The ultimate guide to mastering Google My Business for car dealerships 

Running a car dealership in Australia isn’t just about selling cars—it’s about getting noticed. With many auto dealerships competing for attention, standing out in local search can be challenging. But it’s not impossible. A well-optimised Google My Business for car dealerships can make a real difference in your local SEO efforts. 

To achieve this, focus on building accurate business listings, leveraging Google Posts, and actively engaging with customer questions. These strategies boost your visibility and increase the likelihood that potential customers will choose your dealership over competitors. As a result, you’ll experience higher foot traffic and enhanced sales for the dealership. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best practices for optimising your dealership’s Google Business Profile to attract more potential customers.

Importance of Google My Business for car dealers

Google My Business (GMB), now known as Google Business Profile, is an essential tool for car dealerships looking to appear in local search results, attract potential clients, and drive walk-ins to their physical dealer stores.

With more customers researching online before visiting a dealership in person, having an optimised Google Business Profile ensures that your dealership stands out. Here is how it impacts car dealers across: 

Boosting local visibility

When potential customers search for a car dealer or a service department near them, they typically turn to Google Search and Google Maps. 

An optimised Google Business Profile ensures your dealership appears prominently in these search results, making it easier for customers to find you. Without a well-managed profile, your dealership risks overshadowing competitors who rank higher in local search results. 

You can significantly improve your dealership’s online visibility and drive more foot traffic to your showroom by including relevant keywords, accurate business information, and engaging media.

Building a stronger brand presence

Your Google Business Profile is more than just a listing—it reflects your brand. With a well-optimised profile, you can showcase your dealership’s unique offerings, customer service, and expertise to build a strong and recognizable brand. 

High-quality images, compelling descriptions, and frequent updates through Google Posts allow your dealership to make a lasting impression on potential customers. 

Showcasing customer trust

Trust is a key factor in the car-buying journey. Birdeye’s study on online reviews and multi-location businesses shows that over 90% of customers mention reading at least two reviews before choosing a service provider. 

You can showcase positive Google reviews, respond to customer questions, and highlight testimonials reinforcing your dealership’s reputation with your Google business listing. 

Engaging with customer feedback, addressing concerns promptly, and displaying excellent customer service through your profile can significantly enhance your online reputation and attract more potential customers.

Generating higher revenue 

An optimised Google Business Profile is a powerful marketing tool that can directly impact your dealership’s bottom line. 

Customers searching for a ‘used car dealer near me’ or a specific vehicle model are more likely to visit a dealership with a well-managed profile. Investing time in optimizing your profile ensures that your dealership captures as many leads as possible, converting online visibility into tangible revenue.

How to set up and optimise your Google Business Profile – Car dealership edition 

While the process of creating a Google Business Profile for car dealerships is quite similar to any other business, there are a few fine points to consider: 

1. Most dealerships operate as multi-location franchises or establishments, making it easier if the profiles are connected. 
2. Google recommends setting up a primary brand profile and nesting the other listings under it for consistency and easy management. 
3. You can also have multiple listings for the same brand if different departments/locations serve different purposes. Ensure you have a unique phone number for each department and that they serve as a distinct entity. 
4. In most cases, businesses can also have a separate user car listing. 

Benefits of multiple Google My Business for car dealer listings 

• Improved online visibility for different departments
• More opportunities to attract potential customers
• Increased engagement with department-specific searches

How to set up and connect nested listings for your car dealership? 

Nested listings allow dealerships to organise their Google Business Profile more effectively by linking separate department profiles under a main listing. 

This setup ensures customers can easily find the correct department without confusion while improving the dealership’s overall visibility in search results.

Step 1: Create a primary listing for your dealership

Your central Google Business Profile should represent the entire dealership, including sales, service, and parts. Ensure the primary listing contains the following:

• Correct business name and address
• Contact details for general inquiries
• The primary category set as ‘Car Dealer’ or a relevant category
• High-quality images and business hours

Ensure your dealership’s primary and nested profile includes:

• Accurate business name and address
• Updated business hours (including holiday hours)
• Contact information for customer inquiries
• Primary category and relevant categories to improve local search rankings
• A direct link to your website for increased visibility

Step 2: Set up separate department listings 

For better customer experience and search rankings, Google allows dealerships to create dedicated profiles for different departments, such as:

• Service Department (e.g., ‘ABC Motors Service Center’)
• Parts Department (e.g., ‘ABC Motors Parts & Accessories’)
• Collision Center (if applicable)

Each department listing must have the following:

• A unique name that includes the dealership brand
• A different phone number from the main listing
• A relevant category (e.g., ‘Auto Repair Shop’ for the service center)

Step 3: Verify and connect the listings 

After creating department listings, verify them by following Google’s verification process, which may involve receiving a postcard or phone call. Once verified:

• Link department listings to the main dealership profile
• Ensure that Google Maps correctly displays the relationship between the profiles

Step 4: Avoid duplicate or conflicting listings 

Google discourages duplicate or conflicting listings. To avoid issues:

• Ensure each department has distinct contact details
• Use specific keywords, but avoid keyword stuffing
• Maintain consistency in branding across all listings

Step 5: Optimise each listing for higher engagement 

Once the nested listings are live, optimise them by:

• Uploading relevant photos and videos
• Adding Google Posts with promotions and updates
• Encouraging and responding to customer reviews
• Keeping business hours and services updated

How Australian car dealerships are making the best of Google x Birdeye to outshine competitors 

Pacific Toyota – Used cars city 

With Birdeye Listings AI, Pacific Toyota – Used Cars City significantly improved its impact on Google search. With an optimised Google Business  Profile, the dealership was able to:

1. Rise in Google local map pack searches
2. Generate 200%more  website visits from their Google Business Profile
3. Increase direction requests by 100% and get 200% more phone calls 

Bargain Car Rentals – Multi-location enterprise in Australia 

Bargain Car Rentals, a 14-location and 90,000 customers-strong car rental dealership in Australia quickly strengthened their online presence on Google with Birdeye within 10 months. 

By optimizing their Google Business Profile via Birdeye, the dealership saw: 

• 1M+ Google Profile Impressions
• 104.1k Website visits
• 102.8k Direction Requests
• 59.1k Call Clicks

“The layout of the Birdeye Dashboard is really simple and straightforward. Our team hopped on board after our onboarding, and picked it up in 2 minutes. So far none of our team have had a single complaint, and Birdeye’s support has been stellar throughout. It’s quite easy and laid out so nicely – It just works.”

Levi Dance, Marketing Manager, Bargain car rentals, Australia 

How to optimise Google My Business for car dealers 

You can ensure your car dealership stands out over your competitors by making Google Business Profile features work for you. Optimizing the critical sections ensures you rank higher on local searches and reach more customers. Here is what you need to do: 

Update accurate dealership contact information

Your dealership’s Google Business Profile must contain accurate and up-to-date contact details. Incorrect information can lead to lost leads and a damaged online reputation. 

Make sure to include: 

• Dealership’s name
• Phone number
• Website URL
• Physical location 

Note: The address for each listing along with the name and phone number should be consistent with what is on your website. 

Google verifies your NAP (name, address, and phone number) to evaluate your listing for any local query. 

Add photos and videos to your profile 

Customers interact with visuals more than text. Upload high-quality images and videos showcasing:

• Your showroom and inventory
• Service department and staff
• Customer testimonials and events
• Used car inventory and special offers

Use Google posts to promote your business 

Google Posts are a great way to engage potential customers and increase engagement. Regularly updated posts can:

• Announce sales and promotions
• Highlight specific car models
• Share industry news and updates

Social media management tools like Birdeye Social AI can help you sync your social calendar with Google’s posting schedule, simplifying the overall process. 

Manage and respond to customer reviews 

Google Reviews directly impact your search rankings, online reputation, and customer trust. A few ways to ensure your dealership consistently generates reviews across all locations is to:

• Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews, 
• Simplify the review process with one-click forms 
• Respond to all reviews to show dedication to customer feedback 
• Address customer questions and negative feedback promptly

Work with review management tools like Birdeye Reviews AI to monitor reviews across 200+ sites, effectively manage Google reviews, respond to customer reviews using SEO-relevant keywords, and market them to social channels with a single click. 

List products on your Google Business Profile 

Car dealers can list the available inventory on their Google Business Profiles. This ensures that profile visitors can look at what you offer and instantly gauge if you fit their needs. 

The availability of products and services list on your Google business profile ensures that: 

• Google considers your profile to be more relevant and prominent than your competitors 
• Customers stay longer on the profile, boosting engagement rates, and overall experience
• Visitors become leads by perusing more information and clicking directly on the products to schedule appointments or calls.

Pro tip: Connect your Google Business Profile to the Merchant Center and the Google Ads account to boost your performance with Vehicle ads. This ensures that Google has all the information about your dealership and can give you the best chance. 

Monitor Google Business Profile activity for customer insights 

Tracking activity on your Google Business Profile can tell you how your clients find you and what they do once they land on the listing. Google Business Profile analytics provide an insight into:

• Traffic from discovery searches 
• Client interaction volumes across calls, messages, and direction requests
• Review stats across locations, and more. 

Pro Tip: Simplify multi-location Google business profile management with Birdeye. Track, compare, and report insights across multiple profiles from a centralized dashboard. 

Grow your dealership with an optimised Google Business Profile

Optimizing your Google Business Profile for car dealerships is crucial to attracting more leads, driving traffic, and increasing engagement. Regularly updated listings, customer interactions, and leveraging Google Insights can transform your dealership’s online presence.

GMB for car dealerships can be a real-game changer, however it is important to use the right tools and formulate a competitive strategy for your local business. 

FAQs on GMB for car dealerships

Grow your multi-location car dealerships in Australia with Birdeye

The Birdeye GenAI suite is specifically designed for auto dealerships, integrating all the powerful tools you need to improve visibility, attract more customers, and increase conversions. 

From AI-driven customer insights to automated messaging, Birdeye seamlessly manages your dealership’s digital presence. With Birdeye, you can:

• Ensure your dealership’s business information remains accurate across multiple directories, including Google Business Profile with Birdeye Listings AI. This way, you climb up local search rankings, prevent duplicate listings, and ensure your business details remain consistent, helping you attract more leads effortlessly.
• Generate more customer feedback, respond to reviews efficiently, and showcase positive testimonials with Reviews AI. 
• Stay ahead of the competition with insights into rival dealerships’ performance with Competitors AI. Benchmark your dealership’s Google Business Profile against competitors, analyse customer sentiment, and adjust your marketing strategies accordingly.
• Understand customer behavior to optimise your dealership’s growth and marketing efforts. Birdeye Insights AI analyses Google Reviews, customer interactions, and search trends to provide actionable insights that help improve customer experience and dealership performance.

Ready to take your car dealership’s Google Business Profile to the next level? Watch our free demo and learn how to drive more traffic, leads, and sales.