Digital Marketing Strategies
One of the most crucial strategies you can implement for your website is SEO (Search Engine Optimization), but ranking on Google is becoming increasingly challenging. While this is true for all businesses, automobile dealerships are probably among the most complex. Today’s buyers, regardless of the product, conduct a significant portion of their research online before visiting a physical store, if they do at all.
However, automobile dealerships are more complex than the average local businesses, which means their digital marketing strategies are also more complex.
Why?
Firstly, dealerships often sell vehicles from multiple different manufacturers. They also sell a wide variety of used vehicles from even more manufacturers. Additionally, they have a service department that offers maintenance, repairs, and detailing. Finally, most of them (if not all) offer financing services for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd credit chances.
So, an automobile dealership is essentially like four businesses in one: they sell new vehicles, used vehicles, provide maintenance, and offer financing to their customers.
This means that your SEO strategy also needs to be multidimensional. Moreover, some dealerships have multiple locations and perhaps different websites for each location. So, if you want to do SEO for your automobile dealership (which you must do to remain competitive), you need to consider all these elements.
Now that the ‘why’ is established, what are the recommended search optimization strategies you should use?
Here are our Nerd recommendations:
- Google My Business
- Google My Business has a direct correlation with local SEO—especially when it comes to appearing in Google’s Local Pack. An important factor with Google My Business is to ensure that the information is up to date and contains details that people searching on Google will find useful.
This is particularly crucial for highly competitive markets, especially when only a few businesses appear on the first page of search results.
Here are some key features of Google My Business to make the most of:
- Name, Address, and Phone Number
- Ensure all your information and contact details are up to date and written exactly the same way on every directory you’re listed in. Also, crucially, make sure your LOCAL regional phone number is the one featured prominently in your listing.
Categories
Google My Business allows you to select categories to describe what your dealership offers. These categories help you reach potential customers looking for what your dealership provides. You can select a primary category and additional categories, but don’t overdo it.
Photos
Google uses engagement with photos on Google My Business to rank businesses in local search. Show photos of the vehicles you have on the lot and update them regularly. Ask your satisfied customers if you can take a photo of them with their new vehicle and display it on Google My Business (and your other social media platforms). With a consent form, it’s even better.
Videos
Google recently allowed businesses to upload short videos to their Google My Business listing. Videos are the best way to show what sets you apart from others. If this option is not yet available for your business, don’t worry; Google often tests features before making them accessible to everyone. So, be patient and check back in a few weeks.
Reviews
Online reviews are crucial when someone is looking for a new vehicle and trying to find the right dealership to buy from. Very important: Ask your satisfied customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing and/or your social media pages. Respond to all reviews you receive, both good and bad. This shows that you care about your customers.
Questions and Answers
The Google My Business Q&A feature has been around for several months, but many businesses still don’t know about it or understand why it exists. Check your listing regularly for questions about your dealership and respond promptly with the correct answer.
Other Recommended Strategies
Online Directories (especially automotive directories)
Several online directories appear on the first page of Google results, so it’s essential to list your dealership there. The more often you appear in directories (especially automotive ones), the more Google will recognize the significance of your business.
Note: Sign up mainly for directories dedicated to automobiles because Google will associate you with this category in the long run rather than something more general. To rank well in search results, you need to be in the right category according to the search engine. You can still register on popular sites like Yellow Pages or Yelp.
Online Reviews
Just like reviews on your Google My Business listing, online reviews are essential. If your dealership has bad reviews, people are less likely to trust you. If a customer has a negative experience with your dealership, there’s a very high chance they will leave a review. Whether it’s a good or bad review, you must respond to all of them. NOTE: Some available software allows you to publish only positive reviews. Google no longer approves of this practice, so be honest and accept that you will sometimes receive negative reviews. What matters is how you handle them.
Keywords
Selecting the right keywords has always been part of SEO. In short, you need to choose keywords that have a high search frequency and are directly related to the content of your website. Choose key phrases that potential buyers use when searching for cars and services you offer.
Optimize Images
Google recognizes text associated with images on your site. This text is called ‘alt title’ and ‘alt description.’ So, to remain consistent with your SEO, you must provide text for your images.
According to Google, searches for ‘[automaker] car photos’ are up 37% year-over-year. This means that when you upload multiple photos of cars for sale, you can include the words ‘photos of’ and the brand and model name.
Optimize for Local Searches
This is often challenging to implement at car dealerships, but when done correctly, it yields significant results.
Local connections are important for local SEO, of course, but also for the trust the community places in you and the support you give back. Establish a link on at least one of your site’s pages that relates to what’s happening in your local area. Additionally, you can create links to various charitable organizations and ask them to link back to your site in return. It’s local backlinking at its best!