Let’s be honest

It’s much harder to gain buyer trust these days, especially with many competing solutions springing up daily. Buyers also struggle to find suitable solutions for their needs as more brands get smarter with their marketing copy. 

As a result, many B2B and B2C buyers turn to the one place they can get unbiased reviews from real customers: third-party review sites. 

Yelp, G2, and Capterra make a fortune by giving buyers the proof and validation they need to trust and purchase a product. So does CarGurus. 

CarGurus is more than an online shopping platform for finding the best used car deals. Prospects mostly use the website to get unbiased car reviews from other real users to decide whether or not they should patronize a vendor. 

As a result, CarGurus drives 12 million organic monthly traffic, making it one of the most visited car marketplaces in the US. CarGurus has also recorded other successes over the years:

• 1.6 billion market cap (Yahoo Finance)
• Over 30 thousand paying dealers (CarGurus’ 2021 Q2 Form 10-Q)
• 28.6 million monthly users (CarGurus’ 2021 Q4 and Full Year Report)
• Acquired car shopping platform Autolist in 2020 (GlobeNewswire)

This article breaks down the SEO strategy CarGurus uses to dominate the SERPs for tons of high-value keywords and become a reliable source of truth for car decision-makers. 

Whether or not you’re in B2B SaaS or the world of vehicle SEO, this essay will help you better understand the strategies you need to gain user trust and drive growth. 

Buckle up, and let’s dive in. 

CarGurus SEO Moat: 5 Categories, $14M in Monthly Traffic Value 

Online reviews, comparison pages, and how-to guides are a big part of the B2B and B2C buyer’s journey. 

These acquisition channels offer review sites a way to outrank industry vendors for high-value Middle of the Funnel (MOFU) and Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU) keywords. 

For example, Capterra built an SEO moat, outranking many SaaS companies for MOFU and BOFU keywords they should be ranking for. As a result, the platform has earned 7 million backlinks and drives 2 million monthly organic traffic. 

Like Capterra, CarGurus dominates the SERPs for high-value BOFU keywords. See what its search scorecard looks like:

Most of CarGuru’s organic traffic comes from five category pages:

These category pages and the CarGurus home page drive around a fourth of its organic traffic, currently valued at $760,000 each month. 

CarGurus has used these pages to build a solid acquisition channel that attracts car dealers, generating more subscription and advertising revenue. 

People trust recommendations from those they are familiar with and strangers who have used a product or service. 

You wouldn’t buy a new car just because the manufacturer’s website called out its features. Neither would you purchase a used car because the dealer said it’s in good condition unless the recommendation comes from someone you know and trust.

CarGurus category pages give ideal customers two things they truly desire during their buying process: value clarity and validation from past and existing customers. Prospects have sufficient information to compare cars and read reviews from past customers before making a decision. It’s no wonder CarGurus recorded a 124% year-over-year revenue growth in 2021.

Let’s see how CarGurus uses content to drive traffic.

How CarGurus Uses Content to Drive Traffic

CarGurus ranks on the SERPs for 2.5 million keywords. As a result, almost 95% of its traffic comes from direct and search marketing channels. 

Most of its top keywords link to its category pages. See its top five:

Take the keyword “Cars For Sales Near Me.”