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Keyword Research in Automotive SEO
Master keyword research for car dealerships – Learn how to attract potential buyers, optimize your content, and boost your search rankings with our step-by-step guide.
In today's digital landscape, success in the automotive industry depends heavily on your online visibility.
Whether you're running a dealership, an auto parts store, or a leasing company, knowing how to do keyword research for the automotive industry isn't just helpful – it's essential.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of automotive keyword research, helping you attract qualified leads and boost your website's visibility.
We'll cover everything from basic principles to advanced strategies that successful car dealers use to dominate search results.
You shouldn’t do SEO without keywords!
The key feature of a successful site that draws clients to your content are smart used cars keywords. They are the engine that powers your online presence.
Why is automotive keyword research crucial?
- It helps you understand what your potential customers are actually searching for
- It reveals opportunities your competitors might have missed
- It guides your content strategy to match buyer intent
- It optimizes your marketing budget by focusing on high-value search terms
Recommended steps in your first keyword research process
Keyword research for car dealerships is easy if you break it down into chunks. Let’s look at the process step by step so you can start working on your car keywords list right away.
Step 1: Define your audience
This first step is really important. If your dealership sells cars to other businesses, the needs of your customers are very different from car dealers that sell directly to private buyers.
Individuals can look for specific car features adapted to their lifestyle, such as family cars or sports vehicles, while traders are interested in potential profit from reselling. This needs to be reflected in your keywords.
Source: Backlinko
Step 2: Brainstorm keywords you would use to find your services
The best approach is to put yourself in the shoes of your customers. What would they type into Google when looking for your services? Consider different scenarios and search intents:
Casual browsers might search for:
- "best family cars 2024"
- "most reliable used cars"
- "affordable SUVs under 30000"
Serious buyers often use:
- "used Toyota Camry price"
- "new car dealerships near me"
- "certified pre-owned BMW deals"
Business buyers and traders typically use more specific, commercially-focused keywords:
- "wholesale car lots near me"
- "bulk vehicle purchase"
- "fleet vehicles for sale"
Step 3: Analyse keywords from your competitors
Next up is borrowing some ideas from other car traders. Browse the websites of a few of your local competitors – or big, global players – and see which words and expressions they are using in their own blogs and articles.
This should give you a good idea of some common automotive industry keywords, and you can check out this video for a good explanation on how to do this.
Step 4: Find all keywords you would like to rank on
Now that you’re warmed up, it’s time to start working on your specific list.
The idea is to rank high on search results for keywords that are the most relevant for you.
What does your business specialize in? What makes you stand out from other car dealers? You may be a hybrid car specialist, luxury vehicles dealer or sell Audi parts. This will be your basis.
Step 5: Organize and prioritize – Implement your SEO strategy
Your list is probably full of ideas by now, but maybe a little chaotic, so it’s time to start organizing your keywords and filtering out what you don’t need. We’ve written a lot about SEO, but here are a few quick tips.
Prioritize based on:
- Business impact
- Revenue potential
- Lead generation likelihood
Your implementation strategy should include short-term wins which will give you immediate results, and these are:
- Target low-competition, high-intent keywords first
- Optimise existing content with new keywords
- Focus on local search terms
On the other hand, plan for long-term goals that will pay off in the future:
- Create content clusters around main topics
- Build authority with informational content
- Target more competitive keywords gradually
► PRO TIP: Create a content calendar that balances quick wins (like local keywords) with long-term goals (like building authority in specific automotive niches). Start with keywords that have the best balance of search volume, competition level, and relevance to your business.
Keyword research tools
To help you find the best car keywords, there are some very useful tools that you can use. A lot of them can be used for free, for example:
This last one is very straightforward as it helps you quickly tweak your existing keywords.
Others offer more advanced features and customization, so they require a paid subscription, but you can always try them out for free to see if this is something you need. Here are a few good ones:
SEO keyword strategy – Best practices for automotive websites
Your SEO keyword strategy goes hand in hand with your marketing strategy, so be sure to have a fresh and up-to-date marketing strategy that is relevant to your business.
Divide keywords into groups
We’ve already mentioned the importance of organizing your keywords, and now we can dive a little deeper into different kinds of automotive industry keywords you can use in your content.
Organize your automotive keywords strategically:
1. Keyword type:
- Short-tail keywords: "used cars", "car dealer", "auto parts"
- Long-tail keywords: "certified pre-owned BMW under 30000", "family SUV with best safety rating 2022", "luxury car leasing with maintenance included"
- Local keywords: "car dealership near me", "auto repair Lisbon", "Volvo dealer in Benelux"
2. Search intent:
- Informational: "how to buy a used car", "best time to lease a vehicle", "car maintenance tips"
- Navigational: "Audi official dealer", "[company] service centre"
- Commercial: "compare SUV prices", "best family car reviews", "car financing options"
- Transactional: "buy used Honda Accord", "book test drive", "schedule car maintenance"
3. Website page type:
- Homepage: "trusted car dealer", "BMW authorised dealer", "new and used cars Madrid"
- Category listings: "used SUVs for sale", "electric vehicles in stock", "certified pre-owned cars"
- Product pages: "2020 Volkswagen Golf specifications", "used Volkswagen Golf price"
- Blog/content pages: "car buying guide", "vehicle maintenance schedule", "auto financing tips"
► PRO TIP: Align your keyword groups with your site structure and user journey to create a coherent content strategy that guides visitors from awareness to purchase.
Integrate keywords naturally into content – Don't overuse them
Avoid keyword stuffing – search engines and readers can spot artificial content. You should write for humans first, and optimization for search engines should follow second.
Use variations and synonyms in your keywords – e.g. "used cars," "pre-owned vehicles," "second-hand automobiles" – and place keywords in strategic locations like titles, headings, and the first paragraph.
Use headings for better content structure
Like we did in this article! Readability is very important. Our eyes and brains love order and structure, so your articles need to be easy to scan through (remember: very few people read the entire article). This means adding headings, subheadings, parts in bold, bulleted lists and images.
Be patient
You may see some great results pretty fast after implementing some of the quick wins we mentioned, but for lasting impact, you need to give it some time. Commit to your long-term strategy bit by bit, and you will be guaranteed to see the results you want.
Monitor your competitors closely
They can give you great ideas on how to tackle changes in the used car dealership market or how you can integrate new trends that your clients are likely to follow. Sometimes you just need a bit of inspiration when you’re short on ideas.
Stay ahead by regularly:
- Tracking competitor rankings
- Analyzing their content strategy
- Identifying gaps in their keyword coverage
Once your traffic grows, remember to find a reliable sourcing partner!
After all this effort you’ve put into researching and building a solid keyword base and creating engaging content for your readers and clients, you may run out of quality used cars to offer your growing pool of customers.
You need a reliable sourcing partner, and this is where we can help you.
With us on your side, you can direct your energy into doing what you do best and save a lot of precious time that goes into browsing the internet in search of the best deals for your needs.
Easily access our numerous trusted partners, from leasing and rental companies to other dealerships, in one place.
Quickly find what you are looking for, using our refined search filters. If you are the type who likes to act fast, we offer vehicles for fixed prices, and if you prefer auctions, our market price and bid calculator can help you decide on the best price to bid and increase your chances of winning.
We also offer our eCarsTrade Delivery Service and other extra services, so you can truly tailor everything to your needs.
Keyword research is an ongoing process
It is not something you will do only once. The automotive industry constantly evolves with new model releases, changing consumer preferences, emerging technologies (like EVs and autonomous vehicles) and seasonal buying patterns.
Increased searches for winter-ready vehicles or summer road trip cars can help shape your content calendar. Similarly, a post like Top 5 Electric SUVs for 2024 could attract attention if EVs are trending.
Stay competitive by:
- Regularly reviewing and updating your keyword strategy
- Monitoring search trends and adapting accordingly
- Testing new content approaches
- Analyzing performance data to refine your strategy
Drive your success with smart keyword research
Effective keyword research is the foundation of automotive SEO success. By following this guide and consistently updating your strategy, you'll attract more qualified leads and stay ahead of your competition.
Remember that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint – patience and persistence are key to achieving lasting results.
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