Stock that moves.
Senior-led paid media, technical SEO and AI search for car dealers, dealer groups and automotive brands, built around live stock, test drives and finance enquiries.
Built for automotive.
Car buyers tend to research at length across manufacturer sites, dealer sites, reviews and classified listings, then decide quickly. A dealer competes for the same buyer as every other forecourt within driving distance, and the stock it advertises changes daily. Campaigns built once and left alone end up advertising cars that have already sold.
The work here keeps the advertising in step with the forecourt. Campaigns are driven by your live stock, test drive bookings, part-exchange valuations and finance enquiries are tracked into your dealer management system or CRM, and model, stock and location pages are built for search engines and AI assistants. If your ads mention finance, they are financial promotions under FCA rules, so finance copy is prepared with that in mind and goes to your compliance sign-off before it runs.
What an automotive engagement covers.
- Stock-led campaigns from your inventory feed
- Test drive, valuation and finance enquiry tracking
- Local search and map visibility by site
- Paid social for launches and offers
- Finance ad copy prepared for compliance sign-off
- Technical SEO for model, stock and location pages
- AI search visibility for model research
One senior mind, audit to invoice.
One senior operator runs the campaigns, the feed and the measurement, site by site, so budget follows the stock and the locations that produce test drives and sales.
Leads are tracked from the first click into your dealer management system or CRM, so the account is judged on appointments and sales rather than clicks.
How the sector reads to AI.
In the Crane Index scan of 1 October 2026, the Automotive benchmark scored the websites of 102 organisations for AI readability, how well AI systems can read them. The median score was 40 out of 100, and 4 scored 70 or more. Vertu Motors led, at 77. Read the Automotive benchmark.
Your own site can be scored the same way, free, so you can see where it sits against the sector before any work starts. Get your Crane Index score.
Automotive questions.
Can our ads update as stock sells?
Yes. Campaigns built from your inventory feed add and remove vehicles as stock changes, so budget is not spent advertising cars that have gone.
We have several sites. Can each be measured separately?
Yes. Campaigns, budgets and location pages are set up by site, so each forecourt is judged on its own test drives and sales.
What are the rules on advertising car finance?
If an ad mentions finance, it is a financial promotion and must be fair, clear and not misleading under FCA rules, and quoting certain figures triggers a representative example. Finance copy is prepared with that in mind and goes to your compliance team before it runs.
The full stack, on one desk.
Every sector engagement draws on the same four disciplines, held by one senior practitioner. Take one, or the whole stack.
Creator of the AI Readability Suite
Senior work, sector by sector.
Start with a conversation.
A proper conversation with the person who would do the work. Tell me about your automotive business and where you want to be, and you will get an honest read on what I would change, what I would leave alone, and where the real upside is.
Speak with NicThe senior read,
once a week.
Most marketing newsletters are noise on a schedule. This is not that. Once a week I send a short, considered read on the shifts that actually change what you should do, across the AI shift, PPC, technical SEO and analytics. Filtered, weighted and signed off by me before it goes out. The judgement is mine, and now you can hear every edition in my own voice.
Nic CraneFounder, The Crane Consultancy
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