LISLE, Ill. -

“Used cars” is a top search term in the automotive industry, but many know that the term is difficult to rank organically, says automotive website and digital marketing company Dealer eProcess.

The company says that customers interested in pre-owned vehicles often do not type in a specific year, make or model as they do when searching for a new vehicle. Searches of fewer than four words, such as “used cars Chicago,” are nearly impossible to rank well, Dealer eProcess says. That is especially true compared to major online marketplaces or if the searcher is located in or near a major city.

With that in mind, Dealer eProcess has unveiled its Used Cars Network, which is a platform to help dealers compete with “inventory giants” for organic local search results. The Used Cars Network is a collaboration of several dealers’ used inventory to create local used vehicle portal websites.

The company created the platform believing that because of so much competition in the used car market, a more advanced strategy is necessary for dealers to win local used car shoppers.

Dealer eProcess also said it created the platform to answer the question of how to rank higher organically for search terms such as “used cars.” Dealers who are part of this collective network can use the “power of many,” the company said. Banding together, those dealers can gain local visibility for searches they can’t win on their own.

Dealers in the network can display used car inventory on a larger platform built to target the local market. Dealer eProcess said that helps dealers gain exposure and expand the reach of their brand. They can also create “a strong backlink strategy” for their website, which Dealer eProcess calls “a key factor for ranking.”

How it works: Each network site targets a specific major city and showcases used car inventory on the search results page for all nearby dealers.

Here’s an example: The newly launched UsedCarsofChicago.com displays thousands of local dealers’ vehicles currently in stock from within a 200-mile radius of Chicago.

Consumers can filter by zip code to navigate through a selection of used cars for sale near them. Once they click on a vehicle listing, the system takes them directly to the vehicle details page on the dealer’s site. Once there, the user can view more information and take the next step.

Dealer eProcess says that gives the dealer “the best of both worlds.”

“Not only will they be dramatically enhancing their pre-owned inventory presence, all lead forms and traffic will be sent to their dealership website,” Dealer eProcess said in a news release.

Dealer eProcess says promoting used vehicles with this platform helps them gain lead and sales opportunities “for a segment of their business that many dealers are wanting to enhance.”