Vegas is always a whirlwind, but this year’s NADA Show was different. It wasn’t just about the newest shiny objects in the Expo Hall; it was about a fundamental shift in how we approach dealership operations and digital strategy.

Between the 650+ exhibitors and 800,000 square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the noise was loud. But if you looked closely at the sessions on AI and SEO, the signal was clear: The winners of 2026 won’t be the ones with the most tools, they’ll be the ones with the best processes.

Here are my top four takeaways from the show:

1. AI is an Accelerator, Not a Fixer

We spent a lot of time in the super sessions discussing whether AI is a disruption or an advantage. The truth? It’s both. But here is the reality check: AI will not fix a broken process. If your lead follow-up is inconsistent, AI will just help you be inconsistent at scale. For us in the agency world and for you on the showroom floor, the goal should be finding “teammate” AI, tools that eliminate repetitive tasks (like writing VDP descriptions or handling initial service inquiries) so your people can actually focus on the human side of the sale.

• The Move: Perform a process audit before you buy the tech. Identify the friction points and use AI to grease the wheels, not replace the engine.

2. The “New” SEO: Authority Over AI-Content

There is a lot of “SEO is dead” talk with the rise of AI search, but the data I saw at NADA proves otherwise. Top-ranked dealers are still pulling massive amounts of organic traffic for free, while competitors are spending thousands just to keep up on the paid side.

The game has changed, though. AI-generated content and stock photos are becoming invisible to search engines.

• The Move: Lean into authenticity. Use real photos of your team and your inventory. Create high-quality, topic-specific content that answers the specific questions your customers are actually asking. Genuine SEO is still the best ROI in the building.

3. Cybersecurity is Now a Growth Strategy

One of the most sobering deep dives was on AI-driven ransomware. The automotive industry is a massive target right now. We aren’t just talking about “bad passwords” anymore; we’re talking about sophisticated AI scrapers that can find a hole in your network in seconds.

• The Move: Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT expense; it’s about protecting your revenue. Recovery costs can be astronomical. It’s time to move toward AI-driven security that can spot an anomaly before the encryption starts.

4. GA4: Stop Chasing Sessions, Start Measuring Outcomes

We had some great “Real Talk” about digital retailing and GA4. Too many dealers are still drowning in “sessions” and “clicks.” Those are vanity metrics.

• The Move: We need to hold our vendors and our marketing accountable to Key Events. Link your GA4, Google Ads, and GBP. If you can’t see the ratio of key events (like trade-in completions or credit apps) per unique session, you’re flying blind. Standardize your tracking so you can identify if a performance gap is a marketing problem or a people/process problem.

The Bottom Line

Whether it was watching the F1 simulators at the Grand Prix Plaza or sitting in the “Power Pit,” the energy this year was about moving forward.

My advice for 2026? Don’t try to do everything. Pick one revenue or service area, audit the current process, and find the right tech to give you a market share advantage.

Were you in Vegas this year? I’d love to hear what hit home for you. Let’s grab a coffee and talk shop.