The Yes, No, and Uh-Oh of Automotive SEO w/ Greg Gifford

Although SEO is not a novel concept in automotive retail, there are still a number of issues that we, as an industry, need to overcome. Whether it is an antiquated way of measuring or setting false expectations or a sole focus on variable operations, dealers and agencies need to have open lines of communication and collaboration to help elevate the industry and rid it of these bad practices and bad actors.

Greg Gifford, Vice President of Search at SearchLab, joins the KPI Cafe to discuss what should be happening, shouldn't be happening, and definitely shouldn't be happening with the strategies and tactics your internal team or agency partner is implementing. If you're seeking candid insights about automotive SEO, you won't want to miss this episode.

Here's what to expect:

Greg’s Origin Story (2:03)

Primary Issues Plaguing Automotive SEO (7:40)

• Things Outdated
• Co-Op System
• Afterthought
• Conference Microcosm
• Been Burned in Past

Why Aren’t Best Practices Still Holistically Embraced? (12:40)

• Esoteric ROI
• Outside 30-Day Cycle
• Big Agencies Overloaded
• Cost-Savings Complication
• Contemporary Example
  • COVID / Inventory Shortage Pivots
• All of the Channels, Strategies, Tactics, Platforms
• Possible Conflation: SEO/SEM (Light switch)
• Contemporary Example
  • Dealer Pushback: But Other Operations/Strategies
• Overlooked Component: CRO

Red Flags to Identify Bad Actors in SEO (25:06)

• Guaranteed Ranking
• No Access
• Expectations
• No Content
• Infrequency
• Client Load?

Best Practices in Automotive SEO (29:37)

• Technical
• Intentionality of Content
• GMB (Now Google Business Profile)

Issue of Content and Other Considerations (32:14)

• Volume
• Length
• Contemporary Examples
  • Homepage Banners / Homepage Images
• Word Count 

Link Building Tips (41:00)

• Community Involvement Advantage
• Purposeful

Conference Recommendations (43:38)

SearchLab Video Content (46:39)