Car Dealership SEO Case Study
From 1,200 monthly visitors to 8,500 in 6 months
Project Overview
This SEO project was executed for a locally owned used car dealership specializing in certified pre-owned sedans, SUVs, and hatchbacks. The dealership served buyers within a 40 km radius and relied heavily on walk-in traffic, classified platforms, and paid listings to generate sales inquiries.
The website primarily displayed inventory but lacked visibility for location-based and vehicle-specific search terms. The objective of this SEO campaign was to increase organic traffic from buyers actively searching for used cars, improve visibility for model- and city-based keywords, and generate qualified phone calls and form inquiries directly from Google Search without increasing advertising spend.
From the Client
“Our website was online, but it wasn’t bringing in serious car buyers. Most leads were coming from paid platforms, which were expensive. We wanted people searching for used cars in our city to find us directly on Google and visit our showroom.”
The Challenge
The dealership’s website had very limited organic reach, averaging 900 monthly visits, mostly from branded searches. High-intent keywords like “used cars in [city]”, “second hand SUV near me”, and specific model searches were ranking beyond page three.
Inventory pages were poorly optimized, lacking structured data, unique descriptions, and internal links. Local SEO was weak, with an incomplete Google Business Profile and inconsistent NAP details across directories. Additionally, competition from national car marketplaces and nearby dealerships made it difficult to stand out in local search results and Google Maps.
The Results
Organic Traffic:
• Increased from 900/month to 7,200/month (+700%)
Keyword Rankings:
• Top 3 rankings for 18 local car-buying keywords
• Top 10 rankings for 76 vehicle + city search terms
Leads from Organic Traffic:
• Increased from 6/month to 48/month
• Majority from inventory pages and call clicks
Domain Authority:
• Improved from 14 to 26
High-Quality Backlinks:
• 39 automotive and local business backlinks
The Solution
We started by fixing technical issues affecting inventory pages, including slow load times and duplicate content across similar car listings. Schema markup was added to vehicle pages to improve search visibility and CTR.
Location-based landing pages were created for “used cars in [city]” and surrounding service areas. Each page targeted buyer-intent keywords and guided visitors toward booking a test drive or calling the showroom.
Local SEO improvements included Google Business Profile optimization, review management, and consistent citations. We also published car-buying guides and comparison content to build topical authority and attract early-stage buyers.
Search Engine Optimization Journey
The first month focused on technical fixes and inventory optimization. By month two, local landing pages began ranking, resulting in increased calls and direction requests from Google Maps. Months four to six concentrated on content expansion, backlink acquisition, and improving internal linking between inventory, category, and service pages.
As rankings improved, organic traffic shifted from casual visitors to high-intent buyers actively searching for vehicles available nearby. This resulted in more showroom visits and better lead quality compared to third-party listing platforms.
Client Investment & ROI
The dealership invested $350 per month in SEO services, totaling $2,100 over 6 months. During this period, organic search became a primary lead source for showroom visits.
ROI Breakdown
SEO Investment: $2,100 (6 months)
Leads from Organic Traffic: ~260 inquiries
Vehicles Sold from SEO Leads: 19
Average Net Profit per Sale: $1,000
Return on Investment: ~9x
Key Insight:
SEO helped the dealership reduce dependence on paid listings and classified portals. By owning local search visibility, the dealership gained consistent inbound leads from buyers already looking to purchase, creating long-term growth beyond short-term ad campaigns.
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Note: Due to our company’s strict client data protection policy, we cannot disclose the client’s name, company name, website URL, or country. Thank you for your understanding.
