Building Search Authority in Car Leasing with Digital PR for Autotrader
From used-car favourite to leasing champion in search results and AI answers
Autotrader is best known for used cars, but leasing was a different story. When we were tasked to support Autotrader’s leasing offer in 2023, the brand was facing competition in a highly crowded market, with a product that was still fairly new to its portfolio. Specialist brokers and comparison sites already had a major head start in leasing, however, over the next three years, our Digital PR team earned coverage, hyper-relevant brand mentions and links that helped Autotrader climb to the top of search results for the biggest leasing terms. Autotrader is now also a name multiple AI tools surface when people ask where to find a leasing deals in the UK.
What we did
Data-led campaigns
Expert spokespeople
AI visibility tracking
Press Office
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increase in leasing search visibility
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increase in branded “Autotrader leasing” searches
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links to leasing pages
The challenge
Leasing is one of the most competitive spaces in UK motoring search. Autotrader was up against established leasing specialists that are highly active in Digital PR, as well as comparison sites moving into the rankings. To compete, Autotrader needed more than a strong domain. It needed relevant, authoritative content and coverage that explicitly positioned them as a leasing expert. That coverage also had to reach its core leasing audience of salaried professionals, in a news cycle where reporters are being stretched thinner than ever.
Our approach
We combined data-led creative campaigns with a consistent press office output, building links directly to Autotrader’s leasing category page. Stories leaned into lifestyle and personal-finance angles, which let us reach readers beyond motoring titles, and across national news, lifestyle and finance publications. Autotrader’s own motoring experts gave journalists credible, real spokespeople at a time when publications are cracking down on fake expert commentary. Alongside traditional search metrics, we used Ebb, Propellernet’s AI visibility tool, to track how Autotrader appeared in AI-generated answers to leasing questions.
The impact
Autotrader now ranks first for high-volume terms including “lease cars” and “lease car deals”. It also ranks second for “car leasing”, the biggest term in the category. In our final year, 43% of leasing coverage explicitly positioned Autotrader as a leasing expert. That kind of relevance matters for AI search as much as for Google. When ChatGPT is asked for the best car leasing websites, Autotrader Leasing now appears among its recommendations, despite the brand having far less leasing heritage than its rivals.
"We were thoroughly impressed by Propellernet's understanding of our requirements and objectives, showcased through their compelling strategies and creative ideas during their pitch. We achieved notable milestones and a meaningful partnership"
