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The Emergence of AI Overviews

AIOs have embraced a new style of information-sharing through their generated summary presence at the top of SERPs. The effects this causes are reduced visibility as traditional organic pages get pushed down, and less businesses may be shown, along with a focus on the relevance over the answer over direct proximity to the closest dealership. This may reduce the amount of businesses that surface when potential customers look on Google for places in their area, which in turn can harm your online visibility and presence. AI Local Packs have also taken away buttons that helped businesses pull in leads, like the “call” button on mobile, which means a different type of content strategy is needed for increased visibility and customer engagement.

A More Unified Online Profile for Businesses

Your business and its online presence, or its “Entity,” has shifted in the eyes of AI and generative engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and more, to put more of a focus on its relationship as a whole across the web, rather than just on one website page. AI and search engines don’t just judge your business off one sole piece of a website or GBP, but rather looks for consistency of your dealership’s vital business information of its name, address, and phone number as well across various review sites, forums, and third-party listing platforms.

Information is pulled from everywhere your dealership resides online, from your GBP, reviews, as well as directories online where your dealership is listed. This requires a unification of information as well, as having information in one place (on your GBP) that doesn’t match information listed in another (in an online directory) can confuse both the AI and those looking to interact with your dealership.

A Shift from Simple Keywords to Conversational Long-Tail Queries

Long-tail queries are making a mighty comeback. This is largely due to the natural shift that AI has taken to more conversational search terminology. As such, using  basic keywords within your content, such as “SUVs in Toronto” may be less effective as it doesn’t match the longer-tail, conversational queries that people use for more locally-based AI and voice searches, such as “used SUV dealerships near me open now in the Greater Toronto Area,” or “SUV dealerships in Toronto with a service department.” This is a large reason why FAQ content on websites is so crucial, and should be built out on your landing pages, providing potential customers with all the information they may inquire about for a specific service. 

Changing Your Local Content Strategy to Work with AI

Content strategies, including Local SEO content strategies, need a bit of a facelift when it comes to keeping them effective and drawing in traffic, especially with AIOs now in effect. To better keep your dealership visible and drawing in leads online in AI-oriented search results and generative engines, consider the following actionable items:

Create the Kind of Content That AI Can Utilize

Creating quality content has always been the name of the game with effective content strategies, but what it means to create quality content has shifted somewhat with the rise of AI. Content needs to be structured smartly, with answers to key searchable terms right in the beginning of the content so that it can be easily found and used by AI. FAQ sections can be another great way to highlight more conversational long-tail keywords, as they’re direct answers to searched queries that direct potential customers to your dealership. Section up your work to make it both easier to read and easier for AI to pull from, with headings that contain searchable phrases for better visibility.

Use Your GBP As a Foundational Tool

Google uses your GBP as one of its main sources of verified data, so make certain that all of the information there is correct and properly optimized. This means checking that your NAP (business name, address, and phone number) are correct not just in your GBP, but anywhere else that it is listed online, such as in directories, on social media accounts, and more. Our Local SEO package at EDealer is particularly useful for this strategy shift, with posts keeping your GBP fresh with the latest offers and information, and GBP optimization across the listing to ensure everything is always up-to-date. We also focus on citation management to make sure directories and various online hubs where your business is mentioned are checked over for clarity, unification of information, and added if not present.

Improve Your Online Reputation Management

The entity authority we mentioned above, where the connected nature of your dealership’s appearance online is more of a focus, means the type, quality and response to reviews is more important than ever. AI utilizes the content of reviews to understand more about your business, from service quality to amenities. Thus, both positive and negative reviews, on any platform, will be weighed in whether AI will be more prone or not to recommend your dealership. Whether you get reviews on your GBP, your Facebook business profile, Reddit, or more, take the time to respond to reviews genuinely and with an eye to the customers who wrote them.

Diversify Your Online Marketing Efforts

To directly combat the changing landscape with narrowed-down SERPS thanks to AI, it’s vital you use other online marketing efforts as well as SEO to supplement, ensuring potential customers have a better chance of seeing your dealership and its said offerings. One way to do so is utilizing other mediums such as Digital Advertising. Digital Advertising, for example, can help to showcase your business above those organic results, and where AIOs may push businesses down, or typical local packs away. Our EDealer Digital Advertising services are here for you to provide the perfect complement to SEO, so contact us and see how we can help you now.

Optimize Your Local SEO with Our Team at EDealer

AI-driven search engine optimization can seem like a mouthful to bite off, but, luckily, our team at EDealer can help. Whether you opt for our Local SEO Package, our Content Marketing Services, or even our Digital Advertising services, you will get services that utilize top strategies to keep your dealership visible and upfront in modern search engines and LLMs. Reach out to us to get started on making your dealership appear in local searches today!