Report: Dealers Need $3M to Close Google Visibility Gap
The average major-market auto dealer ranked No. 10 in Google search results would have to spend $2.94 million per year on pay-per-click ads to close the “visibility gap” and climb to No. 1, according to a new study of 2,260 dealerships in 20 cities led by SearchLab Digital.
The company, which provides AI-powered SEO tools and strategy to dealers nationwide, conducted the study in partnership with Ahrefs, combining live search data with backlink and visibility analysis.
Analysts found clear advantages for higher-ranked dealerships and noted large numbers remain behind the Google curve, failing to use all 10 available Google Business categories and create a separate profile for the service department.
“For the first time ever, the automotive industry has hard data that proves the effectiveness of SEO,” writes SearchLab Digital COO Greg Gifford in a release. “Quick wins can be tempting, but our data proves that the fundamentals of SEO still matter. … This research doesn’t just identify problems — it provides the blueprint for automotive success in the digital age.”
