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Structure Your Content Smartly

Structure your content into small, easily-digestible pieces, as demonstrated above. Use short paragraphs, lists, bullet points, and explicit headers (be it H1s, H2s, and even H3s) so that even dense, technical content is easier for both AI crawlers and your potential customers to read and pull knowledge from. FAQ content sections, for example, are a great way to both put answers into your content and structure it in smaller pieces, as are comparisons, such as comparisons between the different types of engine oil, or different models in a singular model year.

Structure Data Wisely

Schema markup, otherwise known as structured data, is data that you can add to your dealership’s pages by adding code to that HTML which explicitly defines information within your content. This can extend to your dealership’s location, what specific makes and models you sell, and more. Structured data can help crawlers more easily parse the information on your website, making it more easy to surface for both LLMs and your customers who are taking in all of this info.

Here at EDealer, our platform automatically bakes core automotive schema across your primary dealership and inventory pages. For custom content pages (such as FAQs or  How-To guides) there is a dedicated custom schema section in the CMS where you can input formatted JSON-LD to append tailored schema to relevant individual landing pages. It may take some trial and error if you’re new to the process, but there are ways to check that it was applied right. For instance, Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema.org Validator make it easy to see if you applied it right, and our EDealer experts are standing by to assist with any structured data implementation needs you have, including doing it for you!

Review Signals & Third-Party Citations

When your dealership gets good ratings, AI models are more likely to recommend you as a trusted source. High reviews on review platforms show that you are an authority in the automotive industry, as customers trust you and how you operate. When you have high authority, LLMs are more likely to cite you as well, so make certain you are getting consistent reviews, and that you're doing the internal work to ensure they stay positive!

Prompt customers to leave a review, and don’t be afraid to have them spread out on multiple platforms, like DealerRater, Facebook, your Google Business Profile, and more. This diversity in review locations, as well as your responses to reviews, give you better online visibility, while also showing how trustworthy your dealership is. Customers want to see that you listen to what your previous customers have to say, and are either continuing practices that they like, or are actively addressing problematic pieces to better the overall customer experience, so be sure to always respond, whether the review is incredibly positive or unfortunately negative. 

Along with reviews, talk to reputable places where it makes sense for your dealership, like news outlets, automotive blogs, or ongoing partnerships you have in the community, about potentially linking to your website, as third-party links also help to establish trust and authority. Is your dealership taking part in a local community event? See if any media work is being done about it, and highlight both your business and the community for better online visibility.

Standardize Brand Entity & NAP Information

LLMs make a “brand profile” of your dealership based on the data it finds of your dealership across the web, so having the same correct information out there is extremely important. Particularly important is checking that your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) are correct everywhere, be it on your website, GBP, and third-party places like CarGurus or Yelp. Not only is a wrong number on a GBP confusing for AI models if they see different numbers in different places, but it can also lead to potential customers growing frustrated enough to take their business elsewhere.

Local keywords are an important part of your dealership’s brand entity as well, and not just for the direct city you’re in. For example, just because your Honda dealership is located in Toronto doesn’t mean that Toronto is the only location to keep in mind, as I know you want to draw in customers from even beyond your local area too!

If you do serve neighbouring cities that are close by (enough so that it actually makes sense for customers to travel to you from them), ensure your website is set up to satisfy those customers searching online. While including the names of cities you serve as default in your content can be a good start (please refrain from just keyword stuffing city names!), what you really want to do is create a specific page around each of those locations (like Brampton or Oakville), with unique and focused content that is specific to that area. By unique, I mean don’t write one page then template it out for a bunch of other cities just by swapping in the new city name! Make each location page’s content different.

Regularly Audit and Monitor Your Online Presence

AI tools update frequently and pull real-time data, so your content strategy needs to be constantly audited and monitored as well. Take the time to test if your content is showing up in LLMs by using the LLMs you want to appear in through Incognito mode. Once there, ask questions that are applicable to not only your dealership, but to your location, general brand queries, what customers are asking. and more, and see what dealerships show up. If yours is one, then you’re on the right track. Do remember though that LLMs can change results and what they look at frequently, so if on the next day you don’t show up for the same search, it’s not reason to panic or to immediately change strategy. If you don’t appear for multiple days in a row though, it may be time to revisit some of the tips above. Update your content regularly to keep it fresh, as old or outdated content can leave your dealership looking less trustworthy, or make it seem as though your online presence isn’t one being paid much attention to.