How to get automotive dealership reviews (and manage them)

Prospective car buyers rely heavily on reviews to decide where to purchase their next vehicle. In fact, Think With Google found that 95% of consumers start their new car search online​. Failing to shine online gets expensive when losing customers means missing significant paydays. Low prices and the hottest models call attention, but customers won’t bite if they aren’t impressed with your online presence.

Automotive dealership reviews both fend off competitors and drive revenue. Fortunately, getting reviews for car dealers is quite straightforward (and there are even affordable tools that do a lot of the work for you…)

How automotive dealership reviews influence buyer decisions

Reviews help put people at ease and build their confidence about visiting your dealership. This is an important part of a good customer journey, especially when they’re contemplating parting with a lot of their hard-earned cash. Customers are looking for social proof from typical customers and signs that the dealership sells quality vehicles that last.

Car dealership with positive reviews
And it’s not just positive reviews that bring value. Of course, good reviews enhance your dealership’s credibility and attract more customers, but negative reviews offer an opportunity to demonstrate customer service and how you handle criticism. Reviews are also a signal to search engines that your business is worth ranking and displaying to its users.

Local rankings and reviews for automotive dealerships 

Customer feedback is a powerful asset you can display on your dealership’s website or social media. You can also showcase reviews in ads and emails and even design prints to hang in your dealership.

Online reviews are more than feedback—they’re a pivotal aspect of your dealership’s digital reputation and SEO. In car dealership marketing, attracting and managing reviews properly can significantly boost both customer trust and search engine visibility. And getting more automotive reviews isn’t necessarily as complicated or time-consuming as you might think…

Make life simple: Managing reviews can be complex, but Semrush Local offers a comprehensive review management solution. Automate listings, report clear analytics, and reply quickly with AI-generated responses.

Getting more automotive dealer reviews in the top directories

Actively asking satisfied car buyers for reviews is usually the only way to ensure a steady stream of feedback. Happy customers are often more than willing to post a review after they’ve bought a car. Getting a new vehicle is a huge moment that people are excited to share with friends and family.

 A Facebook post for a local car dealership

A simple SMS reminder after a sale or service can make a huge difference in the volume of feedback you receive. Just be sure to include a link to the platform you want them to leave feedback on.

You should start with Google Business Profile (GBP). Google reviews are highly visible and influential. Update your GBP regularly or connect it to a listing management tool for simplicity. Google itself has said that reviews are a local ranking factor, so this platform is a must.

A GBP for an automotive dealership
Include a Google review link or QR code in your outreach so customers don’t waste time looking for your listing. Yelp is another popular review site that should play a key role in your online reputation. On top of having a wide audience, popular voice search assistants use Yelp for local information.

Facebook is the world’s widest-used social media platform, so its reviews can influence lots of potential customers. Keep your Facebook page updated and engage with reviewers when they share their car-buying experiences.

As a specialized platform for car buyers, automotive dealership reviews on Cars.com are particularly influential. You can also list cars for sale, showcase awards, and feature employees (who can also receive reviews).

Automotive dealership reviews on Cars.com

The more directories you list your dealership on, the better for your visibility, reputation, and local SEO. However, manually adding your business to local directories and review management sites is a lot of work. To take a shortcut straight to the results, you can use a listing management tool and save yourself several hours.

Review co-pilot: A good review strategy requires consistency, but you don’t have to keep up with it alone. Semrush Local makes review management more efficient so you don’t get overwhelmed and drop the ball.

Respond and engage with customers for a review boost

So you successfully encouraged a customer to leave a review for your automotive dealership. That’s great! But the customer journey isn’t quite finished yet…

To maintain the customer relationship and show others that you value feedback, you need to reply to your reviews. This not only boosts your credibility, but responding to reviews is actually an effective way to get more. Harvard Business Review discovered that businesses received 12% more customer reviews when they sent nice replies.

Responding to both positive and negative reviews is an opportunity to address concerns. A one-star experience can turn into a returning customer if your reply is professional and solves the problem.

A response to a car dealership review on Cars.com
But once you’ve got a steady stream of reviews coming in for your dealership, it can be hard work to keep on top of them. Copy/pasting standardized replies doesn’t do a lot to build relationships, especially if the customer complained. To maintain consistency, try an AI writing tool to keep your replies unique, personalized, and professional.

Rapid response: Semrush Local provides a review management tool with many features. It will assist you in monitoring and responding to reviews efficiently with the help of AI.

The challenges of managing automotive dealership reviews

Successful automotive dealerships typically receive a high volume of reviews and managing this influx of feedback can be overwhelming. Each review requires attention, and failing to respond promptly can result in missed opportunities to address customer concerns.

Reviews for automotive dealerships appear on numerous platforms, and each has its own system for submitting and managing reviews. Keeping track of multi-site reviews is time-consuming and prone to errors that might leave some reviews unnoticed. 

Plus, each review needs a personalized response, while reflecting the dealership’s values and standards. Templates can help, but there's a risk of responses sounding impersonal if not adapted correctly. Ambitious dealerships leverage tools to unify their online review management and make local search and directories work for them.