Underperforming VDPs? Use These Automotive Marketing Tips To Get Noticed Online

The age of online shopping is still strong as ever, and in a time when the market for new and used vehicles is comparable to the wild west, it’s never been more important to cater your sales tactics to the shopping habits of your prospective customers.

Optimizing your vehicle detail page is a great place to start. It’s one of the first things buyers look at when deciding whether or not to close their tab and move on to the next listing. Keep reading to learn how to improve your VDPs to complement today’s buying trends.

1. Keep Information Organized and Scannable

To make the most impact with your VDPs, you need to organize the information in a way that is easy to digest. Implement clear headings and bullet points to break up dense blocks of content. This allows visitors to quickly scan and find the information they are looking for on the page.

Our Experts' Tips:

• Use clear headings and subheadings to categorize different sections of the VDP.
• Utilize bullet points to present key details such as price, mileage, and features.
• Ensure that crucial information is easily accessible, as visitors should be able to find what they need without any confusion.

2. Let Your Imagery Do the Heavy Lifting

Visually appealing and well-optimized images play a crucial role in grabbing the attention of potential buyers. Including high-quality exterior and interior photos gives customers a better sense of the vehicle they are considering. Additionally, providing options for zooming in and 360-degree views enhances the browsing experience and allows customers to evaluate the car more effectively.

Our Experts' Tips:

• Use high-resolution imagery that showcases the vehicle's features in detail.
• Provide multiple angles and perspectives to give customers a comprehensive view.
• Zooming functionality and 360-degree views enable customers to scrutinize the vehicle's condition.

3. Share the Details They Actually Care About

Tailoring your vehicle descriptions to cater to your target audience's interests is vital for effective automotive marketing. Instead of generic and lengthy marketing text, focus on specific details that potential buyers find relevant and actually care about. Featuring vehicle condition reports to provide specifications and highlight features that resonate with auto shoppers is the key to capturing their attention.

Our Experts' Tips:

• Craft descriptions that emphasize the features and capabilities that align with your target audience's preferences.
• Include essential specifications such as engine type, power output, fuel efficiency, and safety features with vehicle condition reports.
• Limit marketing fluff and prioritize concise, informative content that provides genuine value to customers.

4. Use Engagement Tools Shoppers Can't Resist

Engagement is a significant factor in the success of an automotive dealership's VDPs. You can offer customers an enhanced and personalized experience by integrating interactive tools that boost engagement and increase the likelihood of conversions.

Our Experts' Tips:

• Develop vehicle comparison tools that allow customers to compare different models side by side.
• Include payment calculators to help customers estimate monthly payments based on their budget.
• Implement a scheduling system for customers to easily book test drives at their convenience.
• Enable instant chat options with your sales team to address customer questions and concerns in real-time.

5. Make Your VDPs Mobile-Friendly

Smartphone domination has made mobile optimization a necessity for any successful VDP strategy. With a significant portion of online searches for vehicles occurring on mobile devices, it is crucial to ensure that your VDPs are optimized for readability and usability on smaller screens.

Our Experts' Tips:

• Test the functionality and appearance of your VDPs on various mobile devices to ensure a seamless experience.
• Adjust the layout if necessary to accommodate smaller screens without sacrificing crucial information.
• Ensure that all critical details are visible above the fold, eliminating the need for excessive scrolling.

6. Don't Sleep On SEO Best Practices

Optimizing your VDPs for search engine rankings is essential to maximizing their visibility. By incorporating targeted keywords, concise meta descriptions, and implementing schema markup, you can climb to the top of search rankings and increase organic traffic to your VDPs.

Our Experts' Tips:

• Strategically place targeted keywords in headings, titles, and URLs to improve search engine optimization.
• Write concise and compelling meta descriptions that accurately represent the content of the VDPs.
• Optimize page speed and enhance the mobile experience to improve search engine rankings.
• Implement schema markup to provide search engines with structured data that enhances visibility in search results.
• Use alt text for images to improve accessibility and assist search engines in understanding the content.

7. Frequently Update Your Content

Regular content updates are essential to keep your VDPs fresh and maintain a competitive edge. By consistently adding new listings, changing featured vehicles, and refreshing photos and descriptions, you can demonstrate to potential customers that your inventory is up-to-date and relevant.

Our Experts' Tips:

• Add new listings to your VDPs promptly to showcase the latest offerings.
• Regularly change the selection of featured vehicles to keep customers engaged and interested.
• Update photos and descriptions over time to maintain relevance and accurately represent the vehicles.

Get More Tips For Your Automotive Marketing Strategies

By optimizing your dealership's VDPs for modern automotive marketing trends, you can boost engagement and conversions from online car shoppers with ease. Follow these tips for VDPs that attract and inform today's savvy buyers. 

If you need help improving your dealership's online vehicle pages and strategy, take our vehicle merchandising quiz for more expert tips. (It's free, takes five minutes to complete, and provides a ton of useful information to boost your marketing ROI.)