In May 2020, DriveChicago.com made a significant programming change designed to drive in-market shoppers direct to CATA dealer websites. Prior to this change, DriveChicago.com sent customers to dealers in the traditional portal method, with email leads, phone ups and map views. 

Since last May, DriveChicago.com is driving site visitors directly to dealerships’ vehicle detail pages. Over the past nine months, more than 50,000 customers have been sent to CATA dealership websites.

More specifically, the change involved deep linking into dealer website vehicle detail pages. Previously, a DriveChicago.com visitor would search through the more than 100,000 vehicles in inventory and land on a DriveChicago.com vehicle details page that provided links to contact the dealership or send an email lead.

Now, instead of landing on a DriveChicago.com vehicle details page, that site visitor is sent directly to the vehicle details page on dealership websites. 

For many dealers, this change has resulted in DriveChicago.com becoming their No. 1 referral site.

"As traditional email leads continue to dry up, we realized that dealers best convert from their vehicle details pages," said Richard Wickstrom, chairman of the CATA’s DriveChicago.com Committee. "So, by making this simple change, DriveChicago.com instantly becomes significantly more relevant to CATA dealers and better fulfills its mission to drive in-market shoppers to members."

While this lead-generation change continues to drive 6,000-7,000 site visitors directly to CATA dealer websites each month, DriveChicago.com is also upping its marketing spend to identify and connect with current vehicle shoppers. Though its partnership with Automotive Internet Media, DriveChicago.com has gone all-in on the CarClicks program. As a result, DriveChicago.com traffic went up 35% in one month with a spend of less than $1,500. 

 

Together the lead-generation change and enhanced CarClicks marketing continue to provide CATA dealers a free alternative to expensive programs of competing automotive shopping portals such as Cars.com and AutoTrader. DriveChicago.com is just another way that the CATA provides benefit to its members.

For more information on DriveChicago.com, contact Mark Bilek at (630) 424-6082 or mbilek@drivechicago.com.