In order to assess the current state of SEO for third-party automotive Web sites, I conducted a field test which I applied a set of automotive search terms to Google and Bing. I noted which sites appeared in the default first page of results – ten for Google and ten to twenty (depending on the type of search) for Bing. My findings are included in the charts at the end of this posting.
This analysis is obviously far from comprehensive, but it does highlight relative standings. The strongest field-test performer was clearly Edmunds, which appeared in two-thirds of all the searches I performed. AOL Autos, Automotive.com, MotorTrend, and Yahoo Autos also did well. On the flip side, Autotrader, kbb.com, and MSN Autos are among those that did poorly.
Comparing directly competitive sites can highlight best practices. For instance, while kbb and Edmunds both offer vehicle overviews, the latter has far more content, e.g. 1,400+ words for the Jeep Wrangler vs. 199 at kbb.com. More content on the pages results in more content to index and a greater range of possible keyword hits.
SEO is just one of many ways that sites can drive traffic. Some automotive independent sites have clearly emphasized their search optimization efforts, while others seem to have given SEO short shrift. But it seems likely that those at the top will have an ongoing advantage against their rivals.
SEO Field Test Results for Google
SEO Field Test Results for Bing
Tagged with: Search • Third-party • Website
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[...] this time I’m setting my sights on the third-party automotives. I used the same keywords as my 2009 SEO test, which allows me to make direct comparisons with how frequently third-party automotive sites appear [...]
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