By Melyssa Cantor, Director of SEO
MozCon is one of my favorite conferences each year because it gives my team the chance to hear directly from the people shaping the future of search. This year, with sessions emphasizing the impact of AI on the search landscape, one message stood out above everything else: SEO isn’t disappearing, but the way we search is changing.
And for dealerships, that distinction matters.
Search Is Changing, But Good Fundamentals Aren’t
Customers now jump between ChatGPT, Google, social media, and back again as they research cars, repairs and dealerships. But even in an AI-first world, people still rely on trusted sources, clear answers and human expertise. These are the same core tenets that mattered long before AI existed.
My colleague Greg Vellante summed it up well when he wrote about why being human matters more than ever in AI search: people choose dealerships because of people. The service advisor who remembers your last repair. The salesperson who knows your family’s needs. Real connections still win, and automotive marketing is still an industry in which small doses of personalization and a human touch go a long way.
And that’s exactly why SEO still matters: because LLMs and AI tools pull their answers from real websites written by real experts.
GEO Didn’t Replace SEO; It Expanded It
One of the strongest themes this year came from Lily Ray, of Amsive: AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini aren’t generating answers from thin air. They pull from real content on real websites -- including dealership websites.
AI may influence the journey, but traditional search still drives the decision. As such, “GEO,” or Generative Engine Optimization, should not be viewed as an entirely new marketing discipline or channel, but rather as a natural evolution of SEO.
Customers might start researching on ChatGPT, go to Google to confirm an answer, skim a couple follow-up questions, and then check Instagram or TikTok before calling a dealer. Your job is to meet them wherever they go.
AI Search Is the New Reputation Management
Lily Ray, along with fellow speaker Will Reynolds of Seer Interactive, both emphasized something dealerships must pay attention to:
AI search isn’t just about ranking. It’s about reputation.
AI tools look at:
- How often your brand is mentioned
- Whether your answers are clear and consistent
- If your pages provide trustworthy, firsthand expertise
- How your dealership appears not just on Google, but across the entire web
Your brand now has to show credibility everywhere customers might look. This might sound overwhelming, especially if you’ve got a few old Yelp reviews you’d rather forget (trust me, we’ve seen everything). But, with a strong SEO team helping AI tools understand your current reputation, you can feel confident that the right signals are being amplified.
Journey-Based Optimization Is the Future
Dr. Pete Meyers of Moz and Travis Tallent of Brainlabs talked about how one of the other major shifts we’re seeing is that we’re moving from keyword optimization toward journey optimization. We’ve seen time and time again that AI doesn’t think in single searches. It thinks in follow-up questions.
Whether a customer is using ChatGPT, AI Overviews, or another form of AI-powered search to hunt for an answer, both will prompt the user with follow-up questions after their initial search. Say a customer asks ChatGPT what the difference is between the Ford Explorer and the Ford Escape. ChatGPT doesn’t simply provide bulleted differences. It attempts to replicate a customer’s mindset, providing the most sensible next steps of their journey. ChatGPT might follow up with:
- Comparison charts
- Next steps for purchasing
- Prompts featuring “should I” suggestions, such as “should I provide a fuel efficiency comparison?”
- Follow-up questions asking if the customer wants to know “what’s the difference in their specs?”
- Information that answers the ultimate “how much does it cost?” question
Dealers who provide answers throughout the full customer journey -- not just content optimized for one keyword -- will earn more visibility across AI results, organic search, social platforms and video. Those are the dealers who are deemed more authoritative, and have the answers customers are looking for.
Traffic Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
Chima Mmeje of Moz said something every dealer needs to hear: “If your only goal is traffic, you’re writing for algorithms -- not people.”
In automotive, that usually leads to generic content that sounds exactly like what your competitors have already published:
- Basic FAQs
- Model landing pages selling the same products as every other dealer
- Keyword-stuffed service pages
- Identical “why buy” messaging
Your advantage is the real expertise inside your dealership, which can be leveraged through content to drive better visibility in AI search. Consider that other dealerships can’t directly replicate your:
- Service advisors with decades of experience
- Technicians who can explain repairs clearly
- Finance managers who can demystify APRs
- GMs who understand inventory challenges firsthand
- Sales managers who know the differences between two similar SUVs
We talk about E-E-A-T all the time, but this is how you can truly set yourself apart as a local expert in your industry. At this point, both traditional search engines and AI-powered tools are intelligent enough to separate the real content from AI slop. If you’re weaving real, first-hand knowledge into the fabric of your website, then you’re publishing something that no other dealership can. Your people and their knowledge are truly the key to success here. When we talk about building your reputation as an authoritative, trustworthy source, your unique expertise is invaluable.
This is the content AI cites, and the content customers trust. Meanwhile, if you’re trying to measure the impact of your content in this new age of SEO, consider other KPIs that offer a fuller picture of your organic performance. Impressions will give you a better understanding of how often your content is being shown to customers. Share of voice will help you better understand the competitive landscape on your chosen search platform. And of course, conversions will track how many form submissions originate from your informational content. It’s one of the clearest signals that your expertise is attracting the right shoppers.
If you want to use organic traffic as a means to convert traffic from your website into real, in-the-door leads, this is a mindset shift you shouldn’t ignore.
The Bottom Line: The Dealers Who Embrace the Shift Will Win
After all the talk about AI and changing search behavior, the takeaway from MozCon 2025 was simple: SEO isn’t dead—it’s evolving.
If you’re an auto dealer learning how you can better optimize for AI searches, know that the dealerships who succeed will be the ones who:
- Use their real, in-house expertise
- Focus on building trust and giving their customers clarity
- Answer questions throughout the entire customer journey
- Stay consistent across every platform
- Keep content updated and credible
- Treat AI-powered search as part of a broader SEO strategy, not a separate entity
AI may change how people search, but it doesn’t change why they choose a dealership.
They choose the one they trust.
The one that answers their questions clearly.
The one that feels human.
If you keep showing up and offering your customers true expertise, clarity, and authenticity, both humans and algorithms will reward you and your website.