Switching website providers might seem like a smart move — new design, faster speed, maybe a better deal.
But this is a major decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
For dealerships, switching website providers can seriously impact your traffic, your leads, and sales pipeline.
We’re not here to talk you out of it — just to help you go in with eyes wide open.
Let’s talk about converting traffic into customers (because that's how you make money)
A dealership website is meant to drive leads. Plain and simple.
But when you change providers, even small tweaks to layout or design can mess with that flow.
Here’s what we see happen all the time:
- CTAs (calls to action) get buried
- Lead generators disappear or end up in the wrong place
- Pages load slower, bounce rates go up
- Navigation changes confuse shoppers
These types of results can have big price tags.
Let’s look at CTA placement as an example.
When you revamp your website, what happens if your CTAs get misplaced, or your lead generators disappear, even in the short term?
Think about it — if your Book a Test Drive button gets pushed below the fold, or your Trade-in Value tool gets buried, that means fewer leads and lost revenue.
Traffic trouble: When Google can’t find you
Changing website providers without a solid plan can also mess with your SEO — and that means fewer people finding your dealership online.
We’ve seen it happen too many times: a dealership moves to a new provider, and suddenly traffic drops. Why? Because someone forgot to set up redirects. Or the page layout changed. Or the new site loads slower than the old one. And Google doesn’t like that.
In one case study by Sitebulb, a business lost 40% of its traffic after a poorly handled migration. That’s a big hit — and in the auto world, it means fewer leads, fewer appointments, and fewer cars sold.
Here’s what causes the most damage:
- Missing redirects – If your old URLs don’t point to your new ones, Google (and your customers) hit dead ends.
- Changed URLs – If the structure of your site changes and Google doesn’t know how to follow it, your rankings can tank.
- Lost SEO content – Important stuff like page titles, keywords, and descriptions might get left behind in the switch.
And remember, if Google can’t find you, customers can’t either. No traffic means no clicks, no leads submitted, and no one walking through your doors.
Everyone on board? This isn’t just a marketing move
Changing website providers doesn’t just affect the marketing team — it impacts sales, leadership, even fixed ops.
If your sales team doesn’t know what's changing, they won’t flag lead sources that go missing or tools that stop working. If your dealer principal isn’t aligned on the strategy, timelines slip and accountability gets muddy.
Website migrations often run into major performance issues because of poor internal communication and planning. For a busy store, that can mean weeks of scrambling to fix things that shouldn’t have broken.
Bottom line? Your whole team needs to be in the loop before, during, and after a switch.
So… should you switch providers?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer — it depends on your goals, your timeline, and your team’s capacity to pull it off right.
Before you start shopping around for something new, ask:
- What’s actually broken with the current site — and can we fix it?
- Are we switching for the right reasons, or just chasing something new and exciting?
- Do we have a clear plan, team buy-in, and the time to do this right?
If the answer to any of those is “not sure,” it might be smarter (and cheaper) to optimize what you’ve already got.
At the end of the day, your website is your digital storefront. Make sure you work with a provider that knows what’s most important on your site; one that can surpass your goals during and after the move.
Final thoughts
At AutoVerify, we work with dealers every day to help online listings and lead-generators work better together. When everything’s in sync, you don’t need a full overhaul — just tools that support the process.
But if you do need to make a switch, do it with your eyes wide open. Plan ahead. Get your team involved. And whatever you do, don’t leave your leads behind.
Because the only thing worse than a broken website… is a quiet one.
