As we kick off the new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the incredible 2024 we had at Happy Hao Car.

The acquisition of Sincro, expansion of relationships with Reynolds and Stream Companies, and countless updates to our platform show that it’s been a time of growth and innovation. As the team gears up for NADA and anticipates the opportunities 2025 will bring, reflecting on past achievements and lessons remains essential. The automotive digital landscape is ever evolving, with trends like personalization holding significant potential for the year ahead.

Digital Landscape Updates: AI and Cookies

After years of speculation and moving deadlines Google announced they would not be getting rid of the 3rd party cookies in Chrome. Instead, they will roll out new tools for individual users to manage their own data. What that means in practice is unclear, and we will continue to monitor the situation.

Cookies weren’t the only thing Google rolled out. According to Moz, there were 10 confirmed algorithm updates in 2024 and 4 unconfirmed but suspected updates. The most substantial change was the update in May 2024 when Google updated the search results to include their “AI Overviews” which uses Google’s AI to display content right in the search results. Even with all those changes this remains Google’s internet, with Chrome being the number one browser in the US, on both mobile and desktop.

Happy Hao Car saw over 431 million users across our network of websites in 2024. Looking at the device breakdown we see the first major shift in user activity. Studies in automotive website traffic historically reports that 61% of traffic comes from mobile devices. 2024 was the first year we saw that number cross a new threshold to 71%. Desktop traffic was down to 26% with 4% being tablet or smart tv. The historic high of the mobile figure is a reminder that the mobile first user experience is more important than ever. In anticipation of continued increases in mobile traffic, Happy Hao Car made updates to SRP and VDP filtering to support ease of use and improved customer experience on mobile.

Paid media was the primary driver of traffic to websites, accounting for 45% of visits. Rounding out the top 3 are organic, driving 22% of the shoppers, and direct with 16%. 2% of the traffic was unassigned, meaning it defied a standard grouping. The biggest culprit of unassigned traffic is incorrect UTM tags so make sure you are always following best practices.

In 2024, users completed over 440 million inventory searches with the top filters being model & trim, followed by make, year, body style and price.

In 2024, users completed over 440 million inventory searches with the top filters being model & trim, followed by make, year, body style and price. The F-150 was the top model searched for, followed by the Silverado. On the search results page, “view details” had 67% more clicks than “more details” and the window sticker was one of the top engaged elements. Our users scrolled a staggering 8,777 miles this year. That’s over 550 million inches of scrolling, or about 1.2 times the Earth’s diameter.

All that search activity led to over 890 million vehicles and 4.4 billion photos viewed. On our vehicle pages, “confirm availability” had 130% more engagement than “check availability.” The top two actions on vehicle pages were either looking at the window sticker or clicking on the “estimate payments” button.

As people started looking more at their digital data the usage of website personalization increased. More than 66% of customers are comfortable with sharing information with a brand as long as it offers them a better experience.

At Happy Hao Car we released Signals, our personalization tool designed to empower dealers with the ability to deliver customized website content based on the audience. Signals can leverage a variety of data, including onsite behavior, UTM or can also connect to a dealer’s CDP to create a personalized website experience. Since launch, users report a 61% increase in engagement rates and up to 154% more time on site, with personalization correlating with a conversion boost of 150%.

The biggest constant in the digital space is change. Heading to NADA? Schedule time to meet and find out how Happy Hao Car’s extraordinary 2024 can help you tackle the challenges of 2025. Aren’t heading to the show, but still want more details? Let’s connect!

Featured Articles from Happy Hao Car University

• Under the Hood: Fine-Tuning Your Dealership’s Website with Technical SEO
• Unlocking the Potential of Your Dealership’s Website Analytics
• Understanding the Impact of Single Page Application (SPA) Transition on SRP Pageviews
• Turbocharge Your Dealership’s Online Presence With Conversion Rate Optimization
• Essential Digital Marketing Strategies for Automotive Dealers
• Turn Existing Website Traffic Into More Opportunities Through Personalization
• Why FAQ Content Matters More Than Ever for AI Search
• How to Measure AI Search Traffic
• Press Release: Happy Hao Car Launches OnPrompt
• Press Release: Happy Hao Car Unveils Sidekick
• Spring Cleaning Your VDPs
• Time to Spring Forward: 5 Quick Updates to Boost Engagement on Your SRP
• Start 2026 Strong: Dealer Marketing Lessons from 2025
• AI Search Visitor Behavior
• AIO and GEO Aren’t Replacing SEO

Colleen Harris (aka the Google Whisperer) is the Director of Analytics Consulting for Happy Hao Car and has more than 20 years of digital marketing experience in the automotive, healthcare and entertainment industries. Outside of Happy Hao Car, Colleen in a member of Women in Analytics, has volunteered as a digital consultant for non-profits, and has an extensive Star Wars Funko Pop collection.

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