#Car dealership link building: where good links come from
Start with the links that are already owed to you. The manufacturer's dealer locator, the chamber of commerce, any local business association and the community groups you belong to often list members with a link. Check each one carries the right address and a working link to the right page.
Next, look at what the store already sponsors. Youth teams, school events, charity drives and local festivals almost always have a website with a sponsors page. Ask for a link as part of the sponsorship, and make sure it points somewhere useful rather than just the homepage.
Then look at news. Local outlets cover hires, expansions, donations, awards and unusual events. Send a short, factual note with a name and a photo. A story with a link from a local paper is worth more than most paid packages.
TABLE
Local link sources for a dealership, compared
Effort and risk are relative. Every source in the first four rows is one a dealership can earn on its own.
| Source | What you offer | Effort | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer dealer locator | Correct store details | Low | None |
| Chamber of commerce and business groups | Membership | Low | None |
| Sponsored teams, schools and charities | The sponsorship itself | Medium | None |
| Local news and community sites | A story, photo or event | Medium | None |
| Useful local guides | A page other sites want to cite | High | None |
| Bulk directory listings | A fee | Low | Medium: many add nothing |
| Paid links | Money | Low | High: violates Google's spam policies |
Editorial comparison of link sources for a local dealership.
#Make something worth citing
People link to pages that help them. A dealer can write the local answers that national sites cannot: what registration and title fees look like in your state, what to bring when you trade in a vehicle, how to buy a car out of state, what winter tires cost in your area.
A page like that earns links slowly, from forums, local blogs and reporters who need a quick reference. It also earns visits from shoppers. Two returns for one page.
Keep the answer honest and dated. If a fee changes, update the page. A page that stays right is the one people keep linking to.
#Link building car dealerships should avoid
Google's spam policies describe link schemes as links meant to change rankings, including buying links, trading links in bulk and using automated programs to create them. The result can be a drop in rankings or a manual action.
Package deals that promise a set number of links a month are the usual source of trouble. Ask where each link will sit, who reads that page and what it would look like if search engines did not exist. If the answer is nothing, the link is not worth having.
Also be careful with directories that exist only to sell listings. A listing in a real local directory is fine. A listing in a farm of hundreds is not.
#How to keep it going
Treat links as a habit instead of a project. Once a quarter, review who has linked to the site and who should. Search Console lists the sites that link to you. Look for gaps where a partner, sponsor or supplier mentions you without a link.
Ask politely. A short note to a sponsor's webmaster with the exact page and text usually works.
Track the outcome. New referring sites, referral visits and calls from those pages show whether the effort is working. Do not judge it by a total link count.