Toyota Struggles with Search Traffic in Saudi
Challenge
Toyota had a strong presence in Saudi Arabia, but cultural nicknames for its models were more popular than official names. With over 80% of searches using these nicknames, Google failed to recognize them as Toyota-related, leading potential buyers to unauthorized dealer pages instead of Toyota’s official website. With no media budget, Toyota needed a smart, cost-free way to realign search traffic.
Toyota Redirects Traffic Using Nicknames
Solution
Unable to integrate these nicknames into its website, Toyota leveraged search behavior instead. By embedding cultural nicknames as anchor tags in high-ranking third-party content, it redirected lost buyers to its official site – without spending a dollar. This innovative approach transformed a search challenge into a business advantage, proving that strategic thinking can drive impact without a big budget.
Results
"The biggest challenge wasn’t just optimizing Toyota’s website, it was watching other websites dominate nickname keywords that we couldn’t use on the official site. And since we couldn’t implement these keywords on our official website, we had to think creatively. Off-page SEO became our playground, weaving these local terms into our backlink strategy to reclaim our rightful spot."
SEO Manager
Serviceplan Experience
"We always knew Toyota’s had nicknames in KSA. But realising they were costing us sales was an eye-opener. Once the SEO team came to us with this brilliant insight, we did what any good creative would do: Let them work their magic, then slip a quote into the PR like you actually contributed."
Creative Director
Serviceplan Experience
