Auto Dealer Monthly has just released its anticipated annual ranking of the Top 100 Automotive Internet Retailers in its May issue. The publication’s president, Greg Goebel, talked with us about how efficiencies within the dealership make these top performers so successful, and how even lower-volume dealerships distinguish themselves by generating the majority of their sales via the Internet. Click here to see the list.

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Many dealers have questions about the fees charged by services that create and manage paid search campaigns for dealership websites. These services claim they can put together an optimal paid search campaign that can work within your budget to deliver a better ROI than you can achieve on your own. In this article, I'll walk you through the typical fee structure charged by search providers so you can be a better judge on whether or not you're getting your money's worth from the program.

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Gilbert Chavez, marketing director for Phil Long Ford in Colorado Springs, Colorado, frequently receives questions from fellow dealers asking for advice on improving their businesses and their careers. Recently, a dealer wrote in about a problem he's facing with search engine marketing where a competitor is buying his dealership's name in keyword buys. Gilbert fields the question with advice on how to play this game - and win.

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Knowing what you would like to accomplish is never a problem for savvy auto retailers; the challenge is finding a way to get there. Internet sales departments aren’t any different from the rest of a dealership, but too many dealers and managers aren’t taking advantage of the best resource they have to get more sales - namely themselves. The Internet sales process provides a great opportunity for managers to see a detailed record of everything that has happened with a prospect, and they need to take advantage of that opportunity.

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