Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

Christopher Reggie initiates a discussion about widespread duplicate content problems on dealership websites, with contributors identifying major culprits including Dealer.com and OEM-mandated assets (particularly FCA) that force all franchised dealerships to use identical website sliders and content. The thread consensus emphasizes that dealers must invest in custom, dealership-specific content to differentiate themselves digitally, with suggested solutions including hiring freelancers strategically, working with ad agencies willing to customize, and modifying manufacturer-provided assets to stand out—though one contrarian voice argues that SEO concerns are overblown compared to the effectiveness of paid search campaigns.

The thread presents three core truths about vehicle merchandising: technology is evolving and enabling automation, shopper behavior has shifted dramatically online, and engaging digital content is now critical for dealers. The standout insight is that shoppers visit only one dealership on average, making compelling online merchandising the primary — and possibly only — opportunity to win a customer before they commit. Replies affirm the importance of tracking performance and creating strong digital content to capture interest before an in-person visit ever happens.

A dealer asks about using Craigslist to market pre-owned inventory, prompting mixed responses. One dealer reports that Craigslist listings perform poorly when posted as "for sale by dealer" but yield better results when posted as "for sale by owner," while another notes the platform has largely shut down due to sex trafficking concerns. The thread includes references to related discussions and Craigslist posting software tools, but no clear consensus emerges on Craigslist's current viability as a dealership marketing channel.

John.H discusses the importance of SMS campaigns as a follow-up strategy to convert leads into sales appointments, criticizing lead providers who generate leads without a concrete plan to drive actual sales. The key insight is that an effective lead generation strategy is incomplete without a structured approach to nurturing those leads through SMS—ultimately, a provider's commitment to converting leads into sales appointments reflects whether they truly have the dealership's best interests in mind.

A dealer asks for the fastest way to rank on Google's first page, and receives mixed advice: John.H recommends using SEO analysis tools like Ahrefs to audit backlinks and pursue quality, industry-relevant links, while warning against outdated tactics like Fiverr PBN link networks that risk Google penalties. The thread ultimately concludes that sustainable rankings require a combined approach of quality backlinks and paid traffic campaigns (AdWords/Facebook), rather than quick-fix link-blasting shortcuts.

This thread discusses foundational SEO best practices for dealer websites, covering domain selection, site structure, URL optimization, and on-page elements like titles, meta tags, and sitemaps. The advice is basic but solid, though notably dated—a commenter points out the thread is 9 years old, suggesting these recommendations reflect older SEO standards that may not align with current search engine algorithms and ranking factors.

A dealer discovers that three of his stores are showing significant year-over-year traffic increases (12-50%) while form submissions are simultaneously declining sharply, leading him to investigate whether bot traffic is artificially inflating analytics. After gaining access to Google Analytics, he confirms that his ad agency was indeed passing off substantial bot traffic as legitimate, and after removal the real traffic dropped 10% YoY—revealing that the vendor was knowingly (or negligently) delivering fake traffic while resisting transparency.

A small independent dealership owner asks whether to prioritize Facebook or Google ads with a limited budget, and whether to focus on general dealership or specific vehicle marketing. The consensus from experienced contributors is to use a combination approach—approximately 75% Google Ads (which captures active in-market car buyers through search) and 25% Facebook (which offers cheaper impressions and better demographic targeting)—while starting with general dealership ads rather than complex inventory-based dynamic campaigns.

Ben B, completing his e-marketing degree, seeks salary guidance for his role at a 350-unit dealership where he handles social media, video/photography, website updates, and all marketing creative—while earning only slightly above minimum wage. Industry veterans provide concrete benchmarks: photography-focused roles historically earned $25k+ plus per-car fees (2005), while a social media manager for a 13-location group earned $50k in 2011, suggesting Ben is significantly underpaid for his comprehensive responsibilities. The consensus is that dealerships frequently exploit students and entry-level workers by undervaluing their labor under the guise of "experience," and Ben should research standard rates and negotiate accordingly.

A dealer inquires about CDK's website pricing structure, specifically whether rates differ between GM and other OEM franchises or if subsidy programs like IMR affect costs. The post also questions which vendors GM selected when opening advertising to nine options and whether GM disclosed dealer adoption patterns and pricing across different vendor choices.

CDK Global announced it was divesting its Digital Marketing Business (websites, advertising services) to focus on core DMS software, prompting industry speculation about whether the move signals an imminent economic downturn, CDK's inability to compete effectively, or GM's push to open dealer choice to competing providers. Dealers and vendors expressed a mix of relief (viewing CDK's digital services as underperforming) and uncertainty about service continuity and pricing under a new owner, with GM issuing a statement that the sale shouldn't disrupt current website support or vendor contract negotiations. The thread also surfaced operational concerns, including CDK's poor internal communication about the divestment and a billing error example, reinforcing perceptions that CDK struggled in the digital marketing space.

TabFlythe started a discussion about vehicle color trends for 2019, asking dealers to share which colors are selling well at their lots and which they prefer or dislike, and highlighted Toyota's new "Voodoo Blue" Tacoma as an example. Brittany responded by praising Ford's "Rich Copper Metallic" color option on the Explorer. The thread invites dealers to debate and share photos of trending vehicle colors, suggesting that while color preference is subjective, certain hues have clear market advantages.

The discussion centers on whether dealerships are effectively reaching all demographic groups in their markets through targeted advertising, particularly by running ads in languages beyond English. While participants agree that demographic targeting is underutilized because it requires extra effort, they emphasize that translating ads and landing pages into secondary languages spoken by local populations—and personalizing messaging with local details—delivers strong ROI and captures otherwise missed leads. The key insight is that dealerships leaving money on the table by only advertising in English should invest in multi-language campaigns tailored to their specific market demographics.

A dealer asks whether geotagging vehicle images with latitude/longitude coordinates and schema markup improves SEO rankings for local searches. Experienced contributors advise against this tactic, arguing the effort doesn't justify the minimal return on investment and is difficult to scale across large inventory. The consensus recommendation is to prioritize established local SEO fundamentals and high-impact markup (like pricing) instead.

A dealer marketer reports observing anomalous Google organic search results for dealer-related keywords, where geographically distant dealerships (hundreds or thousands of miles away) are ranking higher than nearby competitors, despite location settings being enabled. While other participants acknowledge that Google frequently runs tests and experiences SERP anomalies, most confirm they haven't observed the same issue, leaving the root cause uncertain—whether it's a widespread Google test, a localized glitch, or something specific to the original poster's setup. The thread concludes with the consensus that without major website changes or clear algorithmic shifts, there's little dealers can do but monitor the situation and wait for Google to self-correct.

Ilana Zur from a vendor perspective uses AT&T's 'Just OK is not OK' ad campaign as a springboard to challenge dealerships that have settled for mediocrity in their digital marketing, websites, and sales processes. The core argument is that having 'working' SEM, a functional website, and basic training isn't enough — dealers need to demand more from their vendors and themselves rather than accepting adequate as a benchmark. The thread invites discussion on where dealers are accepting 'just OK' and what bold improvements actually look like in practice.

Kristen Liggins asks for feedback on her dealership's lead conversion metrics (5.57% lead-to-visit, 0.06% chat, 0.08% calls, 0.6% web leads), and the discussion reveals that while lead generation through multiple sources may be working, **website user experience (UX) is the critical bottleneck that most dealers overlook**. Alexander Lau emphasizes that driving traffic means nothing if the website itself doesn't convert, pointing out that poor website design is endemic in auto dealerships and often unrelated to advertising effectiveness.

Glenn seeks advice on marketing and selling the domain autogroup.com, but receives minimal substantive guidance. The replies suggest limited commercial appeal for the domain name (questioning why anyone would search for "auto group") and recommend using Flippa, a domain marketplace, as a sales channel—with one respondent noting that Glenn's forum post itself serves as advertising.

A GM dealer seeks alternatives to CDK's expensive website platform and discusses options like Dealer.com and DealerInspire as GM recently announced it would expand approved vendors beyond CDK. The thread reveals widespread dealer dissatisfaction with CDK's service quality and costs, with some dealers reporting CDK is offering discounts to retain customers ahead of expected mass departures, though opinions on CDK's website performance relative to competitors are mixed.

Alexander Lau initiated a discussion about optimizing dealership websites for voice search, sharing multiple resources and predictions that voice searches would comprise 30-50% of all searches by 2020. The conversation revealed divided perspectives: some argued voice search optimization is premature for most dealers since current voice queries are limited to basic information (phone numbers, hours) rather than complex transactions, while others contended that early adopters—particularly large dealer groups—could gain significant competitive advantages by ranking as the sole voice search result.

The thread announces a new integration allowing automotive dealers to post their inventory directly to OfferUp, a popular online marketplace, through their existing inventory management systems, DMS platforms, and marketing provider tools. This development streamlines the process of listing vehicles on OfferUp without manual data entry, potentially expanding dealer reach to a broader audience of used car buyers on the platform. The key insight is that dealers now have an automated channel to distribute inventory across additional marketplaces beyond traditional automotive sites.

An alleged Dealer.com/DDC employee circulated an email warning clients about "drastic changes" starting May 1st, sparking debate about the company's management and account structure. Responses were mixed: some dismissed the complaint as unprofessional whining about manageable workloads and excellent benefits, while others acknowledged underlying issues with organizational change fatigue and constant strategy shifts under Cox Automotive ownership. The thread reveals divided opinions on whether DDC's problems stem from individual employee attitude or systemic management failures.