The pages every used car dealer website needs

A stock list is the heart of a used car dealer’s website, but it is not the whole of it. Buyers want to know who they are buying from, how the deal works and how to reach you. These are the pages that answer them, and what each one is for.

Home

The home page has one job: show a visitor in a few seconds that they are in the right place. Say what you sell and where you are, put a stock search near the top, and show some of your latest cars. Add a line or two on why people buy from you, and make the phone number easy to find.

Stock search

This is where most visitors spend their time. Let buyers filter by the things they care about: make, model, price, body style, fuel, gearbox and mileage. Results should be quick to scan on a phone, with a good main photo, the price and the key details on each.

Each vehicle’s page

The vehicle page is where the decision is made. It needs plenty of clear photos, the price, the full spec, an honest description and the history a buyer will ask about: owners, MOT, service record. Make it easy to act from here, whether that is a call, an enquiry or a part-exchange valuation.

Finance, if you are authorised

Many buyers think in monthly payments, so a finance page and monthly figures on each car can help. Consumer credit is regulated, though. You need to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, directly or through a principal firm, before you offer or advertise finance, and any figures you show must follow its rules, including a representative example. If you are not authorised, leave finance off your site.

Part-exchange and sell your car

Most buyers have a car to get rid of. A part-exchange form lets them send the details before they visit, so you can talk numbers early. A “sell your car” page does the same for people who just want to sell, and brings you stock as well as buyers. Our guide to part-exchange enquiries goes into what to ask for.

About us and the team

People buy from people. Say how long you have been trading, what you specialise in and how you choose and prepare your cars. Photos of the real team and the real premises do more than any stock image.

Reviews

A page of reviews from real customers answers the question every buyer has about a dealer they have not used before. Show them on the home page and vehicle pages too, where the decision is being made.

Contact, opening hours and a map

Give your phone number, email, address, opening hours and a map on one page. Keep the hours right, including bank holidays. If you are by appointment only, say so clearly, so nobody makes a wasted trip.

Warranty and aftercare, if you offer them

If you include a warranty or offer one at extra cost, explain what it covers, for how long, and how a claim works. Be plain about what it does not cover. A clear page saves the same questions being asked on every call.

A blog

Articles that answer buyers’ questions help you be found in search and show that you know your trade. A buyer’s guide to a model you sell often, or a plain explanation of how part-exchange works with you, will keep bringing visitors for years. Our list of blog ideas for dealers is a place to start.

Previously sold

A page of cars you have sold shows that you are an active, established business and the kind of stock you usually carry. A buyer who missed a car they liked may ask you to find another.

Landing pages for popular searches

Buyers search for what they want: automatic cars under £10,000, seven-seaters, first cars for new drivers. A page for each of those, showing the matching stock with a short introduction, gives search engines a page that answers the question. Our guide to landing pages for buyer searches explains how to choose them.

Start with the basics

You do not need every page on day one. Home, stock, vehicle pages, contact and about will carry you. Add the rest as you go, and keep each page true. An out-of-date page does more harm than a missing one.

How MotoVend handles it

MotoVend builds these pages with its page builder, using blocks for stock search, customer reviews, a sell your vehicle form, a contact form, opening hours and a map. Your stock pages, a Reviews page, a Previously Sold page and your blog are generated for you. Each car’s page carries enquiry and part-exchange forms, and if you offer finance you can show a built-in HP calculator or quotes through your own iVendi, Codeweavers or Evolution Funding account. You can also build landing pages for the searches your buyers make. See MotoVend for car dealers.