7 Key Automotive SEO Tactics for 2024

Regardless of whether you manage a dealership, run a tire shop, or operate another type of automotive business, mastering SEO is crucial for a successful marketing strategy in 2024.

Today’s automotive consumers are highly connected and well-informed. They prefer organic search results over paid ads, making SEO vital in today’s digital-first market.

Keeping up with changes to Google’s search engine results page (SERP) and algorithm updates requires constant attention.

Consider these insights:

88% of potential car buyers use digital channels to gather information.
Car buyers spend an average of 14 hours and 39 minutes researching and finding the right car.
95% of car shoppers use social media during their car-buying process.
81% of car shoppers believe online activities enhance their buying experience, with 93% valuing time savings and 78% appreciating price transparency.
Nearly 46% of car dealers reported that at least 9% of their sales are completed entirely online.

With these statistics in mind, let’s look at the top seven automotive SEO strategies for 2024 that can help your business excel and achieve success.

1. Create Valuable, Original Content and Use Rich Snippets

In SEO, content remains crucial. For automotive businesses, this means developing detailed, informative content that captures and engages your audience.

Focus on producing valuable resources such as blog posts, buying guides, and vehicle reviews. Combine informative details with engaging writing to keep your audience interested.

For example, a Miami dealership provides excellent content with clear calls to action (CTAs) to guide users to their vehicle inventory. They offer in-depth articles like “What Car is Right for You” and use unique Dealer Notes on individual car listing pages, which go beyond basic manufacturer details.

Rich snippets can improve your visibility in search results by giving a preview of your content’s value. Using structured data markup helps search engines understand and display your content better, increasing click-through rates.

For effective automotive-related schema resources, consider exploring the latest guidelines and tools available.

2. Enhance Your Strategy with Video SEO

Video content is crucial for businesses, offering a dynamic way to showcase vehicles, demonstrate features, and share customer reviews. A recent survey found that 86% of marketers saw increased web traffic, and 87% experienced a boost in sales from using video content.

To make the most of video SEO, include relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags to align with search queries. Use engaging, short videos that highlight the unique aspects of your inventory to attract potential buyers and drive traffic to your site.

For instance, Mazda of North Miami effectively uses video on their car listing pages, showing off their vehicles and improving visibility. By marking up these pages with structured data, they ensure their video appears in search results, which can boost organic click-through rates.

3. Optimize for Mobile-First Indexing

Most online searches are now conducted on mobile devices, making a mobile-optimized website crucial for SEO success. Google’s mobile-first indexing means the mobile version of your site is the main version used for ranking.

Ensure your website is responsive, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. This is essential for attracting and retaining mobile users. A good example is a dealership that effectively displays key information such as pictures, specs, and pricing in a mobile-friendly design.

4. Improve Your Local Presence

Local SEO is essential for automotive businesses aiming to attract nearby customers. Start by claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile. Use local keywords in your website content and engage with local events to enhance your visibility in local search results.

Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, as 82% of consumers rely on online reviews for local businesses. Positive testimonials and reviews serve as valuable social proof and help build trust with potential buyers.

5. Build Authority Through Strategic Link Building

Backlinks help signal to search engines that your site is a credible and authoritative source. For automotive businesses, it’s essential to secure high-quality backlinks from respected automotive blogs, local directories, and industry publications.

These backlinks can enhance your site’s SEO performance and attract targeted traffic, boosting your visibility and reputation in the industry. For example, a Miami dealership effectively uses sponsorships at local events to gain additional inbound links and improve their site’s authority.

6. Prioritize Technical SEO for a Healthier Website

Technical SEO ensures that search engines can access and read your website properly, addressing issues that may affect performance. Regular technical audits can help you find and fix problems such as slow loading times, broken links, and duplicate content.

A well-maintained technical foundation supports your SEO efforts, making sure that your content and keywords are properly indexed and ranked.

7. Enhance User Experience with E-E-A-T Principles

Google increasingly values experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) when evaluating websites. For automotive sites, this means creating content that demonstrates your industry knowledge and provides valuable, reliable information.

This could include detailed vehicle guides, maintenance tips, or insights into new automotive technology. By showcasing your expertise, you can improve your site’s authority and trustworthiness with both users and search engines. For instance, Edmunds.com uses expert authorship to reinforce their E-E-A-T principles and enhance their credibility.