Search engines are becoming answer engines
By John Vaughan-Chaldy
This article originally appeared in the October issue of Powersports Business
This isn’t just a wake-up call; it’s the siren at the track signaling that the race has already started. And if your powersports dealership hasn’t invested in local SEO and AEO, you’re not just behind — you’re off the grid entirely.
The digital landscape is shifting at full throttle. Traditional SEO is a slow build. Local SEO and answer engine optimization (AEO) are how consumers find, trust, and choose your dealership in real time. If you’re not feeding these systems consistently and correctly, your competitors will gladly take the leads, the service work, the parts orders, and the next unit sale.
The local search battlefield: visibility = profit
Today’s buyers aren’t just Googling “ATV dealership near me”— they’re expecting answers. Fast.
And they’re not just clicking the first blue link on a website. They’re reading Google Business Page (GBP) posts, looking at your reviews, checking out your photos, and comparing it all before they ever call or visit.
If your dealership hasn’t made it a priority to update your local profiles with offers, events, content, and Q&As, then you’ve already lost that customer. Now multiply that by 30, 50, or 100 missed leads a month.
AEO: It’s not the future. It’s the now
Voice search. AI-powered search. Semantic search. Whatever you call it, it’s already here — and growing. Platforms like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), Siri, Gemini, Alexa, and ChatGPT are pulling structured data from online content and giving direct answers to users.
Do you think your blog post from 2019 about “best beginner motorcycles” is ranking today? Not without fresh formatting, relevance, and cross-platform validation. These engines want fast, structured, relevant content. If your business isn’t providing it, your competitors — or AI-built listings — will.
You need to control your presence before the machines rewrite it for you.
What dealers are doing: the harsh truth
Here’s what we see across the country:
- Most powersports dealers barely touch their GBP
- Only a small minority post updates weekly.
- Reviews go unmonitored or unanswered.
- Few use structured content to feed answer engines.
- Many haven’t claimed their Apple, Bing, or Yelp listings.
It’s not just that the opportunity is missed. It’s that the silence is hurting you. Search platforms treat dead or outdated listings like warning signs. To them, if you’re not actively speaking, you’re closed.
Retention = revenue. But only if you stay relevant
Here’s the kicker: according to Harvard Business Review, just a 5% increase in customer retention can increase profits by 25% to 95%.
If you had started optimizing for Local SEO two years ago and AEO 18–24 months ago, you’d be controlling the search landscape in your region. But most of you didn’t. And now it’s catch-up time.
Each month you wait means:
- Fewer repeat buyers
- Less service business
- Lower parts revenue
- Lost referrals (because your visibility is gone)
Your dealership may have the best team, best pricing, and best selection — but if no one finds you or trusts you at first glance, it doesn’t matter.
What you should be asking yourself right now
- Do I know what Local SEO and AEO truly involve?
- Do I have the systems in place to feed them consistently?
- Do I have anyone on my team who understands how to optimize and syndicate content to these platforms?
- Am I willing to lose to a dealership 50 miles away just because they post once a week to their GBP and I don’t?
The clock is ticking. But there’s still time to win.
You’re not too late — but you’re definitely not early. You need strategy. You need consistency. You need someone who understands not just powersports, but the platforms, behaviors, and AI engines driving today’s buyer decisions.
Because if your competitors read this before you act, you’ll be racing for scraps while they’re standing on the podium.
John Vaughan-Chaldy is the founder of MaxOpp Marketing and a former dealer principal, sales trainer, and self-proclaimed strategy nerd. For more, visit maxoppmarketing.com.
