The 160 Best Local Citation Sites for Car Dealerships

Did you know that your business is making an impression on your customers before they ever come into the showroom? In fact, your online presence can make or break your success as a dealer! So what can you, as a business owner, do about that? How can you improve your local SEO to help customers find you? The first step is to feature your company on directories for dealerships.

What is an online directory?

An online directory listing (also commonly called a citation) is a reference to your business that customers can find on directory websites. Each citation includes important information about your business, such as your address and contact information. This makes it easier for potential customers to find your business and verify its legitimacy. You can further enhance your credibility to the public by including a link to your company website, social media accounts, and relevant photos.

What are the benefits of directory submission sites for car dealerships?

When you create a citation for your business on a reputable business directory, you’re not only making it easier for people to find you—you’re making it easier for the right people to find you. This means people in your service area who are looking for the vehicles and services that you offer. It also helps you establish your business as a legitimate, professional product resource and service provider—able to assist buyers with one of the biggest and most important purchases they’ll ever make.

With all the scams online today, security is especially important to customers, and they will often search on multiple sites in order to verify that your dealership is trustworthy. They may also rely on citation sites they trust to list more legitimate companies. This is why it can be especially helpful for you to list your dealership on sites designed specifically for car dealers; it helps establish an air of consistency, reliability, and legitimacy—to encourage buyers to consider your company for their next big purchase.

What is the purpose of local citations for car dealers?

Citations are designed to increase your visibility to the public. This means that your business will be more likely to be discovered by potential customers—usually more quickly and more often than companies who aren’t listed on directories. Each time your business is discovered in this manner, you increase your chances of becoming listed as a popular search option on search engines.

Ideally, you want to get to the point where your business is listed in one of the top results, which makes it even more likely to be discovered. You can increase your chances of appearing in top search results even more if you make sure that the information you include anywhere on the web is consistent and accurate. This will encourage search engines to mark your site as legitimate.

Best 160 Directory Submission Sites for Local SEO for Car Dealers

#	URL	Domain Rating	Backlinks	Traffic
1	google.com	99	76619163369	91994668638
2	books.google.com	99	260229683	91994668638
3	youtube.com	98	45767583638	80056916713
4	en.wikipedia.org	97	7812863693	6724463904
5	register.apple.com	95	18429	629488304
6	vimeo.com	93	1848567433	174575679
7	facebook.com	92	67379891912	11268336055
8	stores.ebay.com	92	21272938	665800882
9	reddit.com	92	11134632961	4785956342
10	bing.com/maps	89	3925997	1392611995
11	yelp.com	89	592584352	121523836
12	snapchat.com	88	313602635	105488253
13	bbb.org	88	394578555	11977468
14	nytimes.com	88	945163081	697053149
15	indeed.com	88	1495431127	523642560
16	eventbrite.com	87	346029390	55757802
17	washingtonpost.com	86	539548536	174410060
18	carfax.com	85	2576509460	25834075
19	latimes.com	85	334203222	40750182
20	dailymotion.com	85	311639726	443586102
21	meetup.com	83	156846590	20089218
22	foursquare.com	82	87125922	38492681
23	dol.wa.gov	81	979701	15050101
24	ct.gov	81	42814633	7118955
25	chicagotribune.com	81	74092755	10862254
26	viator.com	81	169068874	16553062
27	kbb.com	80	58659058	20850931
28	waze.com	80	69291441	19232423
29	yellowpages.com	80	59941236	16847405
30	state.nj.us	80	73064128	6340894
31	in.gov	80	44133034	5845367
32	maine.gov	80	91518983	2168346
33	expedia.com	79	81681438	48593313
34	mapquest.com	79	140350165	18961037
35	toyota.com	79	23220690	16814992
36	jobs.monster.com	79	69479	8654960
37	careerbuilder.com	79	109374700	8294192
38	here.com	78	62556320	1854675
39	edmunds.com	78	25100056	18901586
40	cars.com	78	29598063	27656751
41	cars.chron.com	78	4203	20436205
42	boston.com	78	54504210	13817342
43	dealerrater.com	77	8242550	698426
44	ksl.com	77	33776660	16581106
45	reading.craigslist.org	77	78980	168329080
46	ok.gov	77	12147210	5393543
47	freep.com	77	38015564	12803470
48	rentalcars.com	77	110844655	7772462
49	cargurus.com	76	13702863	27070472
50	autoblog.com	76	436078711	6596046
51	oregon.gov	76	20870357	7420174
52	orlandosentinel.com	76	15301037	5107173
53	bankrate.com	76	26308721	14469029
54	courant.com	76	118172147	2216567
55	nerdwallet.com	76	15354518	25014740
56	motortrend.com	75	19071706	14390860
57	miamiherald.com	75	36811812	5321021
58	autotrader.com	75	22225198	17786326
59	carsforsale.motortrend.com	75	1309	14390860
60	angieslist.com	74	15552378	287007
61	iaai.com	74	42178643	4993896
62	sacbee.com	74	36757245	3834573
63	theledger.com	74	13606486	1549461
64	jobs.net	74	7117427	2758070
65	jobs.livecareer.com	74	56171	2601699
66	nextdoor.com	74	16370878	103778205
67	local.dmv.org	73	364887	1557181
68	manta.com	73	14625203	2237683
69	dmv.org	73	15689728	1557181
70	seattle.gov	73	5876601	3036701
71	sandiego.gov	73	1508099	1447457
72	seek.com.au	73	11530450	18835490
73	tomtom.com	72	4131670	3254670
74	kayak.com	72	22242321	30588349
75	enterprise.com	72	2201673	14671501
76	hertz.com	72	3376005	11354813
77	dispatch.com	72	7421772	2626584
78	miamidade.gov	71	2927863	3074935
79	newsok.com	71	3135714	44366
80	snagajob.com	71	3149778	6384348
81	reed.co.uk	71	12207753	6545981
82	thecarconnection.com	71	86066234	1006560
83	infobel.com	70	12394708	1372605
84	cars.oodle.com	70	11181059	743886
85	avis.com	70	2155324	5001010
86	locations.avis.com	70	12449	5001010
87	simplyhired.com	70	10451656	5167519
88	www1.salary.com	70	130618	6037313
89	bkstr.com	70	20493761	2049025
90	carstory.com	69	2401576	28796
91	uship.com	69	10656601	929922
92	autonation.com	69	7678284	1281059
93	houstontx.gov	69	3280877	1843345
94	omaha.com	69	4133985	2119568
95	carsforsale.com	68	57592703	3940090
96	aboutus.com	68	6486799	75904
97	tupalo.com	68	8503362	264441
98	carmax.com	68	4791546	16253892
99	locations.budget.com	68	3947	5075231
100	sixt.com	68	683494	2175528
101	denvergov.org	68	1108328	1407122
102	naplesnews.com	68	2443516	1205107
103	hotwire.com	68	608615	2825727
104	sacurrent.com	68	3516081	357742
105	spoke.com	67	8226101	97459
106	alamo.com	67	355970	1113891
107	kansas.com	67	3137775	443362
108	global.showmelocal.com	66	4738	541395
109	enterprisecarsales.com	66	321239	1564684
110	firestonecompleteautocare.com	66	1250499	3066845
111	nationalcar.com	66	292565	1652652
112	idahostatesman.com	66	1416037	1198631
113	ecode360.com	66	10059545	754837
114	ask.metafilter.com	66	1691225	3959864
115	brownbook.net	65	12618614	126302
116	honolulu.gov	65	614046	844823
117	cityofboston.gov	65	1223941	104010
118	indeed.co.uk	65	2791471	885599
119	classiccars.com	64	4123129	2448912
120	storeboard.com	64	27146034	124984
121	cybo.com	64	2373593	3001639
122	zipcar.com	64	560141	1748497
123	dollar.com	64	704251	898209
124	reviews.com	64	236542	45158
125	justlanded.com	63	648356	354388
126	askmap.net	63	3997339	81301
127	fyple.com	62	410920	48229
128	cincinnati-oh.gov	61	513726	279567
129	trustedchoice.com	61	1873428	183247
130	lacartes.com	60	1258193	51276
131	iglobal.co	60	3431735	167405
132	expressbusinessdirectory.com	60	214552	14125
133	whodoyou.com	60	518744	253061
134	businesslistingplus.com	60	1361432	61105
135	travelful.net	60	2607788	73491
136	auto.com	60	569227	235727
137	newcars.com	60	353309	542602
138	trepup.com	59	5248775	63738
139	startus.cc	59	3184158	89553
140	callupcontact.com	59	4487777	171940
141	place123.net	59	880662	88031
142	ibegin.com	58	1225663	55338
143	globalcatalog.com	58	4754809	151447
144	teleadreson.com	57	6951926	45058
145	yellow.place	56	4333027	15108
146	drivetime.com	56	76335	1145896
147	augustaga.gov	55	97536	107029
148	ailoq.com	54	2676418	37213
149	phoenix.jobing.com	54	3456	238296
150	cgmimm.com	52	1465648	39380
151	paylesscar.com	52	50463	42046
152	carsoup.com	51	1542061	406557
153	recycler.com	51	164862	38656
154	hertzcarsales.com	50	145308	1192964
155	usedcars.com	49	88009	180558
156	datatrac.net	49	16898	46662
157	economycarrentals.com	49	36479	415072
158	bestcarfinder.com	48	112889	111085
159	dodgefayetteville.com	48	42564	5853
160	vroomvroomvroom.com	48	46551	45570
161	lotpro.com	47	9168	3353
162	autopten.com	46	51719	72532
163	bizexposed.com	40	152341	93029

What are the guidelines for creating citations for local car dealers?

To increase the chances that your business will be discovered by individuals and search engines alike, keep the following key factors in mind:

Consistency. As mentioned earlier in this article, it's crucial that all of the information you post about your business online remain as consistent as possible. This also means that you'll need to update all of your citations any time there is a change in that information, such as your address or phone number. Keeping this consistency will help ensure that your business maintains a prominent online presence.
Quality. More information is not always better. It's vital that all of the information that you include is relevant to your business. This is also why we recommend listing citations on business directories that are specific to dealerships and specific to the service area, since it will make the customers who need you, and are nearer to you, more likely to find you.
Quantity. While there are a variety of local directories out there, you shouldn't feel like you need to list your business on every one. Agin, quality is much more important than quantity. It's best to prioritize directories that are most commonly accessed in your area. We've taken some of the work off your plate and listed our top picks below.
Priority. In terms of quality over quantity, it's also important to write with your customers in mind. Customers will likely search multiple directories, searching for more accurate information, high quality photos, and reliable websites to help them choose their next dealer. Any inconsistent or poor quality information will likely confuse and potentially repel those customers from choosing your dealership for their next purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I create a citation for a car dealership?

There are three different ways to create a citation for your dealership; it just depends on the amount of money you want to spend and the amount of time you have in your schedule. Resources like Brightlocal provide a user-friendly guide to help you create your own citation. Brightlocal also offers a professional citation service for around $2 for each citation. Finally, freelance marketplaces (ex. Fiverr or Upwork) feature a variety of freelancers offering professional services, some even as low as $5 per citation.

How much will it cost to list my car dealership on online directories?

The amount it costs to cite your business online depends on the method you choose to create them. Listing them usually doesn’t cost anything; though, some sites do charge a fee. To create the listing itself, it typically costs between $0 and $5 per citation, at minimum. For example, Brightlocal charges around $2 per citation. A freelance service provider may charge as little as $5 per citation.

Are there different kinds of business citations?

Yes, there are two main types: Structure and Unstructured. The subcategories for these two types include global, national, local, and industry-specific. You can use a structured citation for industry-specific directories, which display the same kinds of information about different businesses. Alternatively, unstructured citations can be used anywhere—but usually in general, local directories.

What is local citation management for a car dealership?

Through local citation management, you can choose citation sites that will be more likely to be accessed by local customers. These sites will recommend your business and encourage customers to choose you for their car buying needs. When choosing directories, try to prioritize those that have higher traffic. You can see the list we provided above for examples.