5 posts tagged “car dealers”
I've made people angry. They go to this blog, get some advice, and then they have to search around to find me and they can't! A good SEO, I am. A good self marketer, I am not. There is not a place on this site to contact me for a quote!
I am terrified by spam bots. They search the internet, looking for pages, finding emails, flooding them with spam. I hate spam. It makes reading emails a truly annoying sometimes. Nevertheless, reducing the annoyance level of potential clients is more important to me than avoiding a little spam, so here it is: jrucker@tkcarsites.com. If you prefer the good old-fashioned phone, 949-310-1727 - leave a message and I'll get back with you very quickly.
We do search engine optimization, search engine marketing, blog marketing, and social media marketing. Lots of marketing. Just tell me what you are wanting to accomplish and I will email you a proposal. No obligations, yadayadayada. Simple.
Talk to you soon!
jr
When car dealers ask how to improve their internet presence, they are normally looking for a simple answer. The simple answer is that there is no simple answer, that each dealership and market is completely different from the rest, and that the cost of marketing on the internet depends on so many factors, it cannot be generalized.
With that said, there are four points that should be considered when putting together an internet marketing campaign. Are there more? Of course! But the four listed below should be the primary methods that a car dealer uses to improve their internet sales.
Two things need to be assumed before continuing. First, the dealership's website needs to be top-notch. Second, they must be willing to spend money. Too often, I see dealers shell out tens of thousands of dollars a month, then balk at a couple of thousand to spend on internet marketing that will actually yield more sales. It could be an ego thing, or it may be just old-school prejudice against the internet, but either way, a successful car dealership that wants to continue to succeed into the next few years needs to loosen the straps on the cash bag (or simply redirect wasteful spending on traditional advertising) and put out a real internet product.
1) Advanced Search Engine Optimization -- People use the search engines to find information about cars and the dealers that sell them. It's that simple. While most automotive website providers offer SEO services, they often do not have a program that really works for their people. It used to work, but it's way to competitive out there to rest on that. Find a good company to help.
2) Search Engine Marketing -- Despite what many say, pay per click marketing is not a waste of money. Even dealers who are at the top of the organic listings still need a strong SEM campaign. Why? Because a good portion of people still click on whatever is at the top, regardless of whether it is sponsored or organic. Being at the top of both is the best way to ensure that clicks are not missed.
3) Email Marketing -- This is butchered by 95% or more of the dealerships and website providers out there. Internet marketing should be real people who want the emails (previous customers, sign-ups, etc.). Spam is not acceptable, especially from car dealers. Also, the emails should be basic. Multimedia emails never make it to the inbox. If it cannot make it past the spam filters, it's useless. Finally, emails should come from a trusted source. The vast majority of the emails used by dealers, whether through their CRM tool or the OEM, or even from their own domain, are completely worthless. If you aren't getting 80% or more of your emails through, you're missing out.
4) Microsites -- It's the buzz word. Why? Because it flat out works. Brielfy, microsites are what the third-party lead providers like Autobytel and Dealix use to get the leads that they sell to dealers. An unbranded dealer microsite will yield the same results, but the leads will be exclusive and much less expensive.
Car dealers, please investigate and learn these things. Ask for more details on Automotive Microsites or call Jim at 949-310-1727 with questions on these products.
For the past couple of years, TK Carsites has been emerging as one of the top Automotive SEO firms in the United States. Their standard SEO for car dealers has helped hundreds to sell more cars.
In August, 2007, TK is launching their new Advanced Internet Marketing service for clients and non-clients alike. Through a new, enhanced Marketing Department, recent hires of top SEO professionals, and integrated technologies and techniques, TK Carsites has a stand-alone service that will complement their current efforts and bring in auto dealers hungry for the increased rankings.
Search engine optimization for car dealers is possibly the most competitive and unique niche in the optimization field. There are challenges facing automotive websites that combine for an extremely difficult task. Most optimization companies, automotive or not, are not equipped to handle the upcoming changes in the search engine algorithms.
By combining optimization, pay-per-click marketing, and blog marketing, TK Carsites Marketing Specialist Jim Rucker has plans to lift dealers to the top and solidify their positions.
"We have put two solid months of research into this," Rucker said. "Reading Google patents, testing resources, building networks -- it has yielded a strategy that goes so far beyond what anyone else is offering."
Costs will range from a la carte services around $200 per month to complete campaigns over $2,000 per month.
"Car dealers who have been looking into it will hear different numbers," he continued. "Some companies have nearly worthless programs that they sell in the hundreds that will not stand up to the changes coming. Solo SEO firms may quote thousands per month, not knowing the complexities that face automotive marketing now and more importantly in the near future."
The complete campaigns will include onsite SEO, traditional link-building, social media optimization, pay per click marketing, article marketing, online press releases, microsites, automotive networks, social bookmarking, and blog channels.
"We are working with professional automotive blog companies to offer our clients channel marketing, as well as blog shielding."
A new website, separate from their auto website design homepage, is being built and will be up by mid-September. For more information now, contact Jim Rucker at jrucker@tkcarsites.com or call 714-937-1239.
Search Engine Optimization Automotive
For car dealers, Grease is no longer the word. SEO is the word when it comes to buzz in the automotive industry.
As the market becomes exceedingly competitive, dealerships are forced into a battle with each other that goes beyond the standard price wars of the recent past. Positioning on Google and Yahoo! (and a little with MSN) can be the difference between getting deals and not even talking to customers.
People do their research online, especially in the automotive market. Most prefer to keep direct interaction with car dealers to a minimum, so more and more people are searching inventories, reviewing specials, and applying for car credit online. Being at the top of the search engine rankings is the key to success.
Still, search engine optimization remains a mystery to some. They know that they need it, but they don't know exactly how to get it. Many are listening to the "experts" in the field -- the automotive website design firms. This can be disastrous, as most have yet to understand the complexities of the monster that is automotive SEO.
Dealers can be susceptable to sales techniques that bring lesser known, lesser searched terms to the front of thought. As a result, many dealers are being wowed by poor techniques and inadequate service. Most companies are still operating with 2005 SEO tactics in mind.
It is important to have a company that is familiar with the newer terms, such as Universal Search, Social Marketing, and nofollow attributes. Most couldn't tell you a thing about these, yet their services are still high in cost and low in results.
Ask questions. Check references. A dealer like Washington DC Honda is able to place for search terms not only in their area, but in competitor's areas as well. Perhaps a better example is Mechanicsburg Ford. With 9 Ford dealers in a small metro area, it is important to place in town, around the area, and across the state.
While some companies are touting their ability to place for the long tail searches, dealers like Boston Toyota Dealers are able to place well for broader searches such as "Toyota Dealers" While that in itself does not create more leads, it is a good sign that the SEO is working properly on the optimization.
As always, the best advice I can give -- check references.
Car Dealer Network
After sitting in on several Content Gathering Sessions where auto dealers discuss what they want on their website as it is being created, I have come to a few conclusions.
Flashy
So far, only a handful of dealers care about what their website says. Bottom line, as most car dealers are "bottom liners", is that they really want the best looking websites in their market, while content is pretty much irrelevant.
There have been a handful of dealers who take complete control of their content, word for word, but generally, I would be surprised if they actually read any of the content. If the homepage is eye-catching, that's all that really matters. From a designer and an automotive search engine optimization point of view, this is ideal.
A great looking site the is considered cutting edge in the area of flash is Hollywood Honda Dealers. Having their inventory pop up immediately is a nice feature that many dealers are utilizing.
2005
Most dealers are trying to put content on their site that would have optimized it in 2004 or 2005. This is not their fault. Most automotive web design firms use antiquated methods to optimize their websites. SEO is such a dynamic artform that it takes too much research for car dealers and their designers to keep up to date.
Leads
Car dealers don't care what it takes, as long as they are getting leads. From an SEO and design point of view, this is also an ideal stance. Just as many dealership lots are poorly designed, so too would their websites be if they ha complete control of their websites. This isn't a knock against dealers -- they are in the business of selling cars, not architecture and website design.
Most research shows two different kinds of website viewers. There are the Z viewers who look at the top left, move their perspective to the right, then cut diagonally down to the bottom left and back over to the right. See Toledo Pontiac Dealers to see how this looks.
The other kind of standard viewer uses the F style. Top left to top right, then top left down to bottom left, then middle left to middle right. Albuquerque used cars is a perfect example of F-style format.
Either way, dealers will try to show as much as possible in the middle, but for true lead building, it is best to put the lead generating buttons to fit one of the two design structures.
Conclusions
Designing automotive websites is not rocket science. Dealers who go after a good look and feel but who utilize the expertise of their designers (assuming they have a good designer) is their best bet.
