How to Audit Your Dealership’s Search & Social Digital Marketing: The Complete DIY Guide

How to Audit Your Dealership’s Search & Social Digital Marketing: The Complete DIY Guide

How to Audit Your Dealership’s Search & Social Digital Marketing: The Complete DIY Guide

Facebook Advertising For Car Sales A Guide For Dealerships

Many dealers are missing crucial opportunities across their Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM / Paid Search), and Social Media campaigns…

That’s why we’ve written this blog article, to help you identify where you have gaps in your search and social strategies on your own.

Want a quick win? Click here to skip the article and schedule an appointment with our Search and Social experts who will give you a free 14-Point Digital Audit!

Why Your Dealership Needs a Digital Marketing Audit

It’s not a secret that dealerships struggle to effectively capture the attention of users online. Here’s why:

  • Misaligned SEO strategies focusing on irrelevant content (like local restaurant reviews)
  • Inefficient ad spend due to poor campaign structure and targeting
  • Outdated social media content missing key conversion opportunities
  • Lack of coordination between marketing channels
  • Insufficient tracking of key performance metrics

The Three Pillars of Digital Marketing Success

Recent data shows that although 68% of car buying journeys start with a search engine, social media influences over 2 hours of your customers’ daily online activity — meaning that there is an extreme opportunity to reach users on search and social.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Quality organic traffic can drive up to 53% of your website visitors — which makes SEO important. 

Before we get into what you need to audit, here are some tools that can be helpful as you audit your SEO strategy yourself: 

  • Ahrefs
  • SEM Rush 
  • MOZ
  • Google Ads Transparency Center
  • Search From
  • Surfer SEO
  • And more…
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  • SEO Audit Part 1: Domain Analysis
      • Analyze your domain and look at the following: 
        • Keywords
        • Monthly organic visitors
        • Total backlinks
        • Domain rating (10-30 typical)
        • Referring domains (the more, the better!)

  • SEO Audit Part 2: Traffic Level Check
      • Look back 6 months or 1 year to see the comparison of traffic to the current timeframe
      • What’s the # of monthly organic visitors? 
      • What’s the peak # of visitors – and when is it?

  • SEO Audit Part 2: Traffic Level Check
      • Check your website’s keyword strategy and content focus. Review rankings for key areas:
        • Non-dealer-branded keywords
        • Backyard cities
        • “Near me” searches
        • Local cities + OEM combinations
        • Flag any irrelevant keywords (like restaurants or local attractions)

  • SEO Audit Part 4: Technical Tune-Up
    • Do all headings give context? i.e., “Browse new models” “shop” “service”
    • Think like a robot!
      • How does Google (🤖 ) view your site? 
      • All the words on your site need to be contextualized to get across to Google what your page or website is about

A properly optimized dealership website should rank for more than just your brand name – it should capture valuable “near me” searches and local buying intent across your entire market area.

2. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search Marketing

  • SEM Audit Part 1: Strategy & Budget Diagnostics
    • Are you over-segmenting campaigns?
    • Are you cannibalizing your organic traffic for  “{{Dealership Name}}” bids?
    • Make sure you’re not overspending $$$ on Tier 1 & 2
    • Are you maximizing Google’s Paid Search opportunities with Google VLAs?

  • SEM Audit Part 2: Audience Assessment
    • What are your in-market audiences?
    • Are you using affinity audiences?
    • Does your audience use demographics?
    • Are you leveraging your 1st party data?
    • Do audience signals append to Performance Max?

  • SEM Audit Part 3: Keyword/Targeting Selections
    • Are you using the full 15 headlines & 4 description lines for each ad?
    • Are you using all ad extensions? (sitelinks, location, call, structured snippet, callout)
    • Are you layering top performing cities into location targeting?
    • Are you using the “Target ROAS” bid strategy?
    • Are you using the right KPIs? (phone calls, form submissions, store visits)
    • Are you using ASC framework for GA4 event tracking?

  • SEM Audit Part 4: Setup & Hygiene Checks
    • Are you using all match types? (broad, phrase & exact) 
    • Are you running dynamic Search Ads campaigns?
    • How often are you reviewing search term reports? 
    • Make sure you’re not adding negative keywords
    • Are you taking advantage of “Search Partner” & “Display Network”?

3. Social Media Ads

  • Social Ads Audit Part 1: Model Line Mechanics
    • Review your model line ads and promotions. Check for these key elements:
      • Monthly incentive updates
      • Current OEM imagery
      • 2024 model education content
      • Outdated promotion removal
      • Seasonal relevance

  • Social Ads Audit Part 2: Inventory Ads Inspection
    • What are your in-market audiences?
    • Are you using affinity audiences?
    • Does your audience use demographics?
    • Are you leveraging your 1st party data?
    • Do audience signals append to Performance Max?

  • Social Ads Audit Part 3: Social Systems Utilization
    • Evaluate your social media campaign setup. Review these technical elements:
      • Ad format variety (image, video, carousel, stories)
      • Platform diversification
      • Format specifications (1×1, 9×16)
      • Video length optimization
      • Campaign objective coverage
      • Data targeting implementation

  • Social Ads Audit Part 4: Setup & Hygiene Checks
    • Assess your dealership’s brand messaging. Examine these brand elements:
  • Customer testimonials and reviews
  • Unique value propositions
  • Service department promotion
  • Community engagement
  • Special event coverage
  • Custom video content

Schedule your 14-Point Digital Audit now and learn how to maximize your search strategy and social media ads for your car dealership.

The Power of Integration: SEO + SEM + Social Ads

The most successful dealerships aren’t just executing these strategies independently – they’re creating synergy between all three channels. 

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Our data shows that integrated campaigns can:

  • Increase organic traffic by 23% in 90 days (PROVEN results from one of our dealer partners, St. Albert Dodge)
  • Improve social media engagement rates significantly
  • Create consistent messaging across all platforms
  • Maximize budget efficiency through cross-channel insights

What Sets Top-Performing Dealerships Apart

Leading dealerships consistently monitor their digital presence using a comprehensive audit framework, like the one above. They focus on:

  • Quality traffic over vanity metrics
  • Local market dominance
  • Cross-channel audience targeting
  • Regular performance optimization
  • Data-driven decision making
  • Consistent brand messaging

Take Action Today: Book Your Digital Audit For Car Dealers

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Don’t let digital marketing opportunities slip through the cracks. Our team of automotive digital marketing experts can help you:

  1. Identify gaps in your current strategy
  2. Benchmark against top performers
  3. Create an actionable improvement plan
  4. Implement best practices across all channels
  5. Monitor and optimize performance

Ready to maximize your digital marketing ROI? Click here to book your 14-Point Digital Audit today and get a detailed inspection of your digital strategies.

Dominate SEARCH &  Social Ads

 

Written By Lauren Blackwell
Lauren Blackwell is a skilled content marketer who has spent the past 3 years working in automotive advertising technology and now brings her unique experiences to Dealers United. From running ad campaigns, to curating auto-specific resources, Lauren is empowered to create valuable content to help automotive dealers thrive on social media.

Boosting Online Sales with Google Vehicle Listing Ads: A Car Dealers Guide

Boosting Online Sales with Google Vehicle Listing Ads: A Car Dealers Guide

Boosting Online Sales with Google Vehicle Listing Ads: A Car Dealers Guide

Facebook Advertising For Car Sales A Guide For Dealerships

More car buyers than ever are searching online for vehicles…and not just when they’re looking to buy. This means that as a car dealer, you have a unique opportunity to increase visibility on the biggest search engine using Google Vehicle Listing Ads (VLAs).

Google Vehicle Listing Ads (Google VLAs) are an automotive specific solution for dealerships to showcase their inventory at the right moment in the buyer’s journey on the biggest search engine.

Let’s talk about what Google VLAs are, why they’re crucial for dealerships looking to sell more cars online, how they work, the benefits they offer, and how Dealers United can help you leverage Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategies, like Google VLAs, to grow your dealership’s impact and revenue.

What Are Google Vehicle Listing Ads and How Do They Work?

Google VLAs are a specialized ad format designed for car dealerships and their inventory. 

Unlike traditional search ads, VLAs allow dealers to display vehicle inventory with real-time information such as prices, make, model, and dealership location. 

These ads appear prominently in Google Search results when users look for vehicles, making them a powerful tool for attracting high-intent car shoppers.

Key Features of VLAs:

  • Inventory-based ads: These ads pull directly from a dealership’s live inventory, ensuring accuracy and relevance.
  • Visual appeal: Vehicle images and key details like price and mileage are included, making the ad highly engaging.
  • Local relevance: VLAs target users based on their location, showing them vehicles that are nearby.
  • Direct link to inventory: When a user clicks on a VLA, they are taken directly to the vehicle listing on the dealership’s site, allowing them to take immediate action.
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The Benefits of VLAs for Car Dealerships

For car dealerships, the goal is always to sell more cars and bring more qualified leads to the showroom. Google VLAs are a game-changer that offer several important advantages over traditional search ads as well as other digital advertising formats.

1. Increased Visibility for Inventory

VLAs offer dealerships a new level of visibility in Google Search results. By showcasing actual vehicles from the dealership’s inventory, they grab the attention of potential buyers who are actively searching for a specific make or model.

2. Better Targeting for High-Intent Shoppers

VLAs target users based on the specific vehicles they’re looking for, making them a highly targeted ad format. This means that dealerships are reaching people who are already in the market for a new car and are close to making a purchase.

3. Enhanced User Experience

VLAs provide users with a seamless browsing experience. Instead of navigating multiple pages or guessing what inventory a dealership has, potential buyers can see available cars, trucks, or SUVs right in the search results.

[CTA: “Learn How Dealers United Can Optimize Your VLA Campaigns”]

How to Sell More Cars Online with VLAs

As a car dealer, leveraging VLAs as part of your digital marketing strategy provides a significant advantage in capturing more leads and selling more cars. Here’s how Dealers United can help you maximize the effectiveness of VLAs:

1. Create a Custom Strategy for Your Dealership

Not all dealerships are the same, and neither should their VLA campaigns be. Dealers United develops customized VLA strategies tailored to your unique inventory, geographic location, and market to maximize the effectiveness of your ads.

2. Provide Detailed Reporting and Insights

One of the biggest advantages of VLAs is the ability to track and analyze performance in real time. Dealers United provides valuable insights by showing you how many leads, clicks, and conversions your ads are generating. With this data, we can refine and optimize campaigns to continuously improve performance.

3. Leverage VLAs for Lead Nurturing

In addition to driving immediate sales, VLAs can also play a role in nurturing leads over time. By retargeting users who have previously engaged with your VLA, Dealers United can help keep potential buyers engaged throughout the purchase journey.

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Take the Lead in the Digital Realm for Dealerships

In the competitive automotive market, being on the biggest search engines where car shoppers are searching is critical.

Our Search Engine Marketing services supercharge your online presence, showcasing your inventory to more qualified leads.

Click here to learn more about how Dealers United’s Search Engine Marketing solutions can help your leads and sales skyrocket.

Want to learn more about Dealers United’s SEM Solutions?

Written By Lauren Blackwell
Lauren Blackwell is a skilled content marketer who has spent the past 3 years working in automotive advertising technology and now brings her unique experiences to Dealers United. From running ad campaigns, to curating auto-specific resources, Lauren is empowered to create valuable content to help automotive dealers thrive on social media.

How Dealers United’s Automotive SEO & SEM Strategies Drove 40% More Search Traffic for Rob Sight Ford

How Dealers United’s Automotive SEO & SEM Strategies Drove 40% More Search Traffic for Rob Sight Ford

How Dealers United’s Automotive SEO & SEM Strategies Drove 40% More Search Traffic for Rob Sight Ford

Facebook Advertising For Car Sales A Guide For Dealerships

Having a strong search engine presence is critical for automotive dealerships who want to attract qualified buyers and steal traffic from local competitors. However, many dealers struggle to rank well organically on Google and cut through the paid advertising noise. That’s where Dealers United comes in – we’re search experts specializing in comprehensive automotive search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) solutions tailored for the car industry.

Just ask Rob Sight Ford — After partnering with our team, they saw a massive 40% boost in overall search performance, driving more website traffic and sales opportunities than ever before! Let’s go over how our partnership led to such great results…

The Challenges Rob Sight Ford Faced

Before partnering with Dealers United, Rob Sight Ford faced some pretty big hurdles when it came to their digital marketing. Despite trying various SEO vendors, they struggled to find one that could deliver tangible improvements in search rankings and drive quality traffic to their website.

Bobby Sight, the Managing Partner at Rob Sight Ford, expressed their frustration: “We had experimented with different SEO solutions, but none of them provided the content quality or traffic we needed to outperform our competition in search results.

On the paid advertising side of things, the team at Rob Sight Ford recognized the importance of utilizing SEM to attract in-market auto shoppers. That being said, they lacked the specialized expertise required to optimize their campaigns effectively and stand out in the crowded space that is our internet today.

Our Automotive SEO Content Strategy

To boost Rob Sight Ford’s organic search performance, Dealers United implemented a comprehensive, user-focused automotive SEO content strategy aligned with Google’s emphasis on great user experience.

We started by publishing articles optimized with relevant keywords that could provide real shoppers with value. A prime example is our “Ford Bronco vs Bronco Sport” model comparison blog – now ranking in the top 5 nationwide!

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This type of in-depth, informative content serves multiple purposes:

  • It connects the dealership with potential customers at various stages of the buying journey.
  • It positions Rob Sight Ford as a knowledgeable and trustworthy source of information.
  • It answers common questions and guides decision-making, enhancing the overall car shopper experience.

And the results of our SEO efforts were impressive:

  • 41% increase in organic traffic to the Rob Sight Ford website
  • 43% more phone calls generated from organic visitors
  • 1,500 total keywords either added or improved in rankings

Geo-Targeted Automotive SEM Campaigns

While SEO focused on top-funnel traffic, our team also launched hyper-targeted SEM campaigns aimed at capturing low-funnel, ready-to-buy prospects located near Rob Sight Ford’s dealership.

Our automotive SEM approach included several key tactics:

  • Keyword Optimization: We focused on geo-modified terms like “Ford dealers Kansas City” and “Ford dealership near me” to capture local search intent.
  • Advanced Audience Layering: By considering factors such as device types, ad serving times, and previous shopping behavior, we ensured ads were shown to the most relevant audiences.
  • Ad Extensions: We implemented new ad extensions highlighting high-priority models like the 2023 F-150, increasing ad visibility and providing more information to potential customers.
  • Multiple Ad Formats: We utilized various ad formats to showcase Rob Sight Ford’s extensive inventory, driving potential buyers directly to specific vehicle listings on the dealer’s website.

The results of our SEM campaigns were equally impressive:

  • 947 total leads generated over a 90-day period
  • An average cost per lead of just $15
  • A 37% increase in click-through rates (CTR)
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PLUS, we noticed that an important call-to-action was missing on the VDP page to get users to call the dealership. By working with Dealers United’s SEO team to add a prominent call button, their phone calls increased by 43%!

Impact On Rob Sight Ford Dealership

The impact of Dealers United’s automotive SEO and SEM solutions didn’t go unnoticed by the team at Rob Sight Ford. Their glowing testimonials speak volumes about the effectiveness of our strategies:

Bobby Sight, Managing Partner, stated: “Dealers United absolutely crushes the search game. It’s a night and day difference from our previous experiences. With Dealers United, I actually talk to somebody who keeps me informed about what’s happening. They’re accountable: when they say they’re going to improve visibility for a certain search or category, I see real, tangible improvements. I have complete confidence that they’re working hard for us.”

And Rich Poe, General Manager, added: “I can confidently say that the content looks dynamite! We’ve attempted SEO with several other providers in the past, but this team delivers exactly what we had in mind for our content. It looks great and performs even better. Thank you, Dealers United!”

Replicating Rob Sight Ford’s Results With Dealers United

By combining cutting-edge techniques in both organic and paid search, Dealers United helped Rob Sight Ford dramatically increase their online visibility, drive more qualified traffic to their website, and ultimately, generate more high-quality leads.

If you’re a car dealer or general manager looking to replicate Rob Sight Ford’s impressive search marketing performance, click here to schedule time with our experts at Dealers United.

Dominate SEO, SEM, & Social

Written By Lauren Blackwell
Lauren Blackwell is a skilled content marketer who has spent the past 3 years working in automotive advertising technology and now brings her unique experiences to Dealers United. From running ad campaigns, to curating auto-specific resources, Lauren is empowered to create valuable content to help automotive dealers thrive on social media.

Mastering SEO: The Ultimate Checklist for Car Dealers

Mastering SEO: The Ultimate Checklist for Car Dealers

Mastering SEO: The Ultimate Checklist for Car Dealers

Facebook Advertising For Car Sales A Guide For Dealerships

As a car dealer, you understand the importance of standing out in a crowded marketplace. And today, having a strong online presence is crucial for attracting potential buyers and driving sales. This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes into play – a strategic approach that can place your dealership website at the top of search engine results, making it easier for prospective car shoppers to find you.

At Dealers United, we specialize in helping car dealers like you leverage the full potential of SEO to boost their online visibility, generate more qualified leads, and ultimately, increase revenue. 

In this comprehensive SEO checklist, we’ll guide you through the essential steps to optimizing your dealership website, ensuring it meets the highest standards set by search engines like Google.

Laying the Foundation: Car Dealership Website Basics

Before diving into the intricacies of SEO, it’s crucial to ensure your website’s foundation is solid. Start by optimizing your homepage:

  • Highlight Your Location: Make sure the main city or region where your dealership operates is prominently mentioned in the title tag and the main heading (H1). This helps search engines understand your primary service area.
  • Prioritize Responsiveness: Test your website’s responsiveness across various devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and desktops. A responsive design ensures a seamless user experience, which is a crucial ranking factor for search engines.

Optimizing Page Titles and Headings for Maximum Impact

Well-crafted page titles and headings can significantly improve your website’s visibility in search results. Follow these guidelines:

  • Used Cars Page: Ensure the title tag and main heading (H1) include the phrase “Used Cars for Sale in [Your City].”
  • New Cars Page: For your new car inventory, make sure the title tag and main heading (H1) say “New [Brand] Cars for Sale in [Your City].”

Remember, each page should have only one main heading (H1), so review your website to ensure compliance.

Leveraging Automotive Content and Local SEO

Content is the cornerstone of an effective SEO strategy, especially when it comes to establishing local reach around your dealership:

  • Evaluate Content Quality: Assess your website’s content to ensure it is relevant, valuable, and caters to your target audience at different stages of the buying process.
  • Remove Non-Relevant Pages: Identify and remove any pages that may inflate organic traffic but lack sales intent or relevance to your dealership.
  • Eliminate Duplicate Content: Scan your website for duplicate or redundant content, and consider modifying or deleting pages with similar information.

Mastering the Technical Aspects of SEO

Technical factors play a crucial role in your website’s SEO performance. Here’s what you need to check:

  • Secure Website: Verify that your website is secure by ensuring the URL starts with “https://.” This is a ranking signal for search engines.
  • Sitemap Availability: Check if your website has a sitemap by typing in your website’s URL followed by “/sitemap.xml” (e.g., www.yourdealership.com/sitemap.xml). If a page listing all your site’s pages appears, you’re good to go. If not, consider creating a sitemap.
  • NAP Consistency: Ensure your dealership’s Name, Address, and Phone number are consistent and accurate across all online platforms, including your Google My Business listing.

Tracking Performance and Staying Ahead

Implementing an SEO strategy is just the beginning. To truly succeed, you need to monitor your website’s performance and make data-driven adjustments:

  • Organic Growth Tracking: Compare your website’s organic traffic month-over-month and year-over-year. Look for a steady increase in visitors, which indicates your SEO efforts are paying off.
  • Continuous Improvement: SEO is an ever-evolving field, and staying up-to-date with the latest best practices is crucial. Regularly review and update your SEO strategy to stay ahead of the competition and continue driving qualified leads to your dealership.

Why Choose Dealers United For SEO Services?

At Dealers United, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities faced by car dealers in the digital landscape. Our team of SEO experts specializes in crafting tailored strategies that align with your business goals and deliver measurable results.

By partnering with us, you’ll benefit from our deep understanding of the automotive industry, as well as our commitment to staying ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world of search engine optimization.

Don’t let your dealership fall behind in the race for online visibility…

Click here to learn how Dealers United will help you unlock the full potential of SEO, driving more qualified leads, and accelerating your sales success.

Want to learn more about Dealers United’s SEO Solutions?

Written By Lauren Blackwell
Lauren Blackwell is a skilled content marketer who has spent the past 3 years working in automotive advertising technology and now brings her unique experiences to Dealers United. From running ad campaigns, to curating auto-specific resources, Lauren is empowered to create valuable content to help automotive dealers thrive on social media.

25 GA4 Questions for Car Dealerships: Automotive Analytics Answers

25 GA4 Questions for Car Dealerships: Automotive Analytics Answers

25 GA4 Questions for Car Dealerships: Automotive Analytics Answers

Facebook Advertising For Car Sales A Guide For Dealerships

Nearly a year after the official launch of Google Analytics 4 (GA4), many car dealers still have a LOT of questions on how best to use it to make data-driven decisions.

Jasmine Smedley, Dealers United’s own in-house GA4 expert, recently hosted a webinar on Decoding GA4 For Car Dealers, and the questions poured in:

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With an overwhelming amount of questions, we couldn’t address them all live. But fear not…Jasmine has stepped in to provide comprehensive answers to the top 25 questions dealers have about GA4 in this blog!

Let’s dive in.

Want skip the article? Click here to schedule time to meet with our team of Search experts to talk about GA4 and your dealership’s digital strategy.

Q: What are the 5 most important items a dealer should be looking at when measuring their advertising? 

Answer: I would recommend looking at the dimensions of “event name” and “session source / medium” for all of the following metrics…

    1. Event Count: How many actions happened on your website. If you have Key Events set up, also look at Key Event Count. This answers the question, “How often are things happening on my website?”
    2. Users: Number of visitors to your website. This answers the question, “How many people are visiting my website?”
    3. Sessions: This is the number of website visits. This answers the question, “How often are people visiting the website?”
    4. Event Count per User: How many actions each user took on your website. This answers the question, “How many total actions does the average person take on my website in a certain period?”
    5. Events per Session: How many actions were taken during a visit to your website. This answers the question, “How many actions on average happen during each visit?”

Q: How do you locate the 5 items listed above?

Answer: If you give us your GA4 access, we can add those items in the platform for you. You can also view these through a combination of two reports in the Life Cycle collection: Traffic Acquisition (under Acquisition topic) and Events (under Engagement topic). 

Q: What is the difference between user acquisition and first user acquisition?

Answer: User Acquisition is a report that only shows First User dimensions (First User is related to information about the first things a NEW user did). Information about both New AND existing users would be under the Traffic Acquisition report. The difference between First User and Session is that First User is only NEW traffic and Session is BOTH. 

Q: How do I see what traffic is going to a specific landing page under “engagements and landing pages?”

Answer: There are multiple ways to see what traffic is going to a specific landing page under “engagements and landing pages.” One way would be to add the first user source / medium dimension to the  view. The results for this can be cluttered because every landing page will likely have had multiple sources linking to it. Another way that may be more concise visually is to create a filter for each traffic source you want to analyze and search for the landing pages you are most interested in.

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Q: What reports should we have set up in GA4 to track and monitor our site performance on a monthly basis? 

Answer: Every Dealers United customer receives our recommended report structure, but if you are not a DU Customer, I’ve provided key metrics below. You will need to adjust existing reports to view these holistically but, you can save your custom report to view each month.

We recommend up to 3 preset reports in the Life Cycle collection: 

  1. Traffic Acquisition (under Acquisition topic) and 
  2. Events (under Engagement topic). 
  3. User Acquisition (under Acquisition topic) if you are interested in a user’s journey.   

Q: Is there a way to have GA4 reports automatically sent each month to our inbox?

Answer: In the top right corner of any report you want, click the connection icon and “Schedule Email.” You can then select the name, frequency, and file type!

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Q: How do we verify which data is right in GA4? 

Question continued…“We discovered that we have wildly different data coming in from GA4: their numbers were nearly double what our in-house numbers are. So, how do we validate that? It was such a quick turnaround for when we had to have it up and running that it could have been set up wrong on our end.”

Answer: Unfortunately, Google Ads does not use the majority of the same metrics as GA4. For example, a “Click” in Google Ads does NOT necessarily mean someone went to your website. And “Conversions” in Google Ads are different from the “Key Events” in GA4. The only metrics I’ve found to be the same (and that is only if GA4 and Google ads are linked) are “Average Engagement time per session” and “Events per Session.”

PSA: Based on experience, trying to compare SEM data to GA4 isn’t necessarily appropriate because they both report on different things.

Q: What resources would be best for learning GA4?

Answer: Here are 3 resources to learn GA4…

  1. Analytics Mania: My go-to for the really tough GA4 questions – https://www.analyticsmania.com/blog/
  2. Measurement School: Analytics Mania’s competitor, has more information about 3rd party integrations with GA4  – https://measureschool.com/blog/
  3. Google Analytics Support Form: For specialty issues or needs  with your GA4 account this is Google Analytics’ official  support request form –  https://support.google.com/analytics/gethelp 

Q: Can you run sales matchbacks through GA4?

Answer: Yes, you can identify specific vehicles shown from ads and match those back to a sales list to see if the vehicles sold were the same vehicles being promoted! You can do this with the following conditions:

  • You are sending VIN information along with page view / VDP view events. IF YOU HAVE ASC THIS IS ALREADY DONE FOR YOU. 
  • You are correctly tagging your traffic 
  • You have a sales list with VINs. 

Q: How to run sales matchbacks through GA4?

Answer: Follow these steps to run sales matchbacks through GA4…

  1. Go to “Explore” in the left-hand menu of GA4 
  2. Create a Blank report 
  3. Click the plus under dimensions to add one 
  4. Add the VIN dimension, usually called “item_id” and the item_inventory_date)
  5. Click “import” 
  6. In Rows click “Drop or select dimension” and select item_id (or whatever it’s called) and inventory date
  7. Click the plus under metrics to add one 
  8. Add the Sessions and Total users dimension
  9. Click “import” 
  10. In Values click “Drop or select metric” and select Sessions and Total users 
  11. You will now have a list of VINs that were viewed on your website, the day that item was in inventory on your website, the total number of people looking at that vehicle, and how many page visits that vehicle got. 
  12. Adjust the date range in the top left
  13. From here, you can compare the list of VINs to the list of VINs sold. Or, you can add a filter to see VINs from specific vendors (usually by filtering session source / medium or first user source / medium)

Q: How do I set up reports to track calls to campaigns? 

Question continued…”And can you set up actual calls, not just click to calls in the custom dimension event?”

Answer: It depends on how you are “pushing” them into GA4… If they are events, you can include event_category as a parameter and set the value for “calls.” Then, create a report that filters by event_category equal “calls.” However, setting the parameter is not retroactive so this will only allow you to make reports with the data going forward. 

For the most part, call tracking is going to be dependent on your current website setup as well as what type of phone number you are using (if it’s provided by a 3rd party or actually your dealership’s phone number). 

More sources: https://www.optimizesmart.com/phone-call-tracking-google-analytics-beyond/#Phone_call_tracking_solution_from_Google

Q: What are examples of GA4 parameters?

Answer: Here is a complete list of Google Analytics’ default parameters… https://support.google.com/analytics/table/13594742?sjid=2153218892638770398-NC

Q: What are the steps to include GA4 parameters?

Answer: There are three ways to include parameters, since they are created when you create an event: 

  1. Google Tag Manager 
  2. Google Analytics 
  3. Code 

In Google Analytics (since the other ways are a little too complex to show), 

  1. Go to “admin” in the left hand menu 
  2. Go to “Data display” under “Property Settings” 
  3. Click “Events” 
  4. Click either “Create Event” if you want to create an event with parameters or “Modify Event” if you want to add parameters to an existing event 
  5. Click “Create” 
  6. If you are creating a VDP event, you could add a parameter of “Value” to and assign the value as 2 so that for every VDP, it’s worth 2 and perhaps for every Lead form submission the value is 5, etc. 
  7. Wait for data to populate 

Q: Can you track if a specific vendor brought customers to the website? 

Answer: Yes, you can track if a specific vendor brought customers to your website. Use the Session source / medium as the primary grouping (first column) to see how different sources (and vendors) are accounting for traffic. 

Q: What is “good” traffic and what is “bad” traffic? 

Answer: There is no objective “good” and “bad” traffic, as it depends on your dealership’s goals. However, usually any traffic with the following would NOT be valuable traffic: 

  • Filter out: Traffic from regions nowhere near you
  • Look out for: Traffic with a high bounce rate
  • Look out for: Traffic with low engagement rate
  • Look out for: Traffic with low number of sessions

Q: What is the best way to look at trends (ex. this month vs last month, this week vs. last week)?

Answer: The best way to look at trends depends on the reason you are looking at trends…

If you’re looking at trends for a yearly special, like tax return incentives, then looking at year by year would make the most sense!

In the automotive space, consumers don’t usually see a car and purchase it within the same week, so looking at this week vs. last week won’t give you the full picture. In this case, looking at month over month or even quarter over quarter is going to give a more holistic view. But be aware, looking too in the weeds can make you near-sighted and miss the bigger picture. 

Q: Can you see the whole user journey after users come to your website and who sent them?

Answer: There are a few ways of seeing the user journey! One way is via the Attribution Path report (which is NOT in the reports section but in the Advertising section) which requires having Key Events marked, alternatively you could use one of the exploration reports for a path report.

Q: What are the top 3 KPIs to measure in GA4?

Answer: For all of the following metrics, I would recommend looking at the dimensions of event name and session source / medium

  1. Event Count: How many actions happened on your website. If you have Key Events set up, also look at Key Event Count. This answers the question “how often are things happening on my website?”
  2. Users: Number of visitors to your website. This answers the question, “How many people are visiting my website?
  3. Sessions: This is the number of website visits. This answers the question, “How often are people visiting the website?” 
  4. Event Count per User: How many actions each user took on your website. This answers the question, “How many total actions does the average person take on my website in a certain period?” 
  5. Events per Session: How many actions were taken during a visit to your website. This answers the question, “How many actions on average happen during each visit?

Dealers United sets this up for our dealer partners, so long as we have been granted editor access in their GA4. 

Q: What is the auto Industry bounce rate?  

Answer: The automotive industry bounce rate varies…

CXL puts the automotive industry bounce rate at about 51.96%

DataBox puts the automotive industry bounce rate at about 57.13% as of May 18, 2023. 

However, we suggest dealers do not use industry bounce rates to measure how well vendors are doing, as it can set unrealistic expectations for your dealership. Instead, edit the metrics in the Traffic Acquisition report to include “Bounce Rate.” The top row number is the average bounce rate for your website, and the default view for Traffic Acquisition is to break down further by traffic type (so bounce rate averages for different types of traffic).

In the example above, the average bounce rate for the website is 13.18% and the bounce rate for paid social is 3.78%. Therefore, if this dealership has a vendor providing multiple services for them, then the vendor’s overall bounce rate should not be higher than 13%. And if the vendor is only providing social media ads, then their bounce rate should not be higher than 4%.

Q: What is a good engagement rate for the automotive industry? 

Answer: Engagement rate is based on Engaged Sessions which takes into account Key Events so be sure to mark your events as key events! As a rule of thumb, if more people are spending time on your website and engaging with it than not, that is good (so anything over 50%). 

Q: How do we get an engagement rate increased?

Answer: The best way to increase engagement rate is to increase engaged sessions. (Engagement Rate = engaged sessions / sessions)

Engaged sessions are any of the following: Session longer than 10 seconds, session with a key event, and 2 or more page views. 

With that in mind, here are some tips to increase your engaged sessions: 

  • Have an informative short video on the page 
  • Create more conversion events and mark your events as key events 
  • Use a landing page but direct to another page (to ensure more page views)

Q: How does it work if time spent is zero on reports, but there are event counts listed?

Answer: The Average Engagement Time is collected from a parameter called engagement_time_msec. Events need to be set up to include Engagement Time, GA4 doesn’t figure it out automatically (except for certain preset events). 

For example, the event asc_item_pageview tracks the number of VDPs visited on your website. So the event count will be the total number of VDPs, but since this event doesn’t include information about engagement time there will be a value of 0 for the average engagement time for this event. 

More info: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11109416?hl=en

Q: What are best practices / ideas for using the search bar AI, “analytics intelligence,” in GA4?

Answer: If you click “More Suggestions” and hit the “enter” button, you can see a list in the right-hand menu of all the questions related to various categories that the search bar is capable of answering. 

This can be a useful tool for brainstorming what might be important to your dealership. 

Q: What does cohort analysis mean?

Answer: In general, cohort analysis refers to a report of how well people with things in common performed over time. In terms of the default User activity by cohort report that G4 offers, it means “how active users were on the website over time.” In the example below, we can see that 3% of the active users (109 users) who first came to the website between April 14 and April 20 returned on Week 1. 

This is important because buyers don’t make purchase decisions immediately, it usually takes a few visits to the website and about 30 days before a purchase is made. Therefore it’s useful for us to know if people are actually returning to the website over time, actively engaging with it, and at what rate they are.

Q: What’s the best way to increase the amount of time someone spends on the site from a traffic ad? 

Answer: Time on site relies mostly on your website (how engaging the content is, vehicle information, videos, if people are overwhelmed with pop-ups, etc.), and by improving the website it increases the time overall for all sources of traffic (not just ads). 

However, maybe you are noticing that visitors to your website from your ads are leaving faster than other sources of traffic (Organic Search, Referral, etc.), have a high bounce rate, or low engagement. 

To troubleshoot, you need to be asking a few questions…

How is My Website Doing Overall? 

Determine what your average website bounce rate, engagement, and average engaged time is. This gives you a good benchmark for how ad traffic (Paid Social) is performing compared to your website as a whole. 

If your website has high bounce rates (50% or more) and low engagement rate (less than 50%), then you may be able to increase the time by: 

  • Having an informative short video on the page 
  • Creating more conversion events and mark your events as key events 
  • Using a landing page but direct to another page (to ensure more page views)

Are My Ads Doing Worse Than Other Forms of Traffic? 

So now that you’ve determined that your website isn’t the problem, you can compare the performance of your ads (Paid) traffic to organic. 

If organic has low bounce / engagement then there may not be much to improve about your Paid traffic, but rather improve the pages that Organic visitors are going to. 

How Do I Improve My Paid Traffic Engagement / Time on Site?

At this point we’ve determined that there’s nothing wrong with your website as a whole and that your organic efforts are doing well, it’s your Paid traffic that has low engagement and specifically low time on site.

If your Paid traffic is not doing well, it is probably because the audience being targeted does not have high enough intent. Organic traffic generally sees better engagement because users are actively searching for your website instead of being shown your website and persuaded to visit. 

Some steps you can take to narrow the audience: 

  • Limit your Paid targeting area to 15 miles around your dealership 
  • Exclude Tablet and Desktop traffic which does not perform as well as mobile 
  • Reassess audience type

Q: How do you connect your call tracking to GA4 if your vendor isn’t ASC?

Answer: You don’t need ASC to track calls. However, you may need either a 3rd party call tracking service or a Google Forwarding Number to be able to set up calls as “Events” and then track those events in GA4. However, this heavily depends on how your current call-tracking and website are set up.  

More sources: https://www.optimizesmart.com/phone-call-tracking-google-analytics-beyond/#Phone_call_tracking_solution_from_Google

Importance Of Optimizing Your Dealership’s GA4

There is so much GA4 can do, but we help our partners create the dashboards and reports that are specific to your goals- setting up tracking on metrics like Makes, Models, and specific VINs so you can do more with your own data.

Don’t miss out on learning important insights from your website traffic. Get started on improving your tracking by booking a call with our team of digital marketing experts. 

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Written By Lauren Blackwell
Lauren Blackwell is a skilled content marketer who has spent the past 3 years working in automotive advertising technology and now brings her unique experiences to Dealers United. From running ad campaigns, to curating auto-specific resources, Lauren is empowered to create valuable content to help automotive dealers thrive on social media.