• Go to google.com/business to add your business.
  • GMB let’s the Internet find you through search results and Google Maps.
  • Optimize your Google business listing for higher placement on local searches.

Recently I was helping a dealer identify why their Bounce Rate went up when at the same time their traffic had increased (maybe I’ll write about that another day.)

But for the sake of time I’ll just stick with what I saw that motivated me to want to write this article.

When researching the bounce rate and comparing analytics using the visitor’s city as the variable it was VERY clear that visitors from the same city as the dealership were staying on the site longer. And when it comes to Internet traffic the longer a visitor is on your site the more likely they are to submit a lead, call, or visit the dealership.

In other words…Local shoppers are your most valuable visitors on the Internet. I know this isn’t mind blowing but want to talk about is…

How do you get more local shoppers?

Google My Business, that’s how! Google My Business is a free tool from google that basically promotes your dealership in search results and literally puts you on the map…the Google Map.

This will empower you to create and optimize your “Internet storefront”. You can add a link to your website, dealership hours, and photos of your lot and office. Customers can post their reviews (more reviews boost your listing) and you can post specials or product posts. When dealers send me pictures of their dealership to use on their website I’ll typically go in and add them to Google Maps too. Some of the pictures I have added to dealership’s business listings have over 30, 40,…70 THOUSAND views!

Optimizing your Google Business listing is the best thing you can do online for your car dealership.


Google is in the business of two things and those two things affect where and how you show up in search results. Especially on mobile!

One: Making money.
They do this by prioritizing what you see when you ‘Google’ something. Here’s a little at home experiment. Pick a city and google, for example, ‘Used cars in Asheville’. The first thing you’ll see is 3 ads ( $ ad money $ ). The next thing you’ll see is a Google Map and Google My Business listings! Remember, you googled this and so far you’ve scrolled half the search results and haven’t even hit the organic website results yet. So even if you’re number one on the SERP (search engine results page) you’re way down the page! This proves, in a way, your business listing may be more important than being high in search results, especially when your visitor is searching a specific location, like Asheville.

Two: Providing quality search results.
The reason everyone uses Google is because their search results are so dang good! And the way YOU become a ‘good’ search result is to provide as much information and detail about your dealership as you can. The more information you pour in to your Google Business listing the more Google is going to be able to use it to provide accurate search results.

Tell Google

Take a minute. Ask yourself who your customer is, what they would be typing to search, and how your listing and website can be the best match for that. Do you specialize in box trucks? Jeeps and 4x4s? Bad credit? Do you have the best prices? Tons of finance options? If so, say so! Explain it on your website, put it in your Google Business description. Add photos and videos that reflect it. Just know that a little bit of effort here can go a long way when it comes to your listing, and in the end, your bottom line!


If you have any questions or need some one on one help with this let us know. Brooke or I can walk you through it and provide some more details that can relate specifically to your dealership and location.

By Matt Kelley