Study shows new automotive domain improves over 50% of search rankings

Santa Monica, CA – March 28, 2016 – A new dealership case study conducted by independent SEO experts GlobeRunner reveals that new automotive-specific domain names, .Cars, .Car, and .Auto (“.Cars”), are lifting search rankings, conversions, and traffic.

Since launching in January, .Cars has been globally adopted by automotive businesses like Chinese manufacturer Geely.Auto, UK-based marketer Motortrak.Auto, German technology company Pace.Car, and Massachusetts dealer group DCD.Auto. These websites join notable brands like Porsche.Cars, eBay.Cars, and Apple.Car.

The GlobeRunner study analyzes a luxury dealership’s move from their existing website, www.STLMotorcars.com, to www.STL.Cars. This represents one of the first third-party studies conducted to examine the move from .com to a new domain extension.

Results from the independent research include:

• STL.Cars search ranking improved in over 50% of keywords tested
• Conversions from organic search increased
• New sessions increased 7.51%
• Referral traffic increased 33.67% 
• Social media traffic increased 20.09%

Other dealerships are also experiencing benefits by moving to new automotive domains. Brilliance Auto, a New Jersey-based dealership, migrated from BrilianceAuto.com (with a single “l”) to Brilliance.Auto. They also obtained keyword domains to expand their digital marketing: Certified.Car, Shop.Auto, and Safe.Car.

“My new website already ranks #1 on Google for search terms that matter to us.” said Sammy Quraan, GM of Brilliance Auto. “The Internet is such a huge and global place – it seems obvious that it will continue to segment into different ‘neighborhoods’ so consumers can easily find you. And, as third-party leads continue to decline, I really believe ‘search’ is going to be the only way people are going to find our dealership in the future – likely from their smartphone. I want to be sure I’m easy to find.”

 “This study demonstrates that .Cars is poised to have a significant impact on digital marketing for dealerships,” said Mike Ambrose, COO of Cars Registry.

Dealerships can upgrade their domain (i.e., HubertVesterAuto.com to HV.Auto), establish a geographic presence (i.e., Wichita.Cars), and setup new initiatives (i.e., Exclusive.Cars) at www.Go.Cars.

Read the GlobeRunner case study here, or visit Cars Registry at the NADA convention (3/31-4/2), booth #3614C.

About Cars Registry Limited

Cars Registry Limited is the registry operator for .Cars, .Car, and .Auto. Founded in 2015 by domain industry leaders XYZ and Uniregistry, the company provides Internet naming options for the automotive industry.

Contact:

Cassandra Cavanah 
cassandra@mwebbcom.com 
818-397-4630