Industry Focus
Auto Dealerships
Digital Infrastructure
The average dealer spends $600+ per sold unit on digital advertising, and a growing share goes to aggregators who sell the same lead to your PMA competitors. Carvana trained buyers to expect online transparency. Dealer.com gave you the same template as the store across town. The dealers growing market share are the ones who own their digital customer journey.
Operating Reality
The automotive retail model is under more pressure than at any point since the franchise system was created, and most dealer websites are part of the problem:
CarGurus, AutoTrader, and Cars.com have inserted themselves between you and the buyer. You pay $10-20K/month for leads they simultaneously distribute to every competitor in your PMA. Close rates on third-party leads average 5-8% because the buyer is shopping four dealers at once. Your cost per sold unit from these sources has increased 40%+ in five years while the leads have gotten worse.
Your website provider is a structural conflict of interest. Dealer.com, DealerSocket, and DealerInspire manage websites for thousands of dealers, including your direct competitors. Their SEO team manages your store and the store across town with the same playbook. Their templates are identical. They cannot differentiate you because their business model prevents it.
Carvana, Vroom, and online retailing have permanently changed consumer expectations. Buyers under 40 expect to see real pricing, calculate payments, value their trade, and apply for credit online. Dealerships that require a phone call or showroom visit to get a price are invisible to this demographic. This isn't about selling cars fully online. It's about advancing the deal digitally so the showroom visit is a closing event, not a discovery event.
F&I gross per deal is declining as consumers arrive pre-approved from Capital One Auto Navigator, LendingTree, and credit unions, and they've already Googled the cost of every protection product. Your F&I office historically generated 30%+ of total gross profit. That margin is evaporating because your website does nothing to pre-position F&I products before the customer sits in the box.
What we actually fix
First-party lead capture reduces aggregator dependency. SEO and VDP optimization that captures car shoppers researching online before they hit third-party sites.
Inventory architecture serves buyers. Real-time DMS integration, rich vehicle detail pages, and intelligent search that helps shoppers find their next car.
Attribution connects leads to sales. Multi-touch tracking that shows which channels drive actual sold units, not just form submissions.
Systems we build
Each capability applies specifically to auto dealerships operations.
Results across our portfolio
While we build your industry's case study, here's what we deliver across our portfolio.
675+Projects Delivered
+308%Avg Impressions Growth
42 moAvg Client Retention
10xLead Growth
Common questions
We already have a Dealer.com (or DealerSocket, DealerInspire) website. Why would we switch?
Because they serve your competitors too. Dealer.com manages websites for thousands of dealers, often multiple stores in the same PMA competing for the same keywords. Their SEO team cannot prioritize you over the dealer across town paying the same fee. Their templates are identical. Your VDPs look like everyone else's. We build a dealership website you own, with SEO strategy focused exclusively on your market, unique content that differentiates your operation, and no structural conflict of interest with the store down the road.
We spend $15K/month on CarGurus and AutoTrader. Can we actually reduce that?
Not overnight, but systematically, yes. Third-party leads close at 5-8% because the buyer is simultaneously talking to four dealers. First-party organic leads from your website close at 15-20%+ because the buyer chose you specifically. We build inventory SEO that ranks your VDPs for the same "year make model for sale in [city]" searches that currently send buyers to CarGurus. As your organic traffic grows, you can reduce third-party spend while increasing sold units. Most dealers begin reducing aggregator budgets within 6-9 months.
Carvana is losing money. Do we really need to worry about online retailing?
Carvana the company may struggle, but the consumer behavior they created is permanent. Buyers under 40 now expect to see real pricing, calculate payments, value their trade, and apply for credit online before they visit a showroom. Dealerships that force buyers to call or visit for pricing are losing those buyers to competitors who don't. Digital retailing tools on your website aren't about selling cars entirely online. They're about advancing the deal further before the showroom visit so your sales team closes more and faster.
This works for:
Dealerships ready to reduce third-party lead costs
Operations with inventory worth showcasing online
Multi-store groups needing flexible inventory systems
This is not for:
Dealerships satisfied with aggregator-only leads
Operations without inventory feed capabilities
If lead ownership and reduced aggregator dependency matter to your dealership, we should evaluate your current digital infrastructure.