Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

Joe Friedrichsen shares 10 actionable Google My Business optimization tips for car dealerships heading into 2020, emphasizing that GMB is a free and widely underutilized tool for driving website traffic and customer engagement. A key debate emerges around how many GMB listings a dealership should maintain, with one expert recommending separate listings per department and another arguing that one sales listing plus a combined service-and-parts listing (plus a third for body shops) is the more manageable and effective structure. Practitioners also highlight GMB messaging as a strong source of service leads and note that the Products tab rollout remains inconsistent across listings.

Dealers discuss best practices for optimizing vehicle inventory search functionality, with focus on filters, sorting, and homepage query options. Key insights include: instant filter results dramatically improve engagement (33-37% increase in filter usage and deeper page browsing), filter priorities vary significantly between new and used vehicles (Model/Trim/Bodystyle for new vs. Make/Price/Model for used), and most shoppers use advanced query filters (83%) rather than manual search or navigation. The data suggests mobile-first design is critical since most dealer traffic comes from mobile devices, and prioritizing the most-used filters while maintaining fast load times should be the primary focus for conversion optimization.

Automotive dealers are experiencing an uptick in toxic backlinks from spam domains (primarily German-based sites like euronett-umzug.de and others) that are appearing in Google Search Console and SEO tools like SEMrush. Multiple participants confirm they're actively disavowing these unwanted backlinks monthly, and the conversation suggests a potential connection to third-party listing sites and vendor SEO packages that dealers commonly use.

A vendor seeking to become a verified website provider asks how to achieve vendor certification status with major automotive platforms. Responses clarify that certification requirements vary by manufacturer, with some requiring bidding processes or multiple existing clients before consideration, and that building a strong client base and proven platform performance should be the priority before pursuing formal certification.

Marc Lavoie initiates a discussion about 2020 Super Bowl car commercials, mentioning confirmed advertisers like Porsche, Kia, and Hyundai, while hinting at a marketing prediction technique he plans to share. Brittany responds positively to the Hummer commercial, indicating it was emotionally impactful enough to impress even non-Hummer enthusiasts. The thread appears to be in early stages, focused on identifying which automotive brands aired ads and sharing reactions to standout creative.

Marc Lavoie shares an article by Shawn Armorer, a BDC expert from Canada, that examines where Business Development Centers (BDCs) typically fall short in dealership operations. The post appears to be an introduction to Armorer's in-depth analysis aimed at helping dealers understand BDC limitations and improvement opportunities, with Lavoie recommending readers follow Armorer's work on LinkedIn for further insights.

The post uses the "white hat" metaphor from the TV show *Scandal* to describe Dealer Authority's approach to automotive digital marketing, emphasizing their commitment to ethical practices like hiring quality staff to create custom content rather than relying on syndicated or automated solutions. The author positions the company as a principled alternative to competitors who cut corners. The post appears to be the beginning of a larger discussion about industry practices, though the full content is cut off mid-sentence.

The thread discusses the risks and effectiveness of using celebrity images in Facebook advertising and boosted posts, with one user reporting a permanent ban from major social platforms after using a celebrity photo. Opinions diverge on the tactic's value: some argue it's an outdated approach that attracts the wrong audience, while others contend that celebrity/pop culture references can be effective if used strategically and tied to relevant content. The key insight is that while celebrity imagery can generate engagement, it often doesn't translate to meaningful business results and carries significant platform enforcement risks.

A dealer's main GMB listing was suspended for "quality issues," prompting discussion about whether this was an industry-wide problem and how to resolve it. Experienced GMB managers offered troubleshooting guidance—suggesting the suspension might stem from service area mismatches, multiple listings at one address, or recent account changes—while also recommending escalation to Google's dedicated auto support team as the most effective path to reinstatement.

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The thread discusses whether updating outdated website content can improve SEO performance for car dealerships. The key insight is that refreshing old landing pages and re-indexing them with search engines can provide competitive advantages, and dealers should leverage their community involvement (sponsorships, charitable work, local events) as fresh, frequently-updated content on their websites rather than letting standard taglines stagnate.

Greg Schafer reports a significant drop in CarGurus leads in November using their free "restricted" plan, though Jeff Kershner confirms he hasn't experienced similar declines. The consensus suggests the lead decline is likely due to inventory and pricing factors on CarGurus' platform rather than SEO shifts, though both users note they've had surprisingly good success with CarGurus' free plan compared to paid options.

The thread debates whether dealerships should assign all credit for a sale to the last advertising touchpoint, given that car shoppers typically interact with 24+ sources before purchasing. Participants argue that last-click attribution is overly simplistic and flawed, with the most influential source often being an earlier one that created the path to purchase, while acknowledging that ideal cross-platform tracking remains technically difficult at the dealer level. The key insight is that while multi-touch attribution models are preferable to last-click attribution, the automotive industry lacks the tools to properly implement them, forcing dealers to rely on customer conversations and imperfect data to understand which marketing channels truly drive conversions.

Brittany shares a Google Think With Google article advocating for a "tierless" automotive marketing approach, highlighting that consumers don't distinguish between dealer and manufacturer messaging. The thread appears to begin discussing implications of this unified marketing strategy, though the full discussion context is cut off in the provided excerpt.

TabFlythe reflects on a decade of SEO evolution in automotive digital marketing, highlighting how Google algorithm updates have continuously reshaped best practices and their impact on dealer website traffic and KPIs. The post sets up a retrospective review of SEO trends from 2010-2019 and outlines key strategies for dealers heading into 2020, including content relevance, local connectivity, and social media presence enhancement. The implicit insight is that automotive dealers must stay adaptable to algorithm changes while maintaining focus on core SEO fundamentals to remain competitive.

FikesChevrolet seeks digital marketing advice for their portfolio of automotive retail websites across multiple locations in Alabama. Eric Miltsch responds with specific recommendations focused on optimizing metadata and page titles for SEO, using Fikes Chevrolet's site as an example of improved title and meta description structure. The thread demonstrates best practices for automotive dealership websites to improve search visibility and local market presence.

A dealer shares his experience using a non-automotive local SEO vendor instead of industry-specific companies like DDC, highlighting the cost savings ($400/month) but noting significant drawbacks: the vendor lacks automotive expertise, requires excessive hand-holding, and makes costly mistakes like optimizing for discontinued models or future model year terms that trigger compliance issues. The thread explores the trade-off between cheaper, locally-knowledgeable vendors and specialized automotive SEO providers who understand industry-specific optimization requirements.

A dealer using Edge 5's email marketing service was generating high traffic volume but with very low engagement, with most traffic appearing to originate from AWS data centers rather than real users—prompting questions about the service's legitimacy. The key insight, explained by experienced forum members, is that Edge 5's server farms handling the email link clicks have no bearing on actual user location data; once users click through to the dealer's website, their real IP addresses and geographic data are recorded, so the AWS origin is irrelevant to evaluating campaign quality. The consensus is that low engagement is the real problem, and Edge 5's explanation about routing through data centers doesn't excuse poor performance metrics.

Automotive professionals discuss Driven Data, a comprehensive marketing platform that consolidates operational data across multiple dealership systems to enable real-time targeted advertising (OTT, CTV, social, email) and performance insights. Multiple participants report positive demos and early implementations, with particular enthusiasm for features like VIN-specific retargeting and sales rep activity tracking. The consensus suggests Driven Data represents a meaningful advance in solving the fragmentation problem of automotive marketing data integration.

Dealers discuss whether CarGurus' $695/month SEM management service is worth the cost, with participants questioning whether the company has genuine expertise advantages beyond their own platform experience. Key insights include the importance of proper PPC tracking and strategy (focusing budget on high-inventory vehicle models rather than rare stock), and skepticism about CarGurus' claimed "secret sauce"—with one user noting their performance is comparable to competitors like PureCars, while another finds value mainly in their pre-built keyword libraries for dealers lacking in-house PPC management resources.

Dealer Authority presents a drip marketing solution targeting website visitors who don't complete desired actions (like scheduling test drives or calling), aiming to re-engage them through custom, location-based ads after they leave the dealership's site. The core premise is that dealerships are losing interested traffic that reaches their website but fails to convert, and this retargeting approach aims to bridge that gap. The thread promotes their service as a way to capture otherwise lost sales opportunities through persistent follow-up advertising.

A dealer asks about using classified listing apps (5Miles, OfferUp, LetGo) as a sales channel, with 5Miles offering a dedicated dealer program. Responses indicate these platforms have minimal attribution to actual sales compared to Craigslist, with LetGo offering a dealer option that's relatively expensive; the consensus is these apps work best for dealers with cheap inventory since buyers typically aren't shopping for higher-priced vehicles on them.

Marc Lavoie argues that dealerships are missing significant revenue opportunities by not proactively building customer waitlists ahead of known vehicle launches and model changes, using publicly available information to forecast demand. He recommends using landing page templates and Click Funnels to systematically capture leads from customers likely to purchase within the anticipated product launch windows. The core insight is that dealerships can gain a competitive advantage through basic predictive planning and lead capture infrastructure before new models hit the market.