From invisible to daily inquiries – the digital transformation of Auto Winkler

Auto Winkler is an owner-operated car dealership with an extensive vehicle inventory—and a website that simply didn't do it justice.

The site was slow, barely registered on Google, and generated almost zero inquiries. On top of that: no functional analytics, a broken cookie banner that blocked crucial services like Google Maps, and absolutely no way for customers to view the current vehicle inventory online.

The owner, Mr. Winkler, managed his inventory on Mobile.de, but none of it was visible on his own website. Making manual updates was so technically cumbersome that a digital vehicle portfolio was practically impossible.

The Solution: A Complete Website Rework

SMI-Digital reimagined the website from the ground up. The main focus was a clean, intuitive User Experience: visitors should quickly find what they are looking for and be able to get in touch instantly. On the technical side, performance was heavily optimized, and a GDPR-compliant cookie banner—hosted on SMI's own servers in Nuremberg—was integrated, allowing for the flawless implementation of Google Maps and Google Analytics.

The centerpiece of the project was the new vehicle portal. Customers can now browse Auto Winkler's entire inventory directly on the website, apply filters, and send an inquiry for a specific vehicle if interested.

The game-changer: The inventory syncs fully automatically with Mobile.de.

Mr. Winkler maintains a single source of truth—the rest happens automatically. No extra work, no double data entry.

The Result: An Immediate Impact

The results were noticeable sooner than expected. Within the first three months, Google impressions doubled. And almost every day, customers ask Mr. Winkler about vehicles they previously discovered on his website.

"Thanks to the SMI team, my website has become much more efficient and faster, and we’re seeing a significant boost in impressions and leads. Since the overhaul, customers can view my stock online with smart filtering options. - Absolutely fantastic!"

- Clint Winkler, CEO Auto Winkler.com Car Trading GmbH