How Automotive SEO Really Works - It's the Links!
With so many automotive search engine optimization firms out there selling their products and with a lack of available knowledge about how automotive SEO really works, it has become very difficult for car dealers to know the difference between a true search engine optimization company and one that is selling a cheap product.
First off, let me say that price doesn't say a whole lot. Sometimes, the best services are inexpensive and the worthless ones are very expensive.
With that out of the way, let's discuss what accounts for arguably 80% of the real value, the true "juice" in search engine optimization. It's all about the links. There's no question. It's not even an argument.
Properly formatted links from automotive-related, well-established sites -- those are the real ticket to search engine success. For example, a link that says Used Cars New Hampshire is helping to rank the target site for that term. Sure, the content, tags, and linking structure internally have an effect, but that's the easy part. The things that are done on the site are set up and let go from the beginning with occasional tweaks. In the whole scheme of things, it only accounts for 20% of what search engines look for.
No, search engines want inbound links form outside sites. They want to see properly written content such as this:
"When you are in Connecticut, the place to go for your next Acura would be the local Acura Dealers in Hartford where price and good customer service breed success."
That, in its basic form, is a portion of an article that will have more effect on the search engine rankings for this dealer than anything else they do on the site. By posting relevant and unique stories to blogs, article sites, and press release providers, you stand the best chance of moving up.
Format is important. If you want to rank for your brand in a particular city, you will use an anchor tag format that highlights the keyword as the link itself. For example, using other members of the same auto group, you would put links in an automotive story that would contextually include Dodge Dealers in Hartford, Hartford Saturn Dealers, Kia Dealers in Hartford, and Hartford Nissan Dealers in the text of the article.
For dealer groups, they may want to include their splash page in the mix. "For the largest selection of new and pre-owned automobiles in the area, visit Hartford New Car Dealers and find out how we make things happen for our customers.
That's it. There is nothing to it. Of course, it's the work that has been done of the months and years that truly makes the difference. Creating a blog today and starting to post links will have minimal effect becaue they have no history or relevance. They are not trusted yet by the search engines. You have to find a company that already has established a strong web presence across the board. The better they maintain their own web properties, the easier it will be for them to optimize your site.
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Read more automotive SEO articles on this blog.
