[Auto Edition] Nested Case Study: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram

Introduction

Simply by nesting its internal departments on Google, Safford Brown CDJR Sterling added 343 driving directions in the first full month. By giving each department its own optimized profile, the dealership expanded visibility for high-intent searches — without reducing engagement on the main listing.

Client Background

Safford Brown CDJR Sterling is a full-service dealership located in Ashburn, VA, offering new and used vehicles, financing, service, parts, and more. With multiple departments competing for attention online, the dealership wanted a solution that ensured each department was easily discoverable in niche searches (e.g., “tires near me” and “oil change”), while maintaining strong performance on the main profile.

Objectives

• Increase high-intent search visibility for each department.
  
  
• Drive more in-store visits, as indicated by driving direction requests.
  
  
• Maintain engagement and traffic on the main dealership profile.
  
  
• Provide measurable, repeatable results for future campaigns.
  
  

Timeline

Baseline

Prior to implementing nested departments, the dealership’s driving directions came solely from the main listing. At that time, only the sales department had an active listing (some dealerships also maintain separate service and parts listings).

Driving Directions Metrics (Sales Department Only):

• Monthly Average: 569 driving directions

• Total Requests: 1,381 (from June 1 to August 13)

The Foot Traffic Report analysis confirmed relatively flat growth, with no major increases in intent-driven searches prior to nesting.

The Experiment

1. Nested Departments Setup – Separate Google Business Profiles were created for the Service department, Parts, Tire Center, Oil Change Service, Brake Shop, Transmission Shop,  and Auto Air Conditioning Repair, and we connected them under the main Safford Brown CDJR Sterling listing.
   
   
2. Profile Optimization – Each department was created with optimized categories, business description, attributes/services, and more.
   
   
3. Content Updates – New photos and posts were added for each department to improve engagement and freshness.
   
   
4. Review Engagement – Responses to customer reviews enhanced trust signals and local search relevance.
   
   

The full setup was completed in just five days, making implementation fast and efficient.

Methodology

To measure the impact, we compared pre- and post-nesting metrics using:

• Driving direction requests as the primary KPI, indicating the most important metric, customers’ intent to visit.
  
  
• Foot Traffic Report data to visualize trends and total engagement.
  
  
• Department-level breakdowns ensured no interference to the main profile’s traffic.

Results

The experiment began in mid-August, and within just five days, a noticeable lift in driving directions was already evident. Despite starting on August 14, the dealership gained an additional 98 directions in that partial month. In the first full month after implementing nested departments, driving directions increased significantly: building on the 557 directions from the existing sales profile, we observed:

• Sales: +1 driving directions
  
  
• Service: +35 driving directions
  
  
• Parts: +70 driving directions
  
  
• Tire Shop: +57 driving directions
  
  
• Auto Air: +27 driving directions
  
  
• Break Shop: +48 driving directions
  
  
• Transmission: +54 driving directions
  
  
• Oil Change: +51 driving directions
  
  
  
• Overall: +343 driving directions across all newly created and nested departments
  
  • That is a 61% increase in the first full month.

• Expanded Driving Directions: Safford Brown CDJR Sterling saw an additional +828 driving directions between 8/14 and 11/10 from their new listings alone.
  
  
• Average Foot Traffic Increase: +29% across all locations

Each department captured additional searches, demonstrating that nested listings can expand visibility and engagement without affecting the main dealership profile.

Key Takeaways

• Nested departments significantly improve visibility for department-specific searches.
  
  
• Driving directions serve as a strong signal for potential in-store visits.
  
  
• Setup is fast, simple, and repeatable across multiple locations and industries.
  
  
• Main profile traffic remains intact while each department captures incremental reach.
  
  
• This enhanced performance will be retained, month after month.

Next Steps

• Want your locations nested? Our team can implement this across multiple industries.