According to a study conducted by Cox Automotive, the average car buyer spends about 14 hours and 48 minutes shopping for a new vehicle. For most car buyers, the process begins with a search on the Internet and ends with them signing a contract. Car buyers spend an average of 60 percent of the time on the Internet researching specifications and getting a feel for which cars are available on the market.
Since consumers spend a large portion of the car buying process time on the Internet, it is essential that you optimize your dealership website. Here are top five car dealer SEO tips for 2019.
Why and How to Optimize Your Dealership Website
Search engine optimization refers to the process of boosting visibility in organic search results. When car buyers enter a query, the SEO helps to ensure that your website will rank highly in the search results. This is important because the top result in Google receives the largest share of traffic. Very few people go back the first or second page of the search results. Heed these five tips to optimize your dealership website for search visibility.
Choose Strategic Keywords
You can boost the search visibility of your dealership website significantly by choosing strategic keywords. Put yourself in the shoes of potential consumers and imagine what they are looking for when they turn to search engines like Google. Think about the type of cars (and related services) you offer to come up with relevant keywords. Not only should the keywords be relevant, but they should also have high search volumes. After all, there’s no point in ranking on the first page of the search results for a keyword that very few people search for.
Optimize Your Content and Copy
Once you’ve chosen a few good keywords, optimize the content on your website with these keywords. Be sure not to stuff your content with these keywords. Otherwise, Google will blacklist your website. Keyword stuffing also tends to have a negative impact on the quality of content. Just use these keywords naturally throughout the content and copy of your website. It is especially important that you use these keywords in titles, sub-headings, image tags, and meta-descriptions.
Take Advantage of Google My Business
One more way to optimize your dealership website for search visibility is Google My Business. Not only will this tool boost your website’s prominence in Google Search, but it will also increase its visibility in local search. Create a unique listing for your dealership in Google My Business. Your listing will appear every time someone searches for your dealership or for any dealerships in your local area. Be sure to keep the contact details and content in your listing updated. Your listing should include your name, address, phone number, photos, starred reviews, and a link to your dealership website.
Focus on Your Local Area
While many consumers conduct research on the Internet, most prefer to buy a vehicle in person. After all, it’s impossible to do a test drive of a vehicle on the Internet. Therefore, you should make local SEO a priority. When looking for keywords for optimizing your content, you should focus on city-specific keywords. For example, instead of using the keyword “where to buy SUV”, you should use the keyword “where to buy SUV in Orlando”. If you have multiple dealerships, consider creating different pages (or even different websites) for each dealership location. It’s also a good idea to offer specials for local residents.
Ask for Reviews
The next thing that you should do is ask for reviews from past customers. As potential consumers start the car buying process, they are more likely to trust past customers over your advertisements. Therefore, you should focus on getting positive reviews and testimonies from your past customers. Not only should you ask satisfied customers to leave reviews on Google My Business, but you can also ask them to leave reviews on Yelp, Facebook, and similar websites. Send personalized emails and consider offering an incentive for leaving a review. Some examples of incentives include detailing or a free oil change. Include a link to make it easier for your customers to leave a review.
Search engine optimization is more competitive than ever. If you want really impressive proof in numbers – just check comprehensive Porsche vs Ferrari dealership SEO research by DesigningIT. If you want your dealership to succeed against intense competition, it is essential that you keep the five SEO tips discussed above in mind. In fact, search engine optimization should always be on the forefront of your mind.
