Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

A forum thread ostensibly about PPC advertising as a window into visitor behavior devolves into a prolonged personal dispute between industry commentators, with moderator Jeff Kershner stepping in to manage tensions. The original discussion touches on valuable PPC insights — including warnings about vendors inflating performance metrics using branded keywords and the importance of proper tracking — but is largely overshadowed by interpersonal conflict. The key takeaway from those staying on topic is that dealers underinvest in measuring ad performance and in training staff to convert the traffic that paid search delivers.

DealerRefresh members discuss launching their own radio show or podcast on Blog Talk Radio, inspired by Philip Zelinger's successful automotive industry show that attracts 300-500 listeners per episode. Zelinger endorses the idea and shares that success depends on quality content and distributing shows as podcasts to relevant industry contacts, while Jeff Kershner indicates DealerRefresh would consider it if resources become available. The thread suggests podcasting is a viable but time-intensive marketing channel with enthusiastic potential audience within the dealer community.

Dealers debate whether to display all available new inventory online or limit listings to only vehicles physically in stock. The consensus strongly favors transparency—showing complete inventory (both in-stock and available-for-order) generates more qualified leads than hiding vehicles, with dealers noting that consumers gravitate toward dealers with visible selection even if competitors have the exact model available.

A dealer asks for confirmation of industry standard form conversion rates (reportedly 3-7%) that were mentioned at a Digital Dealer event, and requests recommendations for reliable sources on web conversion data. The thread seeks benchmarking data to help dealers evaluate their own form and phone conversion performance against industry norms.

A dealer questions whether Yahoo email users have lower credit scores based on a Credit Karma article, prompting discussion about whether email provider could be a useful lead-scoring indicator. The consensus that emerges attributes the correlation to demographics and user retention patterns rather than causation—older email services like AOL and Yahoo retain users from earlier internet eras, so their user bases skew older and potentially less affluent, though one dealer notes anecdotal observations of Yahoo addresses among subprime leads. The thread offers limited actionable insights beyond acknowledging that email provider alone is likely too crude a metric for credit assessment.

A dealer discovers Facebook has become his #1 referrer ahead of AutoTrader and seeks to understand why and how to improve the visitor experience from that traffic. The discussion reveals that while Facebook drives significant volume, the visitors have higher bounce rates and lower purchase intent than AutoTrader referrals, but may offer longer-term value through brand awareness and friend referrals rather than immediate sales conversions.

Ryan Lucia shares a tested strategy for using a second website to gain multiple listings in Google search results: by having one website optimized for Google Places and another well-optimized site kept out of Places, dealers can potentially secure two above-the-fold listings instead of just one. He notes that Google appears to be prioritizing Places results over traditional organic listings, and observes that the algorithm's behavior is still in flux with three different result combinations currently appearing. The key insight is that maintaining separate, non-duplicate-content websites with different Places optimization strategies may help dealers capture more valuable real estate on the search results page.

A car salesman asks for feedback on creating a personal motto emphasizing his ease of doing business with customers, generating suggestions ranging from "easy going and straightforward" to branded catchphrases like "Your friend in the car business." The thread converges on the insight that a memorable, repeatable catchphrase (rather than a traditional motto) paired with customer reviews and promotional placement across digital platforms is more effective than a name alone for generating referrals and building personal brand recognition.

A dealer shares observations about Google's new local search results layout, which integrates Google Places listings more prominently into SERPs, potentially as a permanent feature if it drives revenue. The key insight is that this structural change creates a split-opportunity problem: dealerships need to optimize both organic and local search rankings separately, as high performance in one doesn't guarantee visibility in the other under this new layout.

Dealers debate whether Vauto's auto-generated inventory comments are too over-the-top and cheesy, with opinions split between those who find any comments valuable for time-constrained dealerships and those who prefer more concise, fact-based descriptions. The consensus that emerges is that the "cheese" tool works best as a starting point that dealers should customize by removing excessive exclamation points and corny language while keeping substantive details (trim, options, condition) that differentiate vehicles and appeal to specific buyer segments. Several successful approaches mentioned include having salespeople write custom comments with manager review, using the low-cheese setting and editing it further, or hiring in-house creative writers when resources allow.

Automotive professionals debate whether dealership mobile apps are a viable marketing and retention tool, with discussion centered on differentiating between pre-sales apps (better suited for OEMs or large dealer groups) and post-sales/service retention apps (seen as more valuable). A key insight emerges that service—not inventory browsing or transaction completion—represents the strongest use case for dealership apps, with GM's upcoming "Chevrolet Dealer" app cited as an industry example.

AutoTrader.com issued a fraud alert warning dealers about fake leads coming from fraudulent email domains (stregent.com, deindustry.com, httpglobal.com) using generic inquiries about vehicle availability and title status. Dealers are advised not to respond to these emails, as they do not originate from legitimate AutoTrader leads.

Automotive industry professionals discuss their experiences and takeaways from the Digital Dealer 9 Conference, with mixed feedback on session quality and content depth. While attendees praised engaging speakers like Todd Smith, Kevin Frye, and Joe Webb/Bill Playford, many criticized foundational "101-level" content and panels with limited data backing their claims. The general consensus is that the conference provided value for newer attendees and offered at least some useful insights for experienced professionals, though there's a clear need for more advanced sessions as the audience's expertise grows.

Participants enthusiastically praise the Driving Sales Executive Summit for delivering vendor-neutral, best-practice focused content without heavy sales pitches, with particular kudos for an innovation award competition judged by dealers on product merit alone. Attendees highlight the event's distinction from other industry conferences and express strong anticipation for future summits. The thread reflects broad satisfaction with both the event's content quality and the Driving Sales organization's commitment to impartiality.

Dealers discuss whether to maintain separate, dealership-exclusive websites in addition to OEM-mandated vendor sites, with consensus that while OEM sites are necessary to receive leads, many dealerships operate dual sites to maintain brand consistency and control over presentation. The key insight is that dealerships often feel forced into inferior OEM-approved platforms but continue using them as a non-negotiable requirement, though they'll adopt OEM solutions if they're actually superior to alternatives.

Dealers discuss which online vehicle listing platforms (Autotrader, Cars.com, Craigslist, eBay Motors) deliver the best ROI, with participants finding significant variation based on market, inventory price point, and vehicle type. A key insight emerges that PPC (pay-per-click) advertising consistently outperforms traditional listing sites when properly managed with localized targeting and regular optimization. The consensus stresses that testing and tracking are essential, as the most effective channel varies by dealership, geography, and make/model mix.

Marc McGurren shares a positive review of eCarlist's website and inventory management platform, praising their site design, SEO capabilities, and analytics tools, while highlighting significant growth in mobile traffic across his dealership group's nine sites. The discussion touches on the emerging importance of mobile optimization and analytics in dealer websites, with comparisons to competitors like Dealer.com and Cobalt. Marc's key takeaway is that eCarlist's mobile solution proved valuable once mobile traffic began increasing substantially, culminating in excitement about their new TrueMarket app on iPhone.

Dealers discuss Google Places' new review response feature and debate whether to focus review-generation efforts on Google Places versus third-party sites like CarFax, DealerRater, and Edmunds. The consensus that emerges is that Google Places reviews should be the priority since Google doesn't currently aggregate star ratings from other platforms, though participants note that a multi-channel approach remains important. Key actionable recommendations include: responding to all reviews (which may become a Google ranking factor), following Google's response guidelines, and establishing a plan to manage negative reviews professionally.

A new Honda salesman created a Facebook fan page branded with his dealership's name, and his dealer group president ordered him to remove it, citing brand protection concerns. Responses varied widely—some sympathized with the dealer's liability and manufacturer restrictions, while others felt the dealer was being overly controlling and should establish formal social media policies instead. The thread converged on practical compromises: using the salesman's personal Facebook page to market himself professionally, leveraging DealerRater pages (which the dealer controls), or setting up a separate professional account while maintaining personal privacy.

The thread discusses whether exceptional customer service and company reputation deliver measurable ROI, with participants concluding that "being awesome" generates returns primarily through repeat business, referrals, and customer loyalty rather than traditional metrics. A key debate emerges around whether authentic excellence must be genuinely ingrained in company culture and hiring practices (as exemplified by Zappos) or can be achieved through trained procedures, with the consensus leaning toward the importance of authentic commitment and the right people over process alone. The overarching insight is that while ROI on being awesome is difficult to quantify precisely, it's fundamentally a sound investment because it costs mainly time and effort yet creates invaluable customer advocates.

A dealer explores strategies for marketing fleet and corporate vehicle programs to local businesses, moving beyond traditional outreach to build genuine relationships with decision-makers. Contributors emphasize that authentic networking—whether through social media, local conferences, or community involvement—yields better results than direct sales pitches, with one participant noting that the depth of relationships matters more than the breadth of connections made.

Alex Snyder argues that dealer search engine marketing has evolved into a third stage requiring more sophisticated paid search strategies, noting that over half of U.S. dealerships still don't use PPC at all. The thread quickly becomes a debate about Dealer.com's 'Total Control Dominator' product, with tension over promotional comments in what was intended as a non-commercial post, ultimately resolved when Alex loosened the rules to allow product discussion. Key questions emerge about whether automated SEM tools offer real advantages over skilled manual Google Ads management for automotive dealers.