Dealership Full-Service Digital Case Study
Strategy Spotlight: Dahl Ford’s SEO + SEM + Social Ads Lift Leads & Traffic
Solutions: SEO, SEM, and Social Ads
Dealer Testimonial
Dan Medberry | Director of Information & Technology
“We’ve been a partner of Dealers United for several years now, so when they came to us to be first on their new search solutions, we were ready to go. In 30 days, we saw a boost in traffic. In 90 days, it feels like our leads have tripled and our cost is way down. I couldn’t be happier.”
Automotive Full-Service Digital Strategy: SEO + SEM + Social Ads
Part 1
Automotive Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy
The CHALLENGE
Dahl Ford Davenport struggled to improve their organic search rankings despite trying various SEO vendors and tactics. As competitors continued outranking them on search engine results pages (SERPs), Dahl Ford realized they needed to revamp their search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
The SOLUTION
With Dealers United’s automotive SEO solutions, Dahl Ford dominated their local market by optimizing for geo-targeted keywords like “Cedar Rapids car dealerships,” “Quad Cities car dealers,” and “Davenport used cars.” This boosted their visibility on SERPs for these high-value, location-specific searches.
SEO Results (90 days)
Total Keywords Added / Removed
%
Increase in Organic Traffic
Up 50 positions for “ford escape near me”
(From November 2023 – January 2024)
Part 2
Automotive Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Strategy
The Challenge
Dahl Ford Davenport struggled to generate more leads from Google Search while maintaining efficiency goals. Their objective was to optimize for high-intent automotive keywords like “Ford truck near me” and “Davenport car dealerships,” to broaden their online reach and drive qualified traffic for increased conversions.
The Solution
Dealers United revamped Dahl Ford’s digital ads via advanced targeting, creative automation, and AI bidding to deliver the most efficient cost per lead (CPL). Tactics included keyword optimization, dynamic bidding with AI, and advanced audiences based on previous shopping activity.
(From November 2023 – January 2024)
SEM Results (90 days)
Total Leads
Average Cost Per Lead
%
Average Conversion Rate
Cost Per Lead
Part 3
Automotive Social Ad Strategy: A “Market Disruptor” on Meta and TikTok
(Q1 – Q4 2023 Results)
The Challenge
Dahl Ford aimed to differentiate its local dealership from competitors by leveraging popular channels to promote exclusive deals for Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities, and Davenport car shoppers. Offering unbeatable pricing and value through high-traffic websites, social media, and search engines allowed Dahl Ford to capture motivated buyers seeking unmatched local offers.
The Solution
In addition to running general brand awareness and Automotive Inventory Ads, Dealers United introduced two new campaigns: The “Market Disruptor” campaign aligned with their brand promise of lowest market prices and the “Inventory Push” campaign focused budget on specific models Dahl wanted to move faster.
Meta (Facebook & Instagram) Ad Results:
- 2,295 Leads
- $26.57 Cost Per Lead
- 384 Matched Unit Sales
- $158.78 Cost Per Unit Sold
TikTok Ad Results:
- 12,990 Clicks
- $0.92 Cost Per Click
- 30 second Average Watch Time Per Person
- 2.1 Million Video Views
We Help Dealers USE seo + sem + social ADS TO Sell More Cars.
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