If your dealership is like many others, you may have a specific accomplishment you want to be known for. Maybe you’re the top Camaro dealer in your region, or maybe you sell the most Ford trucks in your state. The trouble is that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the recognition you deserve in Google search. Simply making an assertion has little effect on search rankings—so if you want your dealership to rank for certain keywords, you’ll need to earn that right through quality SEO with people who understand the latest changes from Google.

That’s where content marketing comes in. To better reach your customers through search, you should build your website’s landing pages with the goal of closing the gap between your existing content and the search terms you want associated with your dealership. That doesn’t mean gratuitously adding keywords wherever you can, since search engines may register keyword overuse as spam and downgrade your page. Instead, your goal should be to develop high-quality content that is easily accessible and that delivers relevant, useful information to your audience.

Keeping users consistently engaged with your content will dramatically boost your search rankings, and that means delivering the right types content at the right times. Dealers in particular have a tendency to post transactional content—vehicle detail pages containing their inventory. While consumers do look for information about what’s in stock at their local dealership, that step typically occurs only when they’re close to making a purchase decision.

Earlier in the shopping journey, consumers are more likely to seek out research-oriented information, such as reviews and comparisons between makes and models. Providing the full range of content audiences consume during their shopping process will deliver a richer online experience and sustain your audience’s attention over time (not to mention help get them through the door of your brick-and-mortar store when it’s time to buy).

At Search Optics, we’ve worked with a wide range of dealers to build their search rankings through richer, more relevant content. For example, we help our customers with a product called AutoWhyBuy® to capture market share by highlighting the main advantages their vehicles have over competitors. This tactic is known as “conquest marketing,” and it’s become essential to modern SEO in today’s highly competitive automotive industry.

AutoWhyBuy® works by helping fill an information gap frequently seen on automotive dealer websites. Just as a cell phone service provider may have a page on its website dedicated to the iPhone, AutoWhyBuy® enables dealers to set up pages on their own websites for individual vehicle models. By offering customers the opportunity to research and compare a variety of vehicle options without leaving the dealer website, dealers are better positioned to sustain buyers’ attention throughout their shopping process—from initial research to final purchase decision.

We’ve helped many dealers leverage content powered by SEO to increase the effectiveness of their comprehensive digital marketing campaigns. Here are organic search results for three dealers we worked with:

As these results demonstrate, investing in high-quality, relevant content has great potential to deliver results in the form of search rankings and site engagement. In other words, if content marketing isn’t an integral component of your SEO strategy, you’re missing out on an invaluable opportunity to reach customers and generate leads.

To learn more about how to leverage AutoWhyBuy® as part of your SEO strategy, click here.