The dealer’s website playbook

Your website’s first impression is your biggest opportunity to build shopper confidence and establish your credibility. Whether visitors land on your homepage or dive straight into a search results page, the right headline reduces hesitation, a well-placed personalized banner surfaces exactly the tool they need to make a decision, and a strategic CTA guides them forward.

This chapter will help your team:

• Identify messaging best practices for Homepage, Used SRP, and New SRP entry points
• Apply personalization to so every shopper has a tailored experience
• Simplify CTAs so shoppers know exactly what to do next
• Use our Mix & Match Message Planner to keep messaging fresh
  

Homepage strategy

Every shopper hitting your homepage wants one of three things: to buy a car, to sell a car, or service a car. If they don’t see their path within seconds, they’ll bounce. The strategy is simple: keep your homepage fresh, focused, and aligned to the market conditions you’re actually selling in today.

For example, you could display inventory messaging based on a shopper’s last viewed vehicle, prioritize trade-in messaging for multi-visit shoppers, or even create experiences based on the visitor’s current geo-location.

Homepage messaging

Your homepage copy should move with the market the way your front line moves with your inventory. Keep it relevant to what’s driving shoppers right now:

• Year-end: clearance deals, trade-in bonuses, financing offers that move iron.
• Fuel spikes: lead with EVs, hybrids, and high-MPG units.
• Rate hikes: highlight rate specials, payment calculators, and affordability programs.
• Seasonal shifts: AWD and winter service in the cold months, student-friendly CPOs in back-to-school, tailgate trucks in the fall.

Homepage personalization

On your homepage, personalization helps you move beyond high-level messaging by leveraging behavior signals to tailor the page for each shopper. 

For example, you could display inventory messaging based on a shopper’s last viewed vehicle, prioritize trade-in messaging for multi-visit shoppers, or even create experiences based on the visitor’s current geo-location.

But it’s not just about the numbers, it’s about creating an experience. Using personalization tools ensures your homepage adapts to shopper behavior and market conditions in real time. When a service customer lands on your site, they see service-focused messaging, and when a trade-in shopper arrives, they’re greeted with trade evaluation tools. This targeted approach helps visitors find what they need faster and dramatically increases the likelihood they’ll take a meaningful next step rather than bouncing to a competitor’s site.

Homepage CTAs

People don’t read paragraphs, they scan for what pops. Your homepage CTAs need to jump off the page and make the next step obvious. If a button says “Learn More,” that’s a dead end. If it says “View 200+ In-Stock Now” or “Get Your Trade Value in 30 Seconds,” that’s a path forward.

Think of it this way: every CTA should answer a shopper’s unspoken questions the second they land — Do you have what I need? Can I afford it? Can I trust you?

Don’t bury service. Loyal service customers can represent half your gross, and they’re often the easiest to keep. Put a service CTA in the hero, or add a sticky button on mobile that says: “Need service? Schedule now.” Make it just as easy for them to click as a new-car shopper.

Supporting visuals — reviews, star ratings, or even vehicle highlights — can reinforce trust without crowding your CTAs. The goal: clear, confident buttons that guide shoppers instead of making them think.

Used SRP strategy

Used shoppers are some of your most serious buyers, but they’re also the most cautious. They’re cross-shopping multiple sites, sensitive to price, and quick to bounce if your SRP feels like a wall of VINs. That means your Used SRP has to work harder than just displaying inventory. It should make it easy to filter and compare options, reassure shoppers they’re making the right choice, and then guide them to take the next step—whether that’s booking a test drive, checking trade-in value, or exploring financing.

Used SRP messaging 

On a Used SRP, the inventory does most of the talking. Messaging here is about how you use the prime spots on the page to reinforce shopper confidence. The top banner should do the heavy lifting, setting the tone with an offer or reassurance that matches what buyers care about most: affordability, trust, or urgency. Inline banners woven into the listings can then reinforce those themes with quick, scannable nudges.

For example, a headline like “Certified Pre-Owned with Warranty Coverage” can sit above the listings, while inline banners highlight financing flexibility or special offers tied to the specific vehicles in view. When done consistently, these banners turn the SRP from a plain list of cars into a guided shopping experience.

Used SRP personalization

Your Used SRPs are packed with intent signals. Personalization tools turn that behavior into targeted banners that guide shoppers and reinforce why they should buy from you.

VRP banners can trigger based on what a shopper is browsing. For example, if someone is looking at certified, low-mile work trucks, you could display a banner highlighting your OEM’s fleet and commercial program — positioning you as the dealer who supports business buyers.

Or if a shopper is browsing late-model luxury sedans, you could surface a banner introducing premium warranty coverage, showing that you’re ready to help them protect their purchase for the long haul.

The goal isn’t to flood the page with generic promos — it’s to match your message to what each shopper is already telling you through their behavior. When your SRP feels like it’s speaking directly to them, they’re far more likely to take the next step with you instead of clicking away.

Used SRP CTAs

Too many buttons on an SRP create noise. When every section is shouting for attention, the real next step gets buried. Our data shows that when dealers pared down their SRPs to only the most valuable actions, engagement and conversions went up — in some cases by as much as five times³.

The takeaway: you don’t need more CTAs, you need the right CTAs. Ask yourself — if a shopper is only going to click one button on this page, what’s the most valuable action for your dealership? For some, it might be scheduling a test drive. For others, it’s checking availability or exploring payment options. The answer will vary by dealer, by market, and even by inventory mix — but the principle stays the same. Keep it focused, keep it clear, and make that primary action impossible to miss.

New SRP strategy

Your New SRP is one of the most important decision points on your site. For some shoppers, it’s a quick stop to compare what you have in stock. For others, it’s the place they spend time narrowing down trims, checking availability, or experimenting with payments. Whether they’re casually browsing or ready to buy, your SRP has to do more than show vehicles — it should highlight value, surface key tools, and guide them toward the next step in their journey.

New SRP messaging 

The messaging on your New SRPs should remind shoppers why they should keep moving forward with you. Your mission is to highlight value, create urgency, and make it easy for buyers to get their last questions answered. Inline banners are the most effective way to do this. They slot naturally into the shopping flow and keep shoppers’ eyes on what matters most.

Use these banners to feature key tools like payment calculators, trade-in estimates, or live chat. Showcase OEM programs or current offers to create urgency. And don’t forget to highlight what sets your dealership apart — whether that’s loyalty rewards, star ratings, or other proof points. When your SRP combines value, transparency, and dealer differentiators, it gives casual browsers a reason to stay and serious shoppers the confidence to act.

New SRP Personalization

Not every shopper on your New SRP is in the same place. Some are casually browsing, others are returning after multiple visits. Personalization helps you meet both. For first-time visitors, keep banners focused on confidence-builders like current offers or easy access to payment tools. For repeat visitors who haven’t converted, surface more direct nudges that acknowledge hesitation and invite action — messages like “Still deciding? Chat with us now” or “Questions about financing? We’re here to help.”

The goal isn’t to overwhelm shoppers with noise, but to adapt the page to their behavior. A static SRP treats everyone the same. A personalized SRP meets shoppers where they are and gives them the right reason to take the next step.

New SRP CTAs

The SRP’s job isn’t to close the deal — it’s to move shoppers deeper into the funnel. CTAs here should point clearly to the next most valuable action for your store, whether that’s clicking through to the VDP, scheduling a test drive, or starting a payment estimate.

This example underscores a common mistake: giving shoppers too many options at once. When every listing has multiple buttons, the signal gets lost. Dealers who trim CTAs down see significant lifts in conversion — in one case, removing all SRP CTAs drove a 16% increase⁴. You don’t have to go that far, but the takeaway is clear: fewer, stronger CTAs make the next step obvious. Decide what the most valuable action is for your dealership, then make that the action your shoppers can’t miss.

Bonus messaging ideas

Your homepage and SRPs don’t have to run the same copy month after month. Shoppers notice when your messaging reflects current market conditions, seasonal timing, or specific audience needs. Use these bonus ideas as a swipe file — quick examples you can adapt to your dealership’s offers, inventory, and market.

Use these as starting points, then customize with your dealership’s specific offers, inventory, or local market to keep your homepage feeling fresh and relevant year-round.

What’s next: Chapter 3 – SEO for the AI age

Your content pages build authority and drive long-term traffic. In Chapter 3, we’ll show you how to create dealer content that not only ranks in search engines but also satisfies the new generation of AI crawlers reshaping how customers find information. You’ll learn how to:

• Create content that answers real shopper questions and ranks
• Structure pages so AI tools surface your dealership as the expert
• Create evergreen strategies that deliver steady organic traffic