Automotive SEO: A 2025 Guide to Ranking Higher & Selling More Cars

Think about the last time you bought something. You’ve probably started with a simple online search, and car shoppers do the same thing. They analyze the inventory, check out prices, read reviews, and compare local dealerships, all before ever stepping onto a lot.

To help these people find you online, you need to use search engine optimization. In our article, we’ll walk you through how you can do it. You’ll learn how to set up your Business Profile, build local backlinks, and create content to bring in more local traffic and sales.

Why Most Car Dealerships Struggle with SEO (And How to Fix It)

Many businesses spend good money on automotive SEO but don’t get to see more customers or sell more cars. Usually, it’s because they’re making a few common mistakes without realizing it. Below, you’ll see exactly where most dealerships go wrong:

1. Incomplete Google Business Profiles: Quite often, auto shops don’t fully utilize their Business Profile. They leave out details like working hours, photos, business categories, or recent customer reviews that prevent potential customers from getting the information they need.
2. Copied vehicle descriptions: Sometimes, businesses take the easy route and use vehicle descriptions straight from the car manufacturer. The problem is that hundreds of other dealerships do exactly the same, so you can end up with thin or duplicate content that doesn’t rank well on Google.
3. Not optimizing service pages: It’s common for businesses to put all their effort into selling cars and completely forget about optimizing their site for services that people often look for locally. This could bring them tons of valuable searches from drivers who need repairs, tires, or maintenance.
4. Lack of local backlinks: When other authoritative sites from your area link to you, it can greatly improve your website’s authority and rankings. But despite the benefits of this tactic, auto shops often overlook it.
5. Poor SEO providers: Some freelancers or agencies may not be as trustworthy as you’d hope. They charge you for their work but struggle to deliver the outcomes you were planning for and don’t show proof of their results.

The good news is that you can avoid all these automotive SEO mistakes, and in the next sections, we’ll show you exactly how. We’ll start with the most essential part you need to get right — local SEO.

Local SEO: How to Rank Higher in Google Maps & Organic Search

Automotive buyers often use local keywords to find auto repair services or a new car in their area. Around 68% of them end up clicking on one of the first three results. These top spots, known as the local 3-pack, get the most visits, calls, and leads. In the screenshot below, you can see what these results look like.

To help your business show up prominently there and capture some of the traffic, we’ll share proven automotive SEO tactics you can try. Naturally, we’ll start with one of the central pieces.

Google Business Profile: A Dealership’s True Homepage

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) directly impacts your automotive SEO and visibility in local search results. Many potential customers will check your listing to call, see when you’re open, or find directions. If you want more leads to reach out, make sure they have everything they need to contact or visit you.

According to Google, a complete profile also builds trust. Customers are 70% more likely to visit and 50% more likely to buy when they have the right information upfront.

To get the most from your profile, you need to fill out every possible detail (your business name, address, phone number, hours, categories, and services). You can do this in Business Profile Manager. If your hours change on weekends or holidays, make sure to mention it too.

In your profile settings, choose the most relevant categories, like Car Dealer, Used Car Dealer, or Auto Repair Shop. Also, add services that you offer so you show up in more searches and rank for relevant keywords.

Don’t forget to add professional photos of your showroom, best-selling vehicles, service department, and waiting area. Listings with pictures get, on average, 35% more clicks than those that don’t.

Another important thing for every automotive SEO campaign is customer reviews. The more positive feedback you have, the more trustworthy your dealership looks.

Moreover, nearly 90% of marketers believe they help businesses get better search rankings. So, be sure to leverage them in your automotive SEO. Encourage customers to leave honest reviews and always reply politely, even if the feedback is negative.

Our final tip on how to make use of your GBP is to share updates with your potential customers. You can post about new cars on the lot, special promotions, or any upcoming sales events. This will give them more reasons to visit your lot.

Additionally, work on your Q&A section. Write answers to the common questions your prospects might have. The more useful and active your profile is, the better your chances of showing up when locals search for a dealership.

Local Citations and Directory Listings

To help more car shoppers find your website online, you need to list your business in relevant and high-authority directories. A Cox Automotive survey found that around 80% of car buyers visited a third-party website during their research of a new car. That’s a lot of potential customers that you could be missing out on. Here are a couple of places where you can get started.

• Yelp.com
• Cars.com or Edmunds
• Better Business Bureau (BBB)
• Foursquare

These websites have high monthly traffic and are trusted sources in the automotive industry. Showing up in their listings also tells search engines that your business is legitimate and can improve your rankings.

Keep Your NAP Details Up-To-Date in Every Profile

NAP stands for name, address, and phone number. These details must match across all t to make sure you’re not confusing potential customers or search engines. If you move to a different location or change phone numbers, you’ll need to renew in all the places as well.

Google cross-checks this information, so it’s important to keep it consistent and accurate. It’ll show search engines strong local SEO signals and can help you achieve higher rankings.

Fix the Biggest SEO Issues on Your Car Dealer Website

Your website needs to be fast, easy to navigate, and also work well on mobile to help people find all the pages they need, even when they are on the go. It matters for search engines, too, as they rank fast and mobile-friendly sites higher.

Considering the importance of technical performance for automotive SEO, we’ll show you what you need to prioritize in your campaigns to provide a better experience for your visitors.

Improve Your Site Speed

No one likes waiting for a website to load, and car shoppers are no different. If your pages take longer than three seconds to load, they’ll hit the back button and move on to a different website.

To check your current performance, go to Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Here, you can see your Core Web Vitals Assessment and compare how fast your site loads on mobile vs desktop.

If you scroll down the report, you’ll also find the Diagnostics section. That’s where you can see the exact issues on your site as well as tips on how to fix them.

In addition to the tips from the tool, it’s a good idea to follow some of the best practices to improve the speed of your site.

• Resize your images and use formats like WebP.
• Remove extra code, outdated plugins, and scripts.
• Use a high-speed hosting provider that can handle large traffic spikes.
• Enable browser caching so returning visitors don’t have to reload everything.

Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

Over 60% of global traffic comes from smartphones, and Google now ranks websites based on their mobile version first. If your site isn’t easy to use on a small screen, your potential customers might have trouble finding the information they need.

The fix? Test your mobile site version regularly in PageSpeed Insights. Review the diagnostics and follow the recommendations.

Another great tool for this is Google Search Console. It has a section that shows how usable your site is on mobile and also provides tips on where you can improve.

Also, check if your site is responsive and automatically adjusts to any screen size. Most modern website platforms (WordPress, Dealer.com, CDK) have built-in responsive themes you can use.

At the end of the day, a mobile-friendly site helps you see better results from your automotive SEO campaigns. It keeps car shoppers engaged and increases your rankings.

Reduce Popups and Unnecessary Chatbots

Popups and chatbots, like the ones in the screenshot below, can be useful but can also affect the user experience (UX). If visitors land on your page and are immediately bombarded with messages, chances are they’ll get annoyed and leave.

The good news is you don’t have to remove them completely — as long as you follow some best practices. According to Justinmind, a design company, if you decide to use pop-ups, they should:

• Offer visitors incentives or content they might be interested in.
• Give users some time to explore your site before displaying a pop-up.
• Place the close tab within easy reach, like in the upper or lower right corner.

Also, it’s important to show only one pop-up or a chatbot at a time to not overwhelm your visitors. As long as your messages add value and don’t interrupt the browsing experience, they won’t be a problem.

Optimize Vehicle Listings to Rank Higher

Listings matter a lot for automotive SEO. They help you rank for relevant keywords and attract buyers. Therefore, you need to pay special attention to them.

As we mentioned earlier, manufacturer-provided (OEM) descriptions won’t do your site justice. Why? They lack originality, and you can end up with duplicate content. The better approach is to:

• Rewrite OEM descriptions and include original details (best features, condition, unique selling points).
• Conduct keyword research to find relevant terms for your listings and have them appear in more searches.
• Write the copy in an easy-to-understand tone, as if speaking to customers directly.

Add Schema Markup to Make Your Listings Stand Out

Beyond well-written descriptions, you can use structured data (schema markup) for your Automotive SEO. It helps search engines better understand the content on your web pages.

Google uses this information to pull out car prices, photos, the model year, or reviews and display them on search engine results pages. These extra details also make your listings more noticeable and can improve your click-through rate.

There are many types of structured data available, but let’s look at the ones that make sense for car dealerships. The first one on our list is Vehicle Schema. It gives Google the following details about your car:

• Make, model, and year
• Price and offer details
• Mileage and condition

Since most car buyers search locally, you can also benefit from structured data for local businesses. This mainly includes your location, hours, and contact details.

Finally, consider the Review Schema. It shows customer ratings directly in search results and helps build trust with potential customers right away.

To add structured data to your listings, you can use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper. It’s a free tool that helps generate the correct code for your listings. Additionally, you can add the schema code manually or use a plugin.

After you’ve implemented structured data, you can test it using the Rich Results Test. This will show you how Google reads your data and if everything shows up correctly.

Even though it takes time to set up schema markup, it pays off for your rankings. Your potential buyers will also be able to see more important details about the cars you offer and be more likely to click on your page.

Connect Pages with Internal Links

An internal link is a link that connects one page on your website to another. When someone clicks it, they stay on your site but move to a different page. The longer they stay on your site, the more likely they are to become a lead.

The best way to use internal links in car dealer SEO is to think about what a visitor might want to do next. If someone is reading your blog article about “New vs Used Cars”, you can link it to your inventory pages. Similarly, a blog post about the best SUVs for families should include links to the SUVs you have in stock.

In addition to improved navigation, internal links help search engines understand how your website is organized and help locate your pages. If your car listing, financing page, or special promotion is not linked from anywhere else on your site, it can result in orphan pages, and search engines won’t be able to find or index them. So make sure that each of your important pages has a link pointing to them.

It’s also a good idea to regularly audit your internal links and make sure your site is well connected. Here’s how to do it in Ahrefs:

1. Enter your website URL in Ahrefs’ Site Audit Tool and let it scan it.
2. Check the “No Internal Links” filter to find pages that aren’t linked anywhere. These should be connected to relevant sections so visitors can reach them easily.
3. Look at the Broken Links report to see if you have any links leading to a 404. Update or remove these links to avoid dead ends.
4. Use the Link Opportunities Tool to identify pages that should be linked together but aren’t. Prioritize pages that drive conversions, such as popular inventory listings or financing options.

Overall, internal links are crucial for automotive SEO. They help keep your visitors on the site, pass link authority, and help search engines locate, crawl, and index your pages.

Content Marketing: What Works & What Doesn’t

Car buyers spend over 14 hours researching before making a decision. They compare models, check prices, read reviews, and hop from website to website to weigh their options.

Since so much of their time is spent online, dealerships that share useful content can get in front of shoppers early and stay on their radar. But before mapping out your content strategy, it’s important to research relevant terms.

Find the Right Keywords for Your Automotive SEO

For your content to rank well in search engines and attract a local audience, you’ll need to conduct keyword research and competitor analysis. This will help you find words and phrases that car buyers are using when searching for a new car or services that you offer.

Go to Ahrefs Keyword Explorer or any other tool of your choice and type in a broad term. This can be something like a “used car dealership”. The tool will show you plenty of keyword variations you can use. Try to filter those with “near me” or city/area-specific terms because people are mostly looking for cars close to their location.

Repeat this process for other terms related to your specific services. Remember to use geographic targeting to see the local data. For example, if you’re based in the U.S., choose this country before you hit the Search button. When looking at the keywords inside the tool, evaluate them on the following factors:

• Search volume: How many people look for this keyword monthly.
• Keyword difficulty: How hard it’ll be to rank for it.
• Search intent: What’s the reason why someone’s searching for that term.

For car dealer SEO, it’s a good idea to prioritize queries related to vehicle comparisons, financing, and maintenance, as these mostly have commercial intent. This means that people looking for these terms are closer to making a decision.

Of course, no keyword research is complete without analyzing your competitors. So you’ll need to check out other dealerships in your area to see what keywords they rank for. Look at their top-performing pages, study their content, and use that as inspiration to create something even better.

Write Guides and Decision-Making Content

Forrester suggests that the best approach car dealership websites can take in their digital marketing is to create user guides that lead them naturally through a buying process. This works especially well for people who are just exploring their options and are not yet ready to buy.

This format is also known as decision-making content. Below, we’ll review some of the most common types of this strategy.

• Vehicle comparisons: Many shoppers debate between models, and comparisons can show them the differences and help them decide.
• Buying guides: First-time buyers or those unsure about their needs often search for practical guidance
• Service & maintenance content: Many car owners look for trusted sources to maintain their vehicles.

Once you publish your pages, remember to monitor your automotive SEO performance in Google Analytics. Check how much traffic your content brings to your website and which pages seem to resonate best with your audience and drive the most leads.

The Secret to Fixed Ops SEO (Service & Parts Pages)

Many customers search online for maintenance and repair services in their area, and their queries often look like “brake repair near me.” The best way to help them find your business is to do the following.

• Create a separate page for each service to appear in organic search results and attract more people to your physical location.
• Use location-based phrases like your area/city name or “near me” in your service pages.
• Include FAQs to answer common questions. It can also help your pages show up for voice searches and featured snippets like PAA.

Local Link Building Strategies That Work

Local backlinks (links from other websites to yours) are an integral part of every automotive SEO strategy. They help build authority and improve your chances of higher search engine rankings. The best way to get these?

Partner with other businesses in the automotive and insurance space. Here are a few ideas for you to get started.

• Mechanics and auto repair shops: Offer referrals and get listed on their websites.
• Auto parts stores: Many have business directories or partner pages.
• Driving schools: A great place to get listed, as students often need a first car.
• Local news websites: Sponsor community events to earn press mentions.

Another untapped opportunity for backlinks is customer testimonials. If any local businesses service their cars at your dealership, you can ask them to link back to you.

On top of building your domain authority, the backlinks you acquire help you drive referral traffic to your site. Your website will be more visible and also reach more potential buyers.

Choose a Reliable SEO Vendor to Avoid Wasting Money

The success of your automotive SEO campaigns depends a lot on the vendor you decide to partner with. So, in this section, we’ll review what you need to focus on to make the right choice.

The most important thing you need to pay attention to is whether they already have experience with websites in your niche. You can look at their case studies and read feedback from previous clients about working with them. Additionally, consider asking them the following questions:

• What work will you do each month, and how will it help my rankings and traffic? If they can’t give you a straight answer, that’s a red flag.
• What’s your approach to content? They should help you write original and optimized content to help you rank, not just copy and paste manufacturer descriptions.
• How do you build local backlinks for automotive SEO? If they plan to only submit your site to directories, they’re taking shortcuts that won’t help in the long run.
• What kind of reporting do you do? You have to be able to understand what’s being done, track progress, and see how your rankings are increasing.

Future-Proof Your Dealership SEO Strategy

You might’ve already seen the AI overviews when looking up something on Google. These are AI-generated summaries that Google serves to users on specific types of searches (mostly informational ones).

So now, people can get all the details they need without even clicking on the blue link. That’s a big shift, and it does affect SEO for car dealerships. If people can get details straight from Google, fewer might visit your site. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t adapt.

To prepare for these changes, your content should provide value for your readers and match the search intent. The more useful and relevant your content is, the higher your chances of ranking well in organic search results and AI overviews.

High-quality content also reduces the risk of being flagged by Google. Their March 2024 Core Update penalizes thin content that doesn’t deliver any valuable information to users.

Many automotive websites took a hit from it and had to rethink their content strategy to recover. You can read more about this in our case study on recovering from the helpful content update.

That said, if you’re using AI tools for writing, make sure to edit it afterward, add value, and structure it for better readability. Overall, always write for your readers first, no matter if these are your category pages, inventory listings, or blog posts.

Bring More Buyers to Your Dealership with SeoProfy

All the tips and strategies we shared with you today will help you move the needle for your business. But if you’d rather have a team of experts handle your automotive SEO, let us know.

We’ve worked for car sites in the past and know how to get you more customers on your lot. Our agency offers professional automotive SEO services that will help you rank in organic results and Google Maps. We’ll find you the best keyword opportunities, optimize your Business Profile, and build links that go beyond directory listings.

You’ll get complete transparency, weekly reports, and local SEO specialists who are always available to answer any questions you might have. Contact us today for a quick chat.

Author

Bohdan Radin

Bohdan has been an SEO analyst at SeoProfy for more than two years. He began his career in digital marketing in 2019 and has since gained experience helping scale some of the world’s leading brands in industries such as gambling and SaaS. Bohdan specializes in developing effective strategies tailored to specific regions.