Top Secrets to SEO Success For Automotive

Top Secrets to SEO Success For Automotive

Top Secrets to SEO Success For Automotive

Secrets to SEO Success - Blog
Succeeding with search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for businesses wanting to get found online. By optimizing your website and content for keywords people search for, you can attract targeted visitors and increase visibility. This article by Dealers United, top rated dealership SEO company, reveals inside secrets for SEO success from leading experts.

Want to unlock the full potential of SEO for your dealership? Learn more about Dealers United’s customized SEO solutions for car dealers.

Meet Your Audience’s Needs with Helpful Content

The foundation of quality content is understanding what questions your audience has and providing helpful answers. This is simply the bottom line.

Google’s quality raters assess content on expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness and overall usefulness to users. Your content needs to pass all quality rater guidelines. Also, make sure your content is actually helpful, and not just generated based upon keyword volume or certain long tail keywords.

Targeting featured snippets is one tactic— formatting your content to directly answer common search queries. Always analyze competitor content that currently ranks well so you can identify what users want. Craft original, accurate and easy-to-understand content that solves your audience’s needs.

Choose The Right Keywords Through Research

Now, we just told you to not write articles based on keyword volume, yet we’re talking about keyword research…

It’s not necessarily about the volume, but more so about how the different keywords relate on a semantic level. Remember, Google acts as a language search engine, and the more related your language is, the better it will rank.

Thorough keyword research underpins an effective SEO strategy. Focus on keywords with high relevance that can cluster together well (clustering refers to how similar the keywords are to each other). 

Use keyword research tools to find related keywords to your car dealership (or find out how Dealers United experts can help you pick the perfect keywords for your dealership). Place specifically targeted keywords naturally in headings, URLs, image alt text and content.

Remember that stuffing keywords randomly hurts readability. Keep copy user-focused by only adding keywords where they fit contextually. This improves user experience while signaling relevance to search engines crawling your pages.

Optimize On-Page Elements For Crawlers and Users

On-page optimization makes your site easily digestible for both search bots and visitors. Use descriptive page titles under 60 characters targeting primary keywords. Craft unique meta descriptions under 160 characters to entice clicks. Improve URL structure with keywords and organize information using heading tags.

Ensure fast load speeds as slow pages hurt user experience and rankings. Check elements like images, plugins and page weight. Make your website mobile-friendly and easy to navigate with intuitive IA and strong internal linking.

Gain Credibility Through Links and Mentions

Earning high-quality backlinks signals trust and authority to search engines. Reach out for guest posting opportunities on relevant, reputable sites related to your niche. Promote and share your best content to make it more findable. List your business accurately on relevant local directories and claim full profiles.

Positive mentions like press features, reviews and social shares also boost credibility. Encourage genuine feedback and testimonials from customers that establish expertise.

Adjust Your Approach Based on Performance

Continual learning is key for SEO professionals as algorithms change constantly. Leverage analytics to assess how visitors interact with your site and content. Identify issues hurting metrics like dwell time and bounce rate so you can optimize further.

Study your competitor’s strategies as well— their successes reveal tactics you can implement. Always refine your approach rather than remaining stagnant, using data to determine what works.

Master Conversion Optimization

Remember that SEO goes beyond driving traffic— it should generate conversions and revenue.

Use A/B testing to improve landing page copy and calls-to-action. Identify your core activation metric and optimize content for that action rather than vanity metrics like sign-ups. This tactic results in higher customer retention and ROI.

Summary of Top Secrets to SEO Success for Automotive 

By focusing on value for users, optimizing holistically, monitoring data often and building credibility over time, your SEO efforts will generate more qualified organic traffic. Combine these insider secrets revealed from leading experts for strategies that outperform competitors. Adjust based on performance but remain dedicated, and your rankings will continually improve.

What’s your top SEO tactic? Share in the comments!

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.

Mastering the Art of Optimization of Search Engines: Strategies and Tips

Mastering the Art of Optimization of Search Engines: Strategies and Tips

Mastering the Art of Optimization of Search Engines: Strategies and Tips

Ever wondered how some websites always seem to rank at the top of search results, effortlessly attracting organic traffic and boosting their online visibility? The secret lies in mastering the art of optimization of search engines (SEO). SEO is not just a buzzword; it’s a powerful strategy that can elevate your website’s performance in search engine rankings, driving success in the digital landscape. And Dealers United has a team of experts trained on SEO

That’s why we’re writing this! In this comprehensive guide, we will decode the essentials of optimization of search engines, explore the mechanics behind search engines, and delve into crafting a winning strategy through keyword research, content creation, and link building. We’ll also discuss technical and on-page SEO, off-page strategies, utilizing various SEO tools, navigating Google’s algorithm updates, and the synergy between SEO and other digital marketing channels. Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways

  • Master the essentials of SEO to optimize website visibility, leads & sales
  • Keyword research, content creation and link building are key elements for success
  • Utilize advanced techniques like schema markup & voice search optimization to stay ahead

Decoding SEO: The Essentials of Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is all about understanding how search engines work and optimizing your website accordingly to rank higher in search engine results, driving organic traffic, and increasing online visibility. To put it simply, SEO search engine optimization is like a feedback loop that helps Google deliver the most reliable, trustworthy, and relevant results for whatever you search for.

The ultimate goal of SEO is to attract website visitors who will convert to customers, clients, or loyal audience members. In this pursuit, SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) work together to improve your online presence and visibility. SEO can significantly boost your brand’s recognition, making you more visible online, and ultimately leading to more leads, sales, and even faithful customers by improving your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

So, how does SEO work? It all starts with understanding the mechanics behind search engines.

The Mechanics Behind Search Engines

Search engines like Google and other search engines follow four main steps to search engine content discovery…

1. Crawling: They use crawlers to collect information about everything they can find online, including web pages, images, and other types of content.

2. Indexing: The collected information is then organized and stored in an index, which allows the search engine to quickly retrieve relevant results for a given query.

3. Ranking: When you type or say something into the search box, the search engine uses complex algorithms to determine the relevance and quality of each indexed page, and ranks them accordingly.

4. Serving: Finally, the search engine serves the most relevant and useful results from its index in response to your query, displayed on the search engine results page.

  1. Crawling: They use crawlers to collect information about everything they can find online, including web pages, images, and other types of content.
  2. Indexing: The collected information is then organized and stored in an index, which allows the search engine to quickly retrieve relevant results for a given query.
  3. Ranking: When you type or say something into the search box, the search engine uses complex algorithms to determine the relevance and quality of each indexed page, and ranks them accordingly.
  4. Serving: Finally, the search engine serves the most relevant and useful results from its index in response to your query, displayed on the search engine results page.

SEO plays a significant role in the process of choosing the top organic search results. Some key factors to consider include:

  • Using semantic HTML markup for images to help crawlers locate and understand them
  • Utilizing anchor text (the clickable text in a hyperlink) to help users and search engines comprehend what the linked pages are about
  • Ensuring the quality of a site, as measured by Google’s E-A-T factors (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), to improve search rankings.

Understanding how search engines work and aligning your website’s content and structure with their requirements is the key to SEO success. This understanding lays the foundation for crafting a winning SEO strategy that will propel your website to the top of search results.

Crafting a Winning SEO Strategy

An effective SEO strategy begins with keyword research, which helps you target the right audience and improve search rankings. Apart from keywords, high-quality content and link building tactics are key components of a successful SEO plan. Creating a solid foundation for your website’s SEO success rests upon mastering these essential elements.

Dealers United takes the guesswork out of crafting an SEO strategy. Our team of experts specializes in implementing customized SEO solutions for car dealerships.

Click here to learn more about Dealers United’s proven approach to boosting visibility and sales with SEO.

We will now delve into the building blocks of a winning SEO strategy, which include: keyword mastery, content creation, and link building tactics.

Keyword Mastery

Reaching your desired audience and improving your position in search results hinge on mastering keyword research. Several tools can help you find the best keywords for your organic content, such as:

By understanding your target audience’s search queries and strategically incorporating relevant keyword phrases into your content, you can ensure that your website ranks higher in search engine results and attracts more organic traffic.

Remember, the goal of keyword mastery is not only to improve your search rankings but also to connect with the right audience who will find value in your content and ultimately convert to loyal customers or clients.

Content is Still King

Attracting and retaining users, as well as improving search rankings, require creating valuable, engaging, and unique content. Some key factors to consider for creating successful content are:

  • Making sure your content is fresh and unique to keep existing visitors interested and draw in new ones
  • Boosting your website’s performance in search results by providing valuable and relevant content
  • Ensuring that your content is interesting and useful to your target audience

By following these guidelines, you can increase the success of your website and attract more users.

Optimizing images also plays a crucial role in SEO. Using relevant images with appropriate filenames, alt text, and semantic HTML markup can enhance user experience, improve search rankings, and increase the chances of your images appearing in Google Images results.

In essence, content is still king in the world of SEO, and prioritizing high-quality content creation will undoubtedly set your website apart from the competition.

Link Building Tactics

Increasing your website’s credibility and search engine rankings necessitate building high-quality backlinks from authoritative sources. Links can be internal (pointing to other pages within the same website) or external (pointing to pages on other websites).

Both internal and external links play a vital role in enhancing your website’s SEO performance and should be incorporated strategically within your content. By effectively utilizing internal links, you can further improve your site’s search engine rankings and user experience.

There are numerous link-building strategies to explore, such as:

  • Copying your competitors’ backlinks
  • Using the broken link-building strategy
  • Reclaiming lost backlinks
  • Conducting targeted outreach
  • Finding broken links and suggesting better ones
  • Creating link-worthy content
  • Doing something newsworthy
  • Becoming an industry leader

By employing these tactics and using descriptive anchor text, you can maximize the potential of your backlinks and boost your website’s visibility in search engine results.

Let our team handle link building the right way – we know how to build high quality backlinks tailored specifically to car dealerships.

Learn more about SEO Solutions at Dealers United.

Technical SEO: Ensuring Your Site Meets Search Standards

Technical SEO focuses on optimizing website elements such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, and crawlability to meet search engine standards. This aspect of SEO ensures that search engines can discover, understand, and rank your content effectively.

For instance, search engines can locate and comprehend images more efficiently when filenames and alt text are optimized. Additionally, adhering to technical SEO best practices can improve your website’s overall user experience, which in turn can contribute to better search rankings and increased organic traffic.

On-Page SEO: Tweaking Your Website’s Content

On-page SEO involves optimizing various elements of your website’s content, such as meta tags, headings, and images, to improve search rankings and provide a better user experience. For example, optimizing meta descriptions is crucial for SEO, as Google uses them to determine what the page is about when crawling.

The title element and heading tags also play a significant role in SEO, as they provide both users and search engines with an idea of what the page is about and help organize content for easier navigation. Images, on the other hand, are essential for keeping users engaged and interested, while also offering the opportunity to rank and drive traffic from image search results.

Focusing on on-page SEO and making necessary tweaks to your website’s content not only ensures that your site is search engine-friendly, but also offers a satisfying and informative experience for your visitors.

Off-Page SEO: Increasing Authority Beyond Your Site

Off-page SEO encompasses tactics that go beyond your website, such as earning backlinks, promoting content on social media, and building a strong brand reputation.

Backlinks are essential for SEO because they’re the third most important Google ranking factor, helping to boost your website’s credibility and search engine rankings.

Social media promotion can benefit your SEO efforts in several ways:

  • It can drive referral traffic to your website, increasing your overall visibility and reach.
  • It can increase the chances of earning backlinks from other websites, which can improve your search engine rankings.
  • It can help you build a solid brand reputation, as Google considers factors like reviews, ratings, listings, awards, and unlinked brand mentions when determining the ranking of a particular page on your site.

Incorporation of off-page SEO tactics into your overall strategy significantly enhances your online visibility, leading to higher search rankings and greater success in the digital landscape.

Utilizing SEO Tools for Maximum Efficiency

Various SEO tools maximize the efficiency of your SEO efforts and aid in making data-driven decisions to improve your website’s performance in search engine results. Some essential SEO tools include:

  • Moz Keyword Explorer
  • Google Keyword Planner
  • Ahrefs Keywords Explorer
  • Semrush
  • Serpstat
  • KeywordTool.io
  • Ubersuggest

These tools can help you with keyword research, analytics, and backlink analysis.

Other popular SEO tools, like Google Analytics and Google Search Console, can provide valuable insights into your website’s performance and help you identify areas for improvement. By incorporating these tools into your overall SEO strategy, you can ensure that your actions are based on reliable data and that you are continuously optimizing your website to meet the ever-evolving needs of your target audience and search engine requirements.

Navigating Google’s Algorithm Updates

Maintaining and improving your search rankings necessitate staying up-to-date with Google’s algorithm updates. These updates are designed to enhance the value, relevance, quality, authoritativeness, and user experience of search results, and they can significantly impact your website’s ranking.

To navigate Google’s algorithm updates effectively, it’s crucial to:

  1. Gather and analyze data before the update
  2. Monitor changes afterward
  3. Adjust your SEO strategies accordingly
  4. Focus on user experience and content quality

By keeping a close eye on these updates and adapting your SEO approach as needed, you can ensure that your website remains competitive in the ever-changing landscape of search engine rankings.

The Synergy of SEO and Other Digital Marketing Channels

Creating a synergistic effect that boosts your overall online visibility can be achieved by combining SEO with other digital marketing channels, such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, content marketing, and social media marketing. For example, integrating SEO and PPC can increase brand visibility, share keyword data for more effective strategies, amplify brand awareness, improve visibility and drive traffic, and deliver better business results.

SEO also connects with other areas of marketing, such as content marketing and social media marketing. By leveraging the power of these channels in conjunction with SEO, you can create a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that drives growth, increases brand recognition, and delivers tangible results for your business.

Advanced SEO Techniques for Seasoned Practitioners

Employing advanced SEO techniques, such as schema markup, voice search optimization, and international SEO, can help seasoned practitioners stay ahead of the competition. Schema markup can help search engines better understand your website content, potentially leading to improved search rankings and the appearance of rich snippets in search results.

Voice search optimization is another advanced technique that can capitalize on the growing trend of voice-activated searches, ensuring your website caters to users who prefer this method of searching. International SEO, on the other hand, involves optimizing your website for different regions, languages, and cultures to expand your global reach and appeal to a broader audience.

By mastering these advanced SEO techniques, you can continue to refine your website’s performance and stay one step ahead of your competitors in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing.

Stay ahead of the curve with Dealers United’s advanced yet easy-to-understand SEO solutions for car dealerships!

Summary

In conclusion, mastering the art of search engine optimization is an ongoing process that involves understanding the mechanics behind search engines, crafting a winning SEO strategy, and utilizing various SEO tools for maximum efficiency.

By combining on-page, off-page, and technical SEO tactics, and embracing the synergy between SEO and other digital marketing channels, you can elevate your website’s performance in search engine rankings, drive organic traffic, and boost your online visibility.

The journey to SEO success may be challenging, but with persistence, adaptability, and a solid understanding of the principles outlined in this guide…OR with Dealers United’s SEO Solutions, you can achieve remarkable results and establish a strong presence in the digital landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are search engine optimization strategies?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website in order to rank higher in search engine results. This includes arranging content by topic, improving the website’s appearance, and creating useful content that can be found in organic search results.

What is an example of search engine optimization?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing web pages to rank higher in search engine results. Examples of SEO include adding structured data to websites, increasing page loading speeds, improving mobile-friendliness, and optimizing content for targeted keywords.

What are the three types of search engine optimization techniques?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be divided into three main categories: technical SEO, content optimization, and link building. Each one works to boost your visibility and improve your ranking in organic search results.

What are the main components of a winning SEO strategy?

A winning SEO strategy should include keyword research, content creation of the highest quality, and link-building that is effective.

How do search engines like Google rank websites?

Search engines like Google rank websites based on factors like relevance, quality and authority, using algorithms and crawlers to index them.

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.

Different Types of Google Ad Campaigns For Car Dealers

Different Types of Google Ad Campaigns For Car Dealers

Different Types of Google Ad Campaigns For Car Dealers

As a car dealership, if you want to connect with people interested in buying vehicles, Dealers United has found that advertising with Google Ads is essential. This sounds easier said than done, however – Given the fact there are many different types of Google ad campaigns, digital marketers may find themselves overwhelmed when it comes to launching successful ad campaigns. In this article, we break down the different types of campaigns that Google offers to run ads. We’ll also let you know some tips and tricks to help optimize your own advertisements on Google.

Learn more about how Dealers United can help your dealership dominate paid search.

What Are Google Ads?

We would assume most people know what Google Ads are by now. However, for those who don’t, Google Ads are Google’s advertising platform that allows businesses to showcase their products and services to people as they search on Google, watch YouTube videos, browse websites and apps in the Google Display Network, and use Google Maps.

Some key things to know about Google Ads:

  • It uses a pay-per-click pricing model – advertisers only pay when someone clicks on their ad.
  • Ads can target keywords – You choose relevant keywords so your ads show when someone searches for those terms.
  • Placement targeting – Ads can be shown on Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, and millions of partner websites and apps.
  • Geo-targeting – Businesses can target ads to specific geographic locations.
  • Remarketing – Show ads to previous site visitors or those who have interacted with your ads before.
  • Automated bidding – Google’s AI optimizes bids to help maximize conversions within your budget.
  • Performance tracking – Google provides data like impressions, clicks, costs, and conversions to gauge performance.
  • Management – Accounts can be managed directly or with assistance from Google Ads specialists.
  • Works for businesses of any size – Accounts can be scaled up or down as needed.

9 Types of Google Ad Campaigns

So you want to start selling some vehicles with Google Ads. Great! Did you know there are 9 core campaign types? These are:

  1. Search
  2. Performance Max
  3. Display
  4. Shopping
  5. Video
  6. App
  7. Smart
  8. Local
  9. Discovery

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just ‘starting Google Ads campaign and clicking go.’ Depending on your specific goals, we recommend you use different types of campaigns. It’s important to understand that you do not need to use all of these campaigns. Some of these campaigns may offer absolutely no benefit to you, at all.

Many car dealerships only choose 2 or 3 and can actually have some decent returns on their ad spend (amount of money spent on the ad budget).

Google Search Ads

Search ads appear at the top and bottom of Google search results pages when a user searches for keywords related to your business. They are text-based ads with a headline, description, and display URL. They are ideally suited for businesses looking to generate direct sales or capture leads, as you can target users searching for keywords and phrases related to your products, services or industry.

  • Search ads allow you to target “commercial intent” keywords – searches where users have a high intent to purchase or convert. For example, keywords like “car dealer in Miami”, “car dealer near me”, or “mustangs for sale in Atlanta” indicate the user is actively looking to make a purchase decision.
  • You can craft your search ads to appeal directly to these high-intent searches. Include your dealership’s name, key models/services, and compelling messaging around deals, offers, or solving the searchers’ needs.
  • Search ads can generate a very high return on investment as you are put directly in front of motivated shoppers ready to buy. Studies show search ads have 2-4x higher conversion rates compared to other ad formats.
  • You only pay when someone clicks your search ad, so you can discover profitable keywords and target audiences cost-effectively. Start with a small budget to test into search ads and expand as you find winning keywords.

Keep a close eye on your click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate (CVR) to optimize your keywords, ad copy, landing pages and bid strategy over time. A/B test different ad creatives too.

Overall, search ads are the go-to choice for direct-response marketers, ecommerce businesses, lead-gen agencies, and any company selling products or services that people proactively search for online. Leverage search ads to engage motivated shoppers.

Google Display Ads

Display ads are visual, graphical ads that appear on third-party websites, videos, and apps across the Google Display Network.

Some key things to know about Display ads:

  • They provide an opportunity to reach a broad range of audiences and placements beyond just Google Search. Display ads can appear on millions of sites that partner with Google to show ads.
  • You can target Display ads contextually to appear on sites or pages relevant to your business, as well as target by demographics, interests, remarketing lists, and more. This allows you to strategically reach new potential customers.
  • Display ads are ideal for raising brand awareness at the early stages of the marketing funnel. Users are not actively searching for what you have to offer, but Display ads expose your brand to new audiences.
  • You have creative flexibility with Display ads, including options like images, animations, video, and responsive ads that adapt to different placements. This allows you to convey brand messaging creatively.
  • Metrics like clicks and conversions may be lower compared to Search ads, but viewability and reach should be assessed. Display succeeds by spreading brand messaging to broad, relevant audiences across the web.
  • Retargeting Display ads to users who previously visited your website can also be highly effective at reminding and converting those already familiar with your brand.
  • Budgets can be set low initially and increased strategically over time as you identify the best performing placements, audiences and ad creative. Start small to test into Display advertising.

Display advertising, while less direct-response oriented than Search ads, is an essential component of brand awareness and audience reach that lay the foundation for future conversions across all marketing channels.

Pro tip: If you want more brand awareness, you need to increase your budget with Display Ads.

Google Video Ads

Video ads appear before, during or after other videos on YouTube, allowing you to engage viewers in a streaming video environment. On YouTube specifically, users are leaning back to be entertained, not actively searching like Google Search. So Video ads are better for raising awareness and consideration.

Here is some more useful information about Video Ads on YouTube:

  • You can target Video ads contextually to play before or during YouTube videos relevant to your product or service. This gets your brand and messaging in front of a receptive audience.
  • Video is a dynamic, visual medium that can demonstrate and tell the story of your brand in a compelling way. Video ads on YouTube can increase awareness, consideration and favorability.
  • While not as direct-response as Search ads, Video ads still offer many options for driving conversions, like a clickable call-to-action overlay and link in the video description.
  • For brands with an existing audience, Video ads enable powerful remarketing by engaging previous visitors, subscribers or prospects while they’re streaming YouTube.
  • YouTube also provides excellent audience targeting options beyond just contextual, like custom affinity or in-market audiences, demographic targeting, placement targeting, topic targeting and more.
  • A strong YouTube presence can reinforce other marketing efforts. Views and engagement with your Video ads enables more YouTube organic rankings and recommendations.
  • Start with an awareness or consideration-focused Video campaign with a modest budget to test performance. Look for relevant placements, engaged viewers, video views, and other brand lift metrics.

Video ads on YouTube provide a flexible, visual medium for brands to tell their story to relevant streaming audiences and increase brand awareness and remarketing.

Google Shopping Ads

Shopping ads showcase product images, prices and other details directly in Google search results. Unlike text-based search ads, Shopping ads pull product data like images, titles and pricing dynamically from your product feed. This allows motivated shoppers to easily explore and compare products visually within search results.

Here is some additional information on Shopping ads:

  • Shopping ads showcase product images, prices and names directly in Google search results, allowing users to easily explore and compare products.
  • They appear when users search for relevant generic or brand name products, or browse the Shopping tab on Google. This captures motivated shoppers ready to purchase.
  • Shopping ads pull dynamically from your product catalogs, so product information stays up-to-date without manual ad creation. Less work for more product exposure.
  • They provide a highly visual, immersive browsing experience that is perfect for product discovery and research. Shopping ads can heavily influence purchase decisions.
  • Only physical products that can be shipped are allowed in Shopping ads. This makes them ideal for retail, ecommerce, CPG and other consumer product companies.
  • Shopping campaigns optimize for conversions, focusing on competitively priced products likely to drive sales. Lower cost-per-click than Search ads.
  • Main goal is sales and site traffic for online retailers. But Shopping ads also drive store visits and brand search lift.
  • Requirements include having an ecommerce site, Google Merchant Center account, and product feed. More initial setup but automation after.
  • Tight integration between Google Merchant Center, Google Analytics and Google Ads streamlines optimization of Shopping campaigns.

In summary, Shopping ads are the premier product advertising unit on Google, providing a specialized, visual browsing experience that connects motivated shoppers with relevant products from your catalog. A must-have for any ecommerce advertiser.

Google App Ads

Most car dealerships will not opt for App ads on Google. App ads drive installs and engagement for mobile apps. They help you find new app users and increase engagement among existing users.

  • These ads appear across multiple ad surfaces including Google Search, YouTube, Google Play Store, and the Google Display Network. This wide reach helps capture new users.
  • App ads are powered by Google’s automation, pulling assets and information directly from your app store listing and optimizing based on your goals. This makes App ad campaigns easy to set up and manage.
  • You can choose objectives like getting more total installs of your app, getting more quality installs from high-value users, or driving specific in-app actions among people who have already installed your app.
  • Detailed app performance reports in Google Ads allow you to see which keywords, placements and audiences are driving the most installs and engagement. This data informs future optimization.
  • App ads are the primary way to grow mobile apps through paid advertising. And apps are a major digital platform nowadays. App ads can help scale your mobile presence.

App ads are an efficient, automated way to promote mobile apps across Google’s networks and achieve core goals like more installs and increased engagement among active app users. Unless your dealership brand is pushing some sort of App, do not use these.

Google Local Ads

Local ads help brick-and-mortar businesses promote their physical locations and offerings to nearby potential customers. These are an excellent pick for any car dealership. They appear on Google Search and Maps when users search for related products, services or businesses in a geographic area.

This targets high intent local shoppers.

Local ads pull business info like address, phone, photos and attributes from your Google Business Profile to auto-generate ads. Here is some additional information on the Local Ad campaigns:

  • Less work for localized visibility.
  • Options like call extensions, location extensions and ad scheduling based on business hours make Local ads ultra-relevant for driving in-store visits.
  • Reporting provides insights into how well your Local campaigns are driving calls, store visits, directions and other location-based conversions.
  • Location targeting and radius targeting allows you to geo-fence your ads around your business locations to optimize reach to your local audience.
  • Local ads work for any business with a physical location – retailers, restaurants, professional services, automotive shops and more. Bring nearby customers to your door.

Local ads enable localized businesses, like your car dealership, to easily promote their in-store presence to ready-to-buy customers in their geographic regions. A must-have for any business with a physical location.

Google Smart Ads

Smart campaigns are a quick, simplified way to start advertising on Google with minimal effort. Google’s algorithms handle optimizing and managing your campaigns. Both new and veteran Google Ad specialists alike will likely incorporate Smart Ads.

  • You provide basic business info, assets like ads/images, and a budget. Google takes care of targeting, placements, bidding, and creating/testing ads to get the best results for your goals.
  • This makes Smart campaigns ideal for new advertisers without much experience managing and optimizing Google Ads campaigns. The automation handles the heavy lifting.
  • Smart campaigns use machine learning to optimize performance over time as Google gathers more data. Less manual work needed on your end to improve campaigns.
  • Goals include leads, website traffic, and calls. Google will automatically promote your business across Search, Display, YouTube and Gmail based on what drives results.
  • Downsides are less visibility into granular data and less control over campaign settings. But simplicity and ease of use are the main attractions.
  • Smart campaigns serve as a great entry point to start Google Ads without much effort. Once established, you can graduate to more advanced campaign types with more customization.

Google Smart campaigns automate the process of optimizing and managing ads, providing a quick and easy entry point for new advertisers to begin promoting their business with minimal effort required.

Google Performance Max Ads

Performance Max campaigns are relatively new. Remember Vehicle Listing Ads? They were all phased out and replaced with Performance Max campaigns.

These are goal-based ad campaigns that launched in 2021. Performance Max campaigns let you consolidate all your assets into one campaign that Google will then optimize across properties.

  • You provide goals, creative assets like ads and images, audience signals, budget, etc. Google uses AI to test different combinations and place them automatically to drive results.
  • Your ads can appear on Google Search, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, Maps and Display. Performance Max picks the best placements and ad types for your goals.
  • The AI optimization aims to get the highest conversion value from your budget using predictive analytics. Google handles the constant testing and optimization.
  • Benefits include easier campaign management, better performance through machine learning, and multi-channel reach. But there is less visibility and control compared to individual campaign types.
  • Performance Max learns and optimizes over time. Providing accurate conversion tracking and high-quality assets helps it improve performance for your goals.
  • Best for advertisers willing to hand over control to Google’s algorithms to optimize ads across channels in one single campaign.

Performance Max simplifies ad management by combining all assets into one AI-optimized campaign that dynamically serves ads across Google’s properties to help maximize performance. Use these ad campaigns to push your vehicle inventory to viewers.

Google Discovery Ads

Discovery ads are visually engaging, native-looking image and video ads that appear in content feeds across Google properties. They blend seamlessly into feeds like Google Discover, YouTube’s Homepage and Watch Next feeds, and Gmail’s Promotions and Social tabs.

  • Discovery ads aim to catch user attention subtly in-feed as they consume content, making them ideal for brand awareness and consideration goals.
  • You can target Discovery ads to relevant audiences, demographics, interests, and remarketing lists across the content feeds. This expands reach to new customers.
  • For existing audiences, Discovery ads can remarket in a native ad format as they consume content across Google’s properties.
  • Like Display ads, performance metrics are more brand-focused like reach, impressions and viewability rather than direct conversions.
  • Creative with compelling imagery/video that feels natural in feeds will perform best. Aim for visual interest to grab in-feed attention.

Use Discovery ads to complement Search, Shopping and other direct-response campaigns with an immersive brand presence in content feeds. Discovery ads enable seamless brand integration of your dealership within Google’s content feeds to creatively showcase brands to new and existing audiences in a native, feed-friendly format.

Which Type of Google Ad Campaign is Best?

The best Google Ads campaign type depends on your specific car dealership goals and objectives.

But at the end of the day, you want to dominate search.

Here is an overview of recommending the optimal Google Ads campaign for different goals:

If your goal is to generate leads and sales by engaging users searching for related products/services, Search campaigns are typically best. Search ads target high-commercial intent keywords, appear on Google Search results, and aim to send interested traffic to your site.

If you want to raise brand awareness and reach new audiences, Display and Discovery campaigns are likely better suited. These visual ads promote your brand on websites, videos, and Google content feeds viewed by your target demographics.

For just about every car dealership, local campaigns can help drive feet in the door, calls, directions, etc. by targeting nearby searchers looking for your vehicles or services.

The optimal Google Ads approach typically utilizes multiple campaign types to achieve both brand awareness and direct-response goals across Google’s many properties.

Want Someone to Manage Google Ad Campaigns For Your Dealership?

Managing Google Ads campaigns takes knowledge, time and effort to continually optimize performance.

If you want to outsource this work to experts, contact Dealers United.

Our digital marketing agency specializes in helping car dealerships get the best ROI from Google Ads. Our suite of services includes:

  • Google Ads Management – We set up, manage, optimize, and track campaigns.
  • Display, Search, and Performance Max (VLA) – We amplify your reach with targeted display ads, search ads, and vehicle listing ads (VLAs)
  • Call Tracking – We implement call tracking to measure leads from all advertising.
  • Reporting – We analyze results and provide optimization recommendations.

Google Ads allows for highly targeted, measurable advertising that helps automotive dealers promote their inventory and brand, drive website traffic, generate leads, and increase car or service sales. The platform is flexible enough for small dealers just starting out, all the way up to large enterprises managing campaigns across multiple regions and languages.

Let our team of specialists handle your Google Ads so you can focus on selling cars. Get in touch with Dealers United, today, for a free consultation!

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.

Car Dealers: Is SEO a Scam?

Car Dealers: Is SEO a Scam?

Car Dealers: Is SEO a Scam?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a hotly debated digital marketing strategy. Some swear it is an invaluable tactic for improving website visibility and traffic. Others claim SEO is a shady scam bordering on false advertising. So which is it?

Let’s explore the legitimate uses and benefits of SEO as well as shady practices to avoid.

What is SEO and How Can it Benefit Your Business?

SEO refers to optimizing websites and their content in order to achieve higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). The main search engines SEO aims to improve rankings on are Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Properly implemented SEO makes websites more visible via organic search. Companies like Dealers United use ethical SEO services to help clients achieve higher rankings. This means people find your content directly through search engines, not paid ads.

Done ethically over time, SEO can deliver:

  • Increased organic traffic from relevant search terms
  • More awareness of your brand
  • Greater perceived trust and credibility
  • Higher conversion rates from optimized web pages
  • Better user experience through faster load times and responsive design

These benefits come primarily through search engine algorithms. Unique, high-quality content, efficient site architecture, positive user signals, and authoritative backlinks all help convince algorithms your site deserves a top ranking for relevant queries.

Is SEO Simply a Scam?

Some business owners write SEO off completely due to bad past experiences. But while scams exist, SEO as a discipline is legitimate. The issue comes down to expectations, patience, and vetting providers.

Unscrupulous agencies do make outrageous claims to earn quick cash from unsuspecting companies. Promises of first page or #1 rankings overnight are always scams. Fast results generally mean unethical tactics which wind up penalized by search engines.

True SEO requires an ongoing, long-term approach. There are no instant ranking hacks or tricks. Skilled SEO implementation and monitoring takes research, technical expertise, content creation, and constant tweaking over months to see results.

Warning Signs of an SEO Scam

While SEO scams come in many forms, a few common themes give them away:

Outrageous Ranking Claims

Guaranteed first page placement or #1 rankings, especially for competitive keywords, are simply not realistic. Any agency promising this is scamming you. Rankings depend on many fluid factors.

Confusing Jargon About “Loopholes”

There are no secret shortcuts or hacks to rankings. Beware technicians who namedrop special access, trick Google claims, or talk about exploiting “loopholes” in algorithms. This is not real SEO.

Pressure to Buy Now

Reputable SEO providers explain plans and pricing transparently without high-pressure tactics. A vague or slippery sales pitch pressuring you to buy should be a red flag.

Lack of Custom Strategizing

Your industry, business goals, and existing website should inform an SEO strategy. Any company taking a one-size-fits-all approach cannot deliver results.

Refusal to Explain Techniques

Ethical SEO pros will explain precisely what they plan to do and why. Lack of transparency likely signals deploying techniques that violate search engine rules.

How to Choose a Legitimate SEO Agency

Finding a reliable agency takes research and asking the right questions.

Warning signs include:

  • Unwillingness to provide past examples of their work and client results
  • Refusal to detail the specific techniques they will use
  • Claims of special access to or relationships with Google/Bing
  • Inability to explain technical concepts to you in plain language

Signs of a trustworthy SEO company include:

  • Detailing their strategies and why they are effective
  • Public case studies proving success for past clients
  • Clearly outlining costs and maintaining transparency
  • Customizing proposals based on your business after thorough research
  • Staying current on algorithm changes and best practices

While SEO has certainly attracted its share of scammers, it remains one of the most valuable digital marketing tactics for businesses when implemented properly.

Avoid obvious warning signs, research thoroughly, and don’t believe claims of overnight success. This helps ensure you work with a legitimate SEO agency that follows search engine rules to get results over the long-term.

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.

How to Optimize Your Car Dealership Website For Local Search

How to Optimize Your Car Dealership Website For Local Search

How to Optimize Your Car Dealership Website For Local Search

Local search is more important than ever for small, brick-and-mortar businesses like car dealerships that are looking to connect with customers in their area. At Dealers United, we understand this concept more than most organizations.

With 46% of Google searches having local intent, ensuring your website is optimized for local SEO can help you tap into this demand and increase visibility in search results for geographic keywords related to your dealership.

In this guide, we’ll cover key tactics to optimize your website and online presence for local search.

Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

The first step is to claim or create your Google My Business listing (GMB). This free tool allows you to manage how your business information appears on Google.

Complete your GMB listing with accurate business info, hours, photos, products/services, and contact options.

Google will also mail a postcard with a PIN to verify your address.

With a verified GMB profile, you can also easily respond to customer reviews. These are the #2 ranking factors for local SEO. So prompt, polite responses to reviews can improve visibility. 

Use Schema Markup on Your Site

Schema markup enables you to highlight things like your business name, address, phone number, operating hours, and more in a machine-readable format.

When implemented properly, schema markup can generate rich results in SERPs with your business info. For local SEO, make sure to use LocalBusiness schema on any pages that describe your business.

Make Sure Your NAP Citations are Consistent

Double check that your NAP – your business Name, Address, and Phone number – are consistent across all online listings and citations. Any discrepancies can negatively impact local rankings, and it’s simply too easy for it to not be optimized!

Use tools like Moz Local to audit and correct any NAP inconsistencies on directories like Yelp, Facebook, and elsewhere online.

Build Local Links and Signals

Look for opportunities to build quality local links pointing to your site. Things like local directory listings, sponsorships, and guest posts on relevant sites help establish authority.

Similarly, get positive local reviews on Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Reviews indicate your business is trusted and valued in the community.

Optimize for Local Keywords

Research the geographic keywords your customers are actually searching for. Tools like AHREFs make this easy.

Then optimize your site architecture, on-page elements, and content around those local keywords. Things like “pizza restaurant in Phoenix” or “plumber near me”.

Create Locally-Focused Content

Publish blog posts, guides, and other content optimized for local search intent. Things like local events, highlights about your community, and content that helps area customers solve problems.

This helps establish your brand as an authority in your region. And gives search engines more signals about your local expertise.

Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

With over 80% of searches for vehicles happening on mobile, having a mobile-optimized site is critical for local SEO for car dealers. Make sure your site is responsive, with easy navigation and clickable elements for touchscreens.

Google’s mobile-friendliness test can identify any issues to fix. This ensures local searchers have a positive experience on mobile.

Regularly Monitor Your Local SEO Progress

Use tools like Google Analytics and AHREFs Position Tracking to monitor your local SEO efforts. Look at rankings for target keywords as well as website traffic from local organic search.

This allows you to determine what’s working so you can double down on effective tactics. And identify areas in need of improvement.

FAQ

What is local SEO and why is local SEO important?

Local SEO refers to optimizing your online presence to improve visibility for local customer searches. With 46% of Google searches having local intent, local SEO helps connect your business with potential customers looking for your products or services in your geographic area.

How can a business optimize its website and online presence for local SEO?

Key optimization tactics include optimizing your Google My Business listing, using schema markup, managing NAP citations, building local links/signals, creating locally-focused content, ensuring mobile optimization, and monitoring progress with analytics tools.

What are some key tactics and tools for DIY local SEO?

Top DIY tactics include optimizing listings like Google My Business, conducting keyword research to find relevant local terms, managing online reviews, creating locally targeted content, and implementing schema markup. Helpful tools include Semrush, Moz Local, Screaming Frog, and BrightLocal.

How can a business track its local SEO efforts?

Use position tracking tools like AHREFs or Google Search Console to monitor rankings for local keywords. Google Analytics can provide insight into website traffic from local searches. Regularly check rankings, traffic, and other metrics to gauge effectiveness of optimization efforts.

Optimizing for local SEO provides a major opportunity for brick-and-mortar businesses to connect with customers searching for their products and services in their geographic region. Following the tactics in this guide will help improve visibility and drive more local traffic to your car dealership – there’s no doubt about it 

Summary: Key Takeaways for Maximizing Local SEO

In summary, optimizing for local SEO provides a major opportunity for dealerships to connect with more nearby customers searching online. The tactics in this guide offer a roadmap to start driving more local business.

However, executing an effective local SEO strategy takes expertise. The local search experts at Dealers United can help take your dealership’s website to the next level with a tailored strategy for maximizing local search presence.

Learn more about our managed SEO services specialized for dealerships and contact us today to see how we can help you capitalize on the local search opportunity.

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.