You can optimize your listings on 3rd-party sites -- and should!

[ed.brooks]

I make the contention that the 3rd-party sites are the most important search engines for used car shopping. Here's how to optimize your listings.
"Car Dealers; How to optimize your used car inventory for third-party sites"

 

[ed.brooks]

On the biggest 3rd-party sites the default sort was, until recently, from highest price to lowest price. Now everything has changed. Algorithms are now in charge. Make sure you are giving the algo what it wants...

 

[Alexander Lau]

Makes total sense.

That reminds me... many years ago Flyasite / Webkite offered an inventory solution (in which automotive inventory could be easily inserted) which created tons of interesting and highly searched automotive attributes, answering search questions. Way, way, way ahead of its time, but they shifted their business model and killed the application. Pity... I can't find an installation anymore.

"FlyASite helps organizations and companies identify their data and create a manageable process to display it, increasing search parameters, transparency and opportunities to reach a larger audience."

What do search bots want? They want relevant, real content on the internet that people want to read and tell other people about. If Google doesn’t bring you the most relevant content when you search, they aren’t doing their job.

 

[ed.brooks]

They want relevant, real content on the internet that people want to read and tell other people about. If Google doesn’t bring you the most relevant content when you search, they aren’t doing their job.

Since most of the big 3rd-party sites have moved to an algorithmic default sort, relevant and COMPLETE data is the key to moving up the page.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Great stuff @ed.brooks - I'll be jumping into my Cars.com account this week to double check our inventory. Last time I checked (it's been awhile,) we were 98% of all fields being filled out. I hope to see the same results when I check.

We use Homenet to feed our inventory data out and I make sure every field is 100% correct, including options and packages.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

I make the contention that the 3rd-party sites are the most important search engines for used car shopping. Here's how to optimize your listings.
"Car Dealers; How to optimize your used car inventory for third-party sites"

I second your recommendation on following Jasen Rice @LotPop - he's a wealth of great information.

 

[jscole86]

We use Homenet to feed our inventory data out and I make sure every field is 100% correct, including options and packages.

We use Homenet too - new inventory and same-make used are easier to manage. How do you ensure all your off-make options and packages are correct? Depending on the brand, it can really complex and confusing.

If you stock / sell a lot of used, the off-make units are one of the more difficult / time consuming things to get accurate.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

We use Homenet too - new inventory and same-make used are easier to manage. How do you ensure all your off-make options and packages are correct? Depending on the brand, it can really complex and confusing.

If you stock / sell a lot of used, the off-make units are one of the more difficult / time consuming things to get accurate.

Good question @jscole86..

1. Always look for the original window sticker somewhere in the car.
2. Train the sales team to ask about the original window sticker when trading in the vehicle.
3. Do a Google search of the VIN - you may be surprised what you find.
4. Find a service that has the original window sticker - we use AutoiPacket. They don't have every manufacturer, but most.

 

[Stefan]

How do you ensure all your off-make options and packages are correct? Depending on the brand, it can really complex and confusing.

If you stock / sell a lot of used, the off-make units are one of the more difficult / time consuming things to get accurate.

We use https://monroneylabels.com/

 

[Jeff Kershner]

@Stefan nice find. Do you need to pay for the service for more accurate data? I ask because I just ran 2 different Mercedes and the "free" VIN check was terribly wrong.