Learn How We Grew Performance Drive's Organic Traffic By 20% In 1 Month

News publisher SEO campaign case study

SEO campaign goals

Increase Ad Revenue
Increase organic traffic
Increase time onsite
Increase subscribers

1: Increase time onsite

2: Increase organic traffic volume

3: Increase Advertising revenue

4: Increase email subscribers

Industry Insights: Automotive News Publishing in Australia

The online automotive media industry in Australia plays a key role in influencing consumer car-buying decisions, with millions of Australians researching reviews, comparisons, and news updates before making a purchase. As the shift from print to digital media accelerates, publishers like PerformanceDrive.com.au are positioned at the centre of this transformation — offering fast, accessible, and trusted information for car enthusiasts and buyers alike.

Industry Revenue

The broader digital publishing and media sector in Australia generates over $3 billion annually, with a significant share attributed to niche publications like automotive news sites. Revenue sources typically include advertising (programmatic, direct-sold, affiliate), sponsorships, branded content, and lead generation partnerships with car dealerships and manufacturers.

Number of Competing Publishers

Australia has approximately 300 to 500 active automotive media outlets, ranging from large-scale players like CarAdvice, Drive, and CarsGuide to independent review sites and YouTube channels. The landscape is competitive, but there is strong demand for trustworthy, fast, and regularly updated content — particularly from publishers that can blend editorial credibility with SEO performance.

Employment Figures

The digital publishing sector employs roughly 9,000–12,000 people across Australia. Within the automotive vertical, this includes journalists, editors, videographers, SEO specialists, ad sales managers, and digital marketing staff — many of whom operate within lean, high-output teams or freelance models.

Key Industry Trend

Digital-First Consumption: Over 85% of Australian car buyers research online before visiting a dealership, with reviews and comparisons among the top content types consumed.
Mobile & Video Dominance: Mobile traffic accounts for the majority of visits, and demand for video reviews and car feature walkarounds continues to grow.
Affiliate & Lead Gen Models: Publishers are increasingly monetising through lead referrals to dealerships, finance providers, and insurance platforms.
Search Engine Visibility: Google remains the primary traffic source for most automotive publishers, making national SEO a critical factor for sustainable audience growth.

Opportunities in SEO

Given the high commercial intent behind many car-related searches (e.g. “best SUVs” or “Toyota Corolla review”), SEO offers a major competitive advantage. Publishers that consistently produce well-optimised, timely, and technically sound content can dominate search rankings and attract valuable, recurring traffic. With the right SEO infrastructure, even lean media teams can compete with legacy brands and establish authority at a national level.

Campaign overview

Who was the client?

PerformanceDrive.com.au was founded in 2011 by motoring enthusiast Brett Davis. What began as a personal passion project quickly evolved into a full-time venture, driven by Brett’s deep interest in high-performance, luxury, and sports vehicles.

The site has built a reputation for providing authentic, hands-on car reviews. Each vehicle is personally tested to deliver unbiased insights into handling, comfort, fuel efficiency, and engine performance — offering readers real-world evaluations they can trust.

What was their problem?

Since launching in 2011, the PerformanceDrive.com.au team had grown, and founder Brett Davis was focused on transforming the site into a consistently profitable business. However, website traffic had plateaued for over a year, limiting revenue growth and brand visibility. The challenge was clear: how could we reignite traffic growth to increase advertising revenue and attract larger automotive brands to invest in premium banner sponsorships?

Our solution

We focused on improving content quality by publishing more newsworthy, shareable, and authoritative articles. The site was made mobile-responsive to enhance user experience and optimised for Google News inclusion, followed by a formal submission. To support revenue growth, we added calls-to-action across key pages to grow the email subscriber list and increase engagement.

Why this solution?

This approach was chosen because it offered the fastest, most cost-effective way to boost search engine traffic. The site’s structure made it well-suited for Google News inclusion with only minimal adjustments. Updating to a mobile-responsive design was also essential, as over 40% of the site’s traffic came from mobile users — making improved accessibility and user experience a key priority.

Solution compounding effect

Each improvement we made reinforced the next. As content quality and frequency increased, so did the number of pages indexed and ranked by search engines. Inclusion in Google News amplified visibility, driving spikes in traffic with every new article published. The mobile-responsive upgrade improved user engagement and time on site, further boosting SEO performance. Growing the subscriber list allowed PerformanceDrive to build a loyal audience base — turning one-time visitors into repeat readers and creating a sustainable cycle of traffic, engagement, and revenue growth.