Move your parts site to a new domain
In some cases, you may choose or need to move your parts website to a new URL that isn’t tied to the claimed domain.
Example alternatives:
shop.yourdealernameparts.com
yourdealerparts.com
We’ll help guide that decision and handle the technical work.
Option 3: Have both agencies collaborate
The quickest and cleanest route is for the two agencies—yours and ours—to talk directly. This prevents misunderstandings, delays, or duplicate work.
What you should do right away
If you’ve been notified about a domain conflict:
Let your marketing representative know the issue involves Google Merchant Center.
Connect your marketing agency directly with the SimplePart CSC/Dealer Strategy team.
Avoid changing any domain or DNS settings on your own—we’ll guide you through safe options.
This speeds up resolution and reduces downtime for your parts ads.
How to prevent this in the future
A domain conflict is avoidable with good communication. Here’s how:
Let all marketing vendors know you have a SimplePart parts website
Make sure they understand that claiming your main domain in GMC can affect your parts site
Notify SimplePart before any new vendor launches Google Ads or Vehicle Listing Ads
These small steps can prevent disruptions to your e-commerce performance.
Need help?
Our in-house Client Services team is available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST to help you with any questions or issues. You can reach us in the following ways:
👉 Submit a request through this support form
📞 Call us at 1 (888) 843-0425
📧 Email us at support@simplepart.com
We’re ready to help you get the most out of your SimplePart experience!