AUTO Trader has made changes to its search algorithm to prioritise relevance for a user’s search. The updates have been rolled-out following testing, which showed that 10% more leads would be created than when price was given a priority over relevance.
Other elements such as website clicks, and map & location views performed better, as well as account ‘saves’. Auto Trader has said that the new search algorithm will not affect paid promotion products. These will retain their positions as they are operated separately to the company’s regular search results.
Changes will only affect cars, and users can still order searches by price, alongside a number of other sort types. Results are produced using Auto Trader’s machine-learning system, which analyses 4,500 searches each minute on the marketplace from its 49 million monthly visitors.
Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader director of commercial products, said: “All of our research shows retailers that price to market from day one enjoy a faster speed of sale, which means they’re selling more cars, more quickly, and for more profit.
“We’re committed to making the car buying experience easier for consumers and in the process providing our customers with the very best marketplace to sell their cars. By showing relevant results and useful information upfront to car buyers, we’re delivering retailers with more meaningful connections earlier in the process.”
