The way people shop for cars nowadays has been greatly changed. It used to be that you would go to a car dealers and make a deal in person but now the first step is usually doing research on a phone. Google’s data shows that the number of car buyers doing research online is double at the dealer and also 95% of buyers of cars use digital channels as their main source of info.
Maybe the most important shift is the increase of intention-driven searches. The global searches for “available near me” have risen more than 100% year on year.
Even with these figures, a lot of dealerships still invest the largest part of their marketing budget in broad-reach TV, radio, and billboards. Although these media channels effectively create brand awareness, they are often not able to reach the ”low hanging fruit”, that is, the highly interested customers who are at the moment actively searching for a car.
Local SEO is the solution for connecting those people searching on mobile devices with your unit sales floor.
This article describes how local search dominance can be achieved. Thus, mastering Google Maps SEO and driving more qualified traffic to your lot is only a matter of time after you have claimed your Google Business Profile and thoroughly reviewed the steps in between and beyond.
What is Local SEO for Car Dealers?
Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the systematic approach of making your dealership more visible online so that you get listed in the local search results. The main target is to be among the three business listings that are featured with a map in the so-called Google ”Map Pack” at the very top of the search results.
Why It Matters
There is a profound difference in the searcher’s mindset when it comes to local search. A search for “Ford dealer near me,” or “used SUVs in [City Name]” is definitely more than just browsing. It is almost like the searchers are already halfway in the showroom, working their way to a test drive or purchase.
In addition, organic local traffic is extremely efficient in terms of costs. Sure, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns work and can bring quality traffic, but they get very costly in the automotive field rapidly. A good ranking (organic) in the Map Pack means a constant inflow of potential customers that are not accompanied by expensive clicks.
The “Map Pack” vs. Organic Blue Links
For the users of mobile devices, the Map Pack is the best location. It uses most of the screen space and pushes the standard blue links of organic search down below the fold. So if your business is the first to be found among the organic listings but is not in the Map Pack, you are practically unseen to a huge number of car buyers that come with a mobile-first mindset.
The Engine of Local SEO: Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile (previously called Google My Business) is like a motor that keeps driving your local presence forward. Just having a listing will not suffice; the listing should be optimized aggressively.
Claiming and Verifying
The very first thing you have to do for Google Maps SEO is to take control of the listing. If you have not done so, claim your profile and go through the process of verification (most often via postcard, phone or video verification). This action not only confirms your existence to Google but also marks your business as a working enterprise.
The NAP Rule
Being consistent in your dealings with local search is like having a good credit history. You have to be certain that your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are the same everywhere on the internet.
Most commonly, dealerships allegedly commit the error of adding call-tracking numbers to the main phone line section of their Google Business Profile. Although having tracking is very important, however, if the number is different from your website and other directories, then the Google algorithm gets confused. Always put your local, direct showroom number as the primary phone number. If you want to include a tracking number, then go ahead use “additional phone” fields.
Categories Matter
Google lets you choose from one primary category and several secondary categories. This is a serious ranking factor.
- Primary Category: Be specific. If you are a franchise dealership store, then instead of simply calling yourself a “Car Dealer,” state more specifically “Toyota Dealer” or “Ford Dealer.”
- Secondary Categories: Add a range of categories like “Used Car Dealer,” “Auto Repair Shop,” “Oil Change Service,” and “Car Finance and Loan Company” to be found by different kinds of searches.
Visuals Sell
It is a known fact that cars are a highly visual item. Therefore, your profile must be mirrored with the top quality of your stock. Take photos in high resolution and post them of your showroom, your team, the waiting area for customers, and the outside of the building. It has also been said that those Profiles Google are regularly updated with new visual content are favored by the algorithm.
Google Posts
Don’t hesitate to post every week using the Update feature of your profile. Think of this as a very short blog. Announce coming of new stocks, service specials, or community involvement. Besides that, you will be able to engage directly with your knowledge panel through these posts and will send out activity signals to Google.
Building Authority with Local Citations
Citations refer to references to your car dealership’s name, address, and phone number on other sites – the more, the better. Besides that, citations serve as “location-data confidence votes” for your business.
Automotive Specifics
Yelp and YellowPages are examples of popular directories. But, for a car dealer, industry-specific citations are more valuable. Make sure your dealership is listed correctly on:
- DealerRater
- Cars.com
- Autotrader
- Edmunds
- CarGurus
The Consistency Audit
If your service center uses a different address and phone number than your sales department do you correctly set the difference online? You could easily undermine your Google rankings with inconsistent data. Get your citations reviewed and checked whether they are in line with your Google Business Profile. Not even the smallest variation (e.g., “St.” vs. “Street”) is without its consequences.
The Power of Social Proof: Managing Online Reviews
Google explicitly states that one of the three main pillars of local ranking (alongside Relevance and Distance) is “Prominence”. Review count and average star rating are arguably the biggest drivers of prominence.
The Conversion Factor
Besides rankings, a good review reputation affects the conversion rate. According to the recent data from BrightLocal, 42% of consumers look at reviews and trust them as much as a personal recommendation from family or a friend. If you have a rating of 4.8 stars, a dealership will most likely win the click from its competitor with a 3.5-star rating, even if the competitor ranks higher in the search results.
Acquisition Strategy
You cannot rely on luck to give you the reviews that you want. You should set up a system to generate them.
- Automation: Get hold of a software that can send automatic follow-up emails or text messages after a service or car sale.
- The “Handshake” Ask: Salespeople can be trained to ask customers for a review personally as they are still at the lot before they are allowed to drive off. It is a well-known fact that the highest conversion rates result from asking at the time of peak excitement.
Response Strategy
You must respond to every review.
- Positive Reviews: Greet the customer by name and thank them for coming in. Mention the model, and type of vehicle that they purchased (e.g. “We trust you have something to enjoy your new F-150 with!”). This will bring the product terms into your profile.
- Negative Reviews: Timeliness is crucial. You should acknowledge the problem, apologize if you are at fault or even if it is really complicated to determine the fault, then immediately take the offline conversation (e.g., “Directly call the General Manager at…”). 63% of purchasers still expect to be answered within 7 days so monitoring/reading reviews at least once a day is a must.
On-Page Optimization: Tuning Up Your Website
Your Google Business Profile will get you listed on the map, but your website is what will keep you there.
Mobile-First Indexing
Google utilizes mobile-first indexing with the result that it actually ranks sites based on the mobile version of them. Assuming that this is the reason why most car buyers use their phones for searching, there is no question that your site has to be optimized for keeping up with the fast rhythm of the mobile users, which include responsiveness and speed. The longer your inventory pages take to load, the higher your users’ bounce rate will be, which will have a negative effect on your rankings.
Localized Content
When your dealer group is multi-roof or in various locations in different cities, consider creating ‘Location… (etc.)
Moreover, compose articles relevant to your neighborhood such as “Best Scenic Drives near [City Name]” or “Guide to [City Name] Parking Rules” as signals to Google of your local relevance, aside from representing just another faceless corporation.
Keyword Integration
Try to incorporate local keywords naturally into your main headings (H1), meta tags (a description), and text of the content. For instance, instead of simply using the heading “Used Cars for Sale,” you are better off saying “Used Cars for Sale in [City Name].” However, be careful as to not overdo it and your content should not sound like a robot.
Schema Markup
Schema markup is a semantic vocabulary of tags that is added to HTML in order to improve the way search engines read and represent the page in SERPs. It is essential for car dealerships to employ AutoDealer or LocalBusiness schema.
Such markup communicates to Google details such as store hours, availability of inventory, and different departments (Sales versus Parts), using the language that Google perfectly understands.
Tracking Success: Under the Hood
You can only make yourself better if you first measure what you have.
Google Business Insights
Google provides an extensive range of data that can be found right in your profile dashboard. Look out for:
- Direction Requests: It is a very high intent metric for those that want to visit your store.
- Website Clicks: This gives a number of visitors who have taken a step from the map to the website.
- Calls: Calls directly coming from the listing are being counted here.
UTM Parameters
Google Analytics has one flaw, and that is the fact that most of the time it mixes map traffic with “direct” and generic “organic” traffic. And thus by adding UTM parameters to the website link in your Google Business Profile you solve the problem in this way.
So, if you were to take this route, your main URL should be followed by something like this “?utm_source=google_profile&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=maps”, for instance. Thanks to this you will be able to know not only the volume of the traffic coming through your SEO efforts on Google Maps but also the number of conversions.
Rank Tracking Tools
Searching by hand only gives you personalized results that are not accurate. Use the facilities of tools such as BrightLocal or Whitespark in order to keep track of your actual ranking positions in different geographic locations (zip codes) for the keywords such as “Car Dealer” or “Oil Change”.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to see results from Local SEO?
Local SEO is considered to be a long run game rather than a short run one. In fact, some changes such as switching categories can brand you at the map pack in almost no time at all; however, it commonly requires at least up to 6 months of continuous work.
Do I need to run ads to rank in the Map Pack?
No. Ranking organically in the Map Pack does not require you to pay. Though, it is worth mentioning that Google also allows you to feature a paid listing of ”Local Search Ads” at the very top of the map results. Combining both paid and organic efforts can help you maximize your brand exposure but the organic ranking can stand on its own just fine.
How do I handle fake reviews?
You are not able to delete reviews yourself but you can always flag a review that you think is inappropriate and request its removal from Google. When such a situation arises, you will have to demonstrate that the review is in breach of the content policies laid out by Google (for instance if it comes from a conflict of interest or it is spam). During the time of waiting for the review to be taken down by Google, you may leave a composed and professional comment saying that you have checked with your records and there is no customer by that name.
Conclusion
Doing local SEO for car dealers cannot be left to set and forget. The automotive industry is very competitive and besides that, Google’s algorithm is constantly changing. A Map Pack leader relies on a steady stream of positive customer reviews, accurate and up-to-date information, and high-quality local content.
Still, the price is worth the fight. By preparing yourself for the “near me” search phrase, you make sure that your dealership is right inside the buyer’s radar.
You can start right now by performing a simple self-audit of your Google Business Profile. Are your categories right, are your photos enough, and is your NAP consistent? Most likely, the very next time you make a big sale will be just the result of a map search.
