Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

Christopher Reggie alerts dealers to a new Google My Business feature allowing COVID-19 update posts to inform customers of operational changes and safety measures, while Mary-Grace Wilson adds a critical follow-up: virus-related posts not using the specific COVID-19 UPDATE post type risk removal by Google. Alexander Lau calls out potential redundancy with previous discussions and questions whether promotional posts from vendor groups belong in the forum.

Joe Friedrichsen warns dealers against using Google My Business's new 'Temporarily Closed' label during COVID-19, citing serious SEO drawbacks: listings disappear from the map pack, rank below open competitors, and lose the ability to receive new reviews. A follow-up edit notes that dealers can now self-apply the label via their GMB dashboard, though it still requires support approval. The core advice remains cautionary given the ranking penalties involved.

A Cars.com presentation allegedly documents black-hat SEO tactics used by CarGurus, including cloaking, keyword stuffing, and link farms from low-quality sources. The thread discusses whether Cars.com reported CarGurus to Google, whether Google is negligent in enforcement, and whether a recent Google indexing bug may have coincidentally affected CarGurus' rankings. No definitive conclusion emerges, but participants skeptically debate whether the tactics actually caused CarGurus' reported traffic decline or if other factors (competitor complaints, Google bugs) are responsible.

Marc Lavoie argues that dealers should focus on building long-term customer relationships through simple, effective communication systems during the pandemic, emphasizing that success depends on mindset rather than marketing tools and technology. Alexander Lau responds with skepticism via a humorous video clip, and Marc takes it in stride. The thread's core insight is that dealers struggle with online marketing because they prioritize tactical elements (tools, design) over the fundamental approach needed to genuinely engage customers.

I'm unable to view the attached image/document that contains the original post about Cars.com's COVID-19 Relief Plan. To provide an accurate summary, I would need to see the actual content of what was posted. Could you share the text of the original post or describe what the relief plan entails?

A BDC manager filling in for an absent marketing manager seeks advice on boosting lead generation for a small dealership (150 sales/month) that's currently underinvesting in advertising. The thread covers various tactics including Facebook advertising, email marketing, customer journey optimization, and messaging strategy, but the strongest consensus advice is that the manager should contact the marketing manager directly to reactivate existing advertising programs rather than pursue new vendor relationships during this interim period.

Ryan Everson demonstrates how to automate Google My Business posts by using RSS.app to create feeds from existing Facebook and Instagram content, eliminating the need for manual posting. Alexander Lau counters by suggesting dedicated social media management platforms (OneUp, Sendible, SocialPilot, etc.) as a more robust alternative, though Ryan clarifies his method is specifically designed for dealerships without existing social media tools. The key insight is that dealerships have two automation paths: a free, lightweight RSS-based approach or paid all-in-one platforms depending on their current infrastructure.

Automotive dealers are experiencing a Google My Business issue where service department listings appear in search results instead of the main dealership sales listing when customers search for the dealership's branded name. While some participants attribute this to Google's algorithm favoring service listings (since most GMB calls are service-related), the original poster and others believe it's a glitch that should resolve itself; however, the issue persists weeks later with Google support unable to provide a clear fix, leaving dealers frustrated and their incoming calls potentially misdirected to service departments.

Mary-Grace Wilson from Dealer Inspire shares SEO and digital advertising strategy recommendations for dealers navigating COVID-19's impact, directing the community to resources including blog posts and instructional videos covering Google My Business optimization and trend monitoring. The key takeaway is the importance of keeping dealership information current on GMB—particularly business hours and operational changes—to communicate accurately with customers during the pandemic.

Dealership marketing professionals discuss strategies for improving display ad retargeting performance, with approaches ranging from audience segmentation by vehicle interest (e.g., Honda Accord lease viewers) and A/B testing creative variations, to a longer-term "TRR method" (Traffic, Recycle, Re-qualify) that reportedly takes 50-90 days to generate results. Key insights include that automotive retargeting typically shows low conversion rates, Facebook's effectiveness has surprised skeptics despite data quality concerns, and segmenting audiences into precise buckets enables more targeted and relevant ad delivery to improve engagement.

A dealer website vendor was caught adding over 1,000 cloned, near-identical article pages to a client's site — a black hat tactic known as 'doorway pages' — while justifying it as legitimate SEO. Industry professionals in the thread unanimously condemned the practice, with several noting they've found the same duplicate content spread across hundreds of dealer websites from major providers including Dealer.com. The key takeaway is that dealers should never buy SEO from their website provider, use tools like Copyscape to audit for duplicate content, and focus instead on genuinely unique, visitor-focused content.

Steve Stauning argues that automotive SEO vendors continue to sell smoke-and-mirrors services despite the measurability of search performance, a problem he's been calling out for over a decade. Replies from industry insiders reinforce the critique, highlighting duplicate content passed off as SEO, agency lack of accountability, and monthly content creation that exists only to check a box rather than drive real results. The key consensus is that legitimate SEO comes down to creating genuinely useful content and optimizing Google Business Profile local presence — everything else is largely theater.

Dealers debate the strengths and weaknesses of major automotive marketplaces (CarGurus, AutoTrader, Cars.com, and CarFax), with Cars.com emerging as the most favorably reviewed for offering fair pricing and dealer-friendly practices. Common complaints center on inflated pricing, unreliable metrics pushed by platforms, low-quality add-on features, and CarGurus' flawed price-rating algorithm that penalizes well-reconditioned vehicles. A key insight is that some dealers are exploring alternatives to third-party marketplaces entirely, instead investing in their own websites and SEO to reduce dependency on these platforms and become their own classified service.

Dealers discussed CarGurus' recent apology webinar led by executives, with mixed reactions to their candor and transparency efforts, but persistent skepticism about the company's broader strategy to consolidate control over the automotive retail ecosystem. The thread revealed frustration that CarGurus—like Zillow in real estate—is leveraging its platform dominance to eliminate intermediaries while still profiting from dealers, alongside separate complaints about unexpected large billing charges. The underlying sentiment was that while the apology was a positive gesture, it doesn't address fundamental dealer concerns about the company's long-term competitive positioning and business practices.

Alex Snyder highlights a Dealer Inspire article tracking how COVID-19 is affecting dealership website traffic and performance across the United States, crediting the company for providing transparent, real-time data on the pandemic's impact. The thread serves as a resource for dealership professionals to monitor website statistics and regional trends during the crisis. The key insight is that Dealer Inspire was actively documenting dealership digital performance changes during the pandemic, making this data available for industry monitoring.

The thread discusses legal restrictions in certain states (CA, TX, OH, WI) that prohibit dealers from offering monetary referral bonuses ("bird-dog" offers) to incentivize customer referrals, despite their proven effectiveness for lead generation and conversion. The original poster asks other dealers how they've successfully navigated these restrictions and solicits information about which other states have similar limitations. The thread appears incomplete, cutting off before revealing the workaround strategy one dealer supposedly used.

A dealer inquires about CarGurus' per-vehicle pricing for listing 20 used cars, frustrated that their sales rep was upselling rather than providing straightforward pricing information. Another user asks for the dealer's location (California) but no concrete pricing details or conclusions are provided in the thread excerpt. The thread highlights a common dealer frustration: difficulty obtaining transparent pricing from CarGurus without engaging in a sales conversation.

Dealers often over-invest in SEO and getting "found" while neglecting the equally critical factor of getting "chosen" through reviews and positive customer experiences. The discussion emphasizes that reviews are nearly as important as accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone) citations for local SEO success, and that a consistent process for collecting customer reviews—paired with actual operational excellence—drives measurable sales increases. The key insight is that marketing effectiveness requires both visibility and conversion: being discoverable means nothing if dealerships haven't earned customer trust through quality service and actively managed reputation building.

• Poll

A dealer marketer conducts a poll asking peers to estimate the traffic breakdown from dealer name and brand-focused paid search campaigns, noting widespread misconceptions in the industry. The poster plans to share actual data from a newly developed landing page experience that tracks consumer search behavior, suggesting their findings may challenge common assumptions about how much traffic these campaigns actually drive. The thread appears designed to gather baseline industry perceptions before revealing potentially surprising conversion and traffic insights.

A Chevy dealer in Las Vegas asks whether switching to a geo-based exact-match domain (LasVegasChevy.com) would help him rank for the keyword "Las Vegas Chevy." While one respondent enthusiastically endorses the idea, another provides a more measured perspective, noting that exact-match domains offer modest SEO benefits—primarily through improved anchor text in inbound links—but require significant ongoing effort and won't guarantee quick ranking gains. The key insight is that while geo-based domains can be a minor tactical advantage, they're not a shortcut to top rankings without substantial supporting work.

Dealers discuss the pros and cons of Clarivoy, a marketing attribution tool, with mixed opinions on its usefulness. Key concerns include its 90-day data lag being too slow for timely decision-making and inconsistent data comparability, though one user argues attribution tools are essential for understanding marketing ROI. An alternative suggestion is Driven Data, which offers faster (3-4 day old) insights and is launching its own attribution platform.

Dealers are warned that CarGurus' third-party endorsement badges on dealership websites function as lead-capture tools that redirect customers to CarGurus and competitors rather than converting them into dealer sales, a practice CarGurus has allegedly employed for over a decade. The thread reveals that some dealers are even receiving leads on CarGurus before they know inquiries have been submitted on their own inventory, with customers being simultaneously solicited by Carvana and other services. The consensus blames both CarGurus for predatory practices and dealers for lacking either the education or common sense to avoid paying for website traffic only to redirect it away from their own business.