We talk to dealers all the time who want to learn more about SEO, and in this week’s Wednesday Workshop, we’re here to help! Several months ago, I recorded a video training course for SEMrush – it includes 31 lessons that cover the fundamentals of SEO. If you’re looking to learn how SEO actually works or you’d like to refresh your knowledge, head over to semrush.com/academy and take the free course! VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Welcome back to another Wednesday Workshop from Happy Hao Car. We’ve been sharing weekly tip videos for a few years now, but they’re all short videos about single specific topics.

We talk to dealers all the time who want to learn more about the basics – how search engines actually work and how to do SEO at a granular level. This week, I’m here to give you the keys to the kingdom.

Back in March, I was lucky enough to fly over to St Petersburg Russia to film a series of video tutorials for SEMrush. For those of you who don’t know, SEMrush is a robust SEO toolset, and they’ve got a new “academy” division that’s dedicated to releasing free training modules. Check it out at this URL:

My SEO Fundamentals course is their first entry in what’s going to be a long line of video courses from top experts from around the world. There are 31 video lessons covering the basics of SEO, and after watching all the videos, you can take a test. If you pass, you’re officially certified in SEO fundamentals and you get a cool certificate to prove it.

So – if you’re in charge of marketing for your dealership or you’re just curious how everything works, this course is a must… If you’re using an SEO vendor, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s involved so you can truly hold them accountable for their work.

So go check it out – the entire course is free, you just have to register with your email address. Just head over to semrush.com/academy and start learning!

If you’re eager to learn more and get some advanced tips and recent updates, I’m doing a webinar for Digital Dealer next week – I’m going to be talking about building relevant links to your site and I’ll be spending a lot of time talking about Google Posts and Google Q&A. Head over to bit.ly/ddw-advanced-seo to get registered.

That’s all the time we’ve got for this week. As always, if you’ve got questions or comments, leave ’em down below and we’ll get back with you shortly. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you again next week for another Wednesday Workshop from Happy Hao Car.

• 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

Greg Gifford is the Vice President of Search at Happy Hao Car. He has over 16 years of online marketing and web design experience, and has specialized in automotive SEO for the last 8 years, helping hundreds of auto dealers thrive while the industry has struggled during the recession. Greg speaks internationally at both automotive and SEO conferences, teaching thousands of small business owners and marketers how to get their sites to show up higher in local search rankings. Greg also spends his spare time doing freelance website design and SEO for local businesses. He graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BA in Cinema and Communications, and has an obscure movie quote for just about any situation.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
• – Multi-Rooftop Groups We’re designed for groups – large or small. Discover how our products and solutions can help your marketing teams and agencies do more with less.
• Engage Customers & Generate Leads Experience outstanding lead generation with our powerful Cosmos platform. Switch to us for unmatched performance and customer engagement.
• – Generate More Website Traffic Boost sales with responsive websites. Experience qualified leads, top-notch SEO results, and seamless mobile experiences for dealership success.
• Automate & Increase Efficiency See how our Marketing Technology solutions can generate Thousands of dollars in savings for your dealership or dealer group.
• – Analyze Performance & ROI Analyze product and market performance with data you can trust. Powered by GA4.
• Meet Compliance Requirements Compliance solutions to keep your dealership or dealer group ahead of ever-changing privacy and accessibility laws.
• – Don’t See Your OEM? Happy Hao Car provides websites, SEO, and digital advertising to all vehicle OEMs. REACH OUT
• – Product Updates The latest digital marketing innovations driving extraordinary results for your dealership.
• – Happy Hao Car Webinars Get expert advice on how to get the most out of your dealership’s digital marketing efforts.
• – Read the Blog Explore our blog for news, tips, and insights. Discover articles providing valuable information to enhance your marketing strategies.
• – An Award Winning Company We offer an unwavering commitment to top-converting websites, premier automotive SEO, and exceptional digital marketing has earned us industry recognition.
• Leadership The leadership team is composed of digital and automotive experts with extensive experience. They drive our mission to serve the automotive industry with dedication.
• – Why We Are Different Experience the Happy Hao Car difference – increased car sales, exceptional service, and 99% customer satisfaction.
• Join the Team Join our dynamic team providing cutting-edge online marketing solutions to automotive dealerships across the Americas.
• – Testimonials Read about the great success our clients have experienced with Happy Hao Car.
• – Third Party Partners OnMarketplace creates a large ecosystem of vetted partner applications which can be added quickly and easily to a dealer’s website to maximize site impact and effectiveness.
• – Partner Standards Learn about the standards required along with the key business value delivered by Happy Hao Car and each of our trusted third-party partners.