A dealership platform or provider helps establish a car dealer’s online presence. A strong digital presence establishes legitimacy and encourages trust among customers seeking a straightforward car-buying experience (which is to say, all of them).
From site setup, design, and copy to connecting the site’s inventory page with real-time data based on which vehicles are physically present on your lot, a dedicated auto dealer site provider exists to tailor site parameters to your liking. As you’ll see below, modern car dealer websites achieve these goals through a mix of AI, automation, integrations, and creative design.
5 Key Features of Dealership Website Providers
Of the many features every great website provider might offer, there are five each platform must have to get auto dealerships’ digital presence to the top of their next customer’s search results page:
1. Responsive Design
Customers unfamiliar with a dealership’s other virtues might quickly bounce to another dealer if a site isn’t formatted for a mobile device or if images fail to load. Make sure your website provider doesn’t require extensive plug-ins on the back end that risk rendering your site slow and unresponsive for prospective car shoppers.
2. Inventory Management
The inventory page is at the core of any car dealership website. Showcasing available inventory and allowing site visitors to filter listings by year, mileage, and price sets the table for a test drive and ultimately a sale. This process only happens if inventory is accurate, which means keeping vehicle availability, prices, images, and driver details (such as accident history, mileage, transmission type, and so on) current. Good dealership website providers will likely include inventory management tools as one of their key selling points.
3. SEO Optimization
Most car buyers begin their exploration of nearby dealerships by typing something in a search bar that amounts to “best car dealership near me.” Successful SEO paves the way for your site to appear above others on those kinds of results pages, even if users didn’t seek out your dealership by name. A car dealer website built through a reliable provider will almost always have SEO data available, and many now also include AI tools capable of fine-tuning a site’s positioning.
4. Lead Generation Tools
Lots of things fall under the lead-gen umbrella when it comes to your site. A button with a “Schedule Test Drive” call-to-action could be considered a lead generation tool. Likewise, an email sign-up or contact form used to collect client information fits nicely into this category. Dealer site providers know automotive sales is a competitive business, and they build their products accordingly with lead-gen features built in and optimized to drive sales.
5. Integration with CRM Systems
Gathering user info is most beneficial when paired with a CRM. Together, the auto dealer’s website and integrated CRM can convert a user’s single session into a valuable resource for planning future interactions. The best car dealer in town will generally be the one providing customers with the best experience through personalized, guided messaging from discovery to decision-making.
8 Top Dealership Website Providers of 2024
DealerOn
What they do great: DealerOn is a lead-gen-focused provider capable of targeting qualified leads and making an auto dealer’s site look good when those leads finally check-in (regardless of device).
Key Features: Responsive design for mobile and desktop, strong inventory management, lead generation, and conversion optimization toolkit.
Pricing: Base-level product costs $1,499/month.
Dealer.com
What they do great: An auto dealer website needs to attract and convert leads. Dealer.com’s compatibility with Cox Automotive solutions is built with this directive in mind. Integrating with Cox CRM tools gives Dealer.com more power to target, track, and nurture customers toward specific listings most likely to capture their interest.
Key Features: Marketing integration with Cox Automotive, in-depth analytics, and inventory management.
Pricing: Plans start at $1,650/month.
DealerInspire
What they do great: While a site’s backend ease-of-use for an auto dealer may be considered a “nice-to-have,” a responsive, UI-friendly site is practically a must for successful lead-gen. Dealer Inspire presents customers with engaging inventory, financing, and chat options (which include real-time assistance), all geared toward eliminating obstacles and accelerating a customer’s path to purchase.
Key Features: Geo-targeting levers, SEO tools, inventory management systems, and a healthy assortment of available site customizations.
Pricing: Plans start at $1,299/month.
DealerFire
What they do great: Dealer Fire offers dealerships a familiar suite of tools focused on improving the user experience. These include automated replies to inquiries, sites formatted to both desktop and mobile devices, and seamless compatibility with the DealerSocket data platform for more personalized marketing and communication.
Key Features: Mobile-first design, lead engagement automation, and backed by DealerSocket.
Pricing: Requires further contact for details.
CDK
What they do great: CDK is the definition of a comprehensive digital solution. Its widely-trusted platform forms the base of any digital dealership activity, from site-building to ad campaigns. CDK is a big name in the space thanks to robust CRM integration, which means an easier time for auto dealers looking to implement an all-purpose tool without disorienting the rest of their favorite platforms.
Key Features: Marketing services, website design, and among the best in CRM integration
Pricing: Based on the number of apps and dealers and requires further contact for details.
Naked Lime
What they do great: Naked Lime takes a more vibrant approach to web design than most of your standard platforms. While specializing in visual appeal, Naked Lime still offers the usual set of SEO, analytics, reporting, and CRM integrations you’d expect from a provider serving the automotive space.
Key Features: Visually striking designs, strong SEO services, analytics, and reporting.
Pricing: Integration costs $150/month
AutoRevo
What they do great: The shift to digital in recent years hasn’t replaced the need for a good test drive, but it has introduced the virtual tour to the mainstream. AutoRevo makes its mark by placing vehicles on display in an engaging fashion. Through AutoRevo’s detailed search filters, customers can first locate, and then inspect, their chosen vehicle via a virtual tour and through a detailed vehicle history report.
Key Features: Particularly engaging inventory management and display, lead gen tools, and CRM integration.
Pricing: Pricing starts at $79/month.
Dealer eProcess
What they do great: Dealer eProcess has a track record of boosting dealership visibility on results pages and engaging with customers before and after the point of sale. Not only will it satisfy the base requirements of a user engagement tool—it also responds to reviews and social posts to keep interactions with customers past and present fresh.
Key Features: Effective lead gen and engagement with a full set of digital marketing and SEO tools.
Pricing: Base plans start at $500/month.
Why Choosing The Right Website Provider Matters
The goal of every auto website provider may be similar, but the means by which these sites interact with and convert customers aren’t the same for every dealership. An auto dealership website is a digital reflection of the physical dealership, and as such probably needs a few adjustments here and there to make it your own.
Cost, available features, existing tools already in your library, and CRM compatibility all might qualify (or disqualify) a provider as being the right “fit” for your dealership. Before beginning a search for a site provider, be sure you’re clear on the requirements the provider needs to satisfy before digging into pricing and implementation details.
Using AI To Build Your Dealership Website
AI isn’t just a featured chatbot tucked in the corner of a car dealer’s site anymore. It has become a tool, which, when properly applied, can rearrange how a site is built entirely. AI’s ability to synthesize data with actions geared toward attracting more paying customers means a lot of the prior guesswork involved in UI and site optimization is starting to fade.
Where once knowledge of advanced coding might’ve been needed to create a dynamic, professional-grade dealership site, today’s AI can replicate similar designs and functions with a few simple drag-and-drop items. Once the site goes live, AI can continue its tinkering by dynamically placing vehicles in your inventory up ahead of the pack when certain users come searching your site for deals. Based on the data available, AI can identify a customer’s individual preferences (either by tracking or via pre-built customer profiles) and present fast links to those inventory pages.
Make the Most of Your Dealership’s Online Presence
AI and automation introduce changes to new aspects of the automotive business every day. However, not every AI tool has the capacity to manage a dealership’s various internal operations. Podium’s best-in-class AI Employee, an always-on conversational AI built expressly for the automotive space, is among those rare tools that can.
Podium’s AI Employee, Jerry, takes the industry’s turn toward automated tools and increased efficiency to new levels. It responds to inquiring leads at any hour, schedules appointments in conjunction with sales team calendars, and provides customers consistent engagement through automated email and SMS communications. The end result helps sales, marketing, and service team members avoid low-priority tasks and instead make the most out of their sales opportunities.
Learn more about how Podium’s AI employee for auto converts and manages leads, and see Podium’s AI BDC in action with a free demo.
