RV Industry Fails to Meet Google’s Basic Website Performance Standards
Joe Montgomery January 6, 2025
Executive Summary
The North American Recreational Vehicle (RV) industry plays a crucial role in the economy, contributing $140 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supporting nearly 680,000 jobs and generating over $48 billion in wages, according to the RV Industry Association. It serves as a key indicator of economic health and consumer spending patterns. As shoppers increasingly conduct extensive online research before visiting dealerships or purchasing online, understanding how RV dealers and service providers are adapting to this behavioral shift is essential.
How are RV OEM brands and their dealers meeting consumer needs when it comes to the online shopping experience? How do the most sophisticated and well-funded dealer groups, often supported by top marketing consultants and agencies, approach the online consumer experience? How viable is the current website technology for meeting Google’s basic performance and experience standards? How well are RV businesses driving digital awareness and organic web traffic through strong SEO practices?
To answer these questions, Overfuel conducted its inaugural study of websites operated by RV businesses, SMB to Enterprise, in North America, including the RVBusiness list of “Top 50 Dealers (2024).” Overfuel examined publicly available Google Chrome User Experience Report data to assess whether a website’s mobile and desktop versions passed or failed Google’s Core Web Vitals Assessment in Origin Summary mode. Overfuel surveyed a total of 2,397 dealer and service provider websites in December 2024, and excluded any rental-only providers, RV parks, and commercial RV-only businesses. RV dealers were required to have at least one piece of inventory actively for sale and custom outfitters were actively taking orders. Any sites that triggered a security warning from Google Chrome were excluded.
What are Google Core Web Vitals and CrUX?
In May 2020, Google launched a new basic standard assessment for website performance and user experience: the Core Web Vitals Assessment (CWV). Websites are measured on both mobile and desktop devices.
CrUX is the official dataset of the Web Vitals program. All user-centric Core Web Vitals metrics are represented.
Chrome UX Report, Chrome for Developers, 2024
CrUX data is collected from real browsers around the world, based on certain browser options which determine user eligibility. A set of dimensions and metrics are collected which allow site owners to determine how users experience their sites.
The data collected by CrUX is available publicly through a number of Google tools and third-party tools and is used by Google Search to inform the page experience ranking factor.
With more than four years of the basic standard active, Overfuel examined the performance of the RV industry.
Failure to Meet Customer Needs
1,551 (64.7%) of the 2,397 sites audited had enough visitor data to allow Google to assess them. Of those 846 sites producing an assessment, 77.5% failed for mobile or desktop devices or both. Less than 23% of the dealer sites Overfuel audited passed Google’s CWV for mobile and/or desktop or one device, resulting in a lack of data to report.
The results place the RV industry in a much better position than the Top 50 U.S. automotive group data study performed by Overfuel in 2024, which revealed less than 1% of dealer websites passed Google’s basic standard. That said, quick action is recommended, with over three-quarters of sites audited failing consumers.
The failure of RV OEMs to ensure their dealer websites adhere to crucial website standards damages consumer trust while negatively impacting sales
Alex Griffis, CTO & President of Overfuel
and brand reputation.
Common issues causing website failure:
- Bloated website code from website vendors
- Under-resourced hosting infrastructure
- Third-party plugins, with chat plugins and cookie banners being the most common offenders
- Use of oversized images and videos
- Overuse of Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics containers
The Rewards of Passing Core Web Vitals
The analytics below are for an automotive dealer whose site failed CWV, then transitioned to Overfuel and passed CWV. The site launch date with Overfuel was July 4, 2023.
Most Third-Party Plugins in RV Create Performance Challenges
Some RV website vendors may possess the technical ability to deploy a site that passes CWV but can ultimately fail due to the third-party plugin requirements demanded by a GM, marketing lead, marketing consultant, or agency.
With increasing numbers of pandemic-era buyers ready to repurchase, high-performing dealer websites are important to unlocking future industry growth.
Phil Ingrassia, RVDA President
Full disclosure: Overfuel has dealer sites failing CWV because someone at the dealership is forcing the use of a third-party plugin, which breaks performance, against our recommendation.
Key Takeaways and Conclusions
The big 3 takeaways from the Overfuel study are as follows:
- RV manufacturers are approving and/or mandating consumer-facing dealer website technologies that overwhelmingly fail to meet Google’s CWV, often profiting from the sale of tech while hurting a dealer’s ability to sell vehicles.
- RV group leadership, store general managers and marketing leads, and most marketing consultants and agencies lack a general understanding of Google’s CWV and the negative impacts of failing the standard.
- While the performance of audited sites was overwhelmingly negative, the bigger issue is the vast amount of RV-related websites failing to receive enough traffic to qualify for an assessment.
The silver lining is the sheer amount of competitive advantage on the table, which could equate to unprecedented levels of converted consumers and topline revenue annually.
Alex Griffis, CTO & President of Overfuel
As significantly more consumers devote a meaningful portion of their RV shopping experience to online research or purchase, RV’s approach to website technology has reached a critical reflection point.
About Overfuel
For dealers seeking a competitive edge, our unique value lies in delivering websites that pass Google’s basic performance and user experience standard: Core Web Vitals. Our comprehensive SEO strategy goes beyond technical SEO, incorporating local-optimized content publishing, enhanced directory listings, Google Business Profile and Google Maps optimization, and review management to maximize local impact.
From day one, we’ve been dedicated to developing Google-performance-optimized replacements for outdated third-party plugins, and our commitment to innovation continues to drive us forward. Our UI/UX design is rigorously tested through ongoing heat mapping and behavioral analysis, ensuring an exceptional user experience for consumers.
Check out the Overfuel UI/UX case study featured by Microsoft Clarity (November 2023).