15 posts tagged “seo”
Search engine optimization has been a thorn to many manufacturers. They want their stores to be ranked for generic searches such as New Car Dealers Springfield or New Trucks in Oklahoma City, but they don't want them to compete into each other's market area.
What has been pushed for a long time - competing with other dealers of the same make - may be coming to an end for some brands, particularly imports. Honda has started restricting what dealers can put on their websites. They don't want them straying away from their market areas. They don't mind a Honda dealership ranking well for Used Cars Shreveport or Used Cars Minneapolis, but when it comes to their brands, they want you to stay close to home.
It even goes into their other products such as service and parts. Toyota Service Minneapolis is a no-no as a keyword for a dealership outside of that market area. This makes it tough for dealers whose market area is lightly populated. Take Griffith Toyota, for example. They are in Oregon, but they are outside of the Portland Toyota Dealers market area and soon, it's possible that they won't be able to mention Portland on their website.
Same holds true for First Honda, who is 40 miles north of Los Angeles. It would be nice to rank for Los Angeles Honda Dealers where they would be able to pull thousands of visitors, but it is difficult with the current rules. Even someone to the south like Orange County Toyota Dealers would love to rank in LA. The question is - will they be allowed?
While all of this makes it harder for car dealers to get ahead of their competition, the manufacturers are seeing it as a negative. What they fail to realize is that, with record-low sales of new cars, competition is a good thing. Chances are strong that a dealership savvy enough to know the value of SEO and that is willing to invest in it is probably the type of dealer that should be getting the traffic. They are more likely to understand what it takes to sell a car in today's market.
Selling them short will be a big mistake.
Read more automotive SEO advice on this blog.
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.
Sometimes, finding the best resources to use for a given task is more challenging than performing the task itself. In the case of search engine optimization, especially for the automotive industry, this is ever so true.
First, here's a video that will describe what we do and how we do it in the realm of automotive seo:
Sometimes, the best advice is a quick read away. Here are some articles that will help you in your quest for the ultimate in search engine optimization for car dealers.
This "oldie but a goodie" from PromotionWorld was once the highlighted story on the front page. Since then, it has been viewed over 2500 times by people interested in the Myths Surrounding Automotive SEO. In it, you will learn some of the tactics that various vendors use to promote their products or downplay the products of others.
This, too, is an older one, but all of it still applies. Things can get ugly in car dealer SEO, and this article points out some of the things that make it bad sometimes. Don't worry - we only practice the good stuff here.
For a more basic overview, here are some automotive SEO FAQs. This is very basic stuff, but hey, you have to start somewhere.
Microsites are starting to pop up everywhere. This article that talks about SEO for Automotive Microsites is a quick but informative read.
Sometimes, it isn't how you optimize but for which keywords you optimize. When picking out automotive keywords, having a strong Car Dealer SEO keyword strategy can be the first step to driving the right traffic to your site.
Looking for more basics? Why not start with this article about automotive SEO basics? It just makes sense, right?
Sometimes, SEO is not the complete package. This article that goes into detail about general Automotive Internet Marketing talks about the other aspects beyond SEO that can drive visitors to site and help turn them into leads (and eventually sales).
There is so much more that needs to be said, but this is a good start. By the time you're done reading them, there will probably be more listed here. If not, check out the other articles on this automotive seo blog. See you around!
Everyone has an opinion. Which is better, SEO or SEM? Some say search engine optimization is the way to go, getting great rankings on the natural listings of searches. Others say being at the very top through the paid search sponsored results will get more leads.
The real answer is, “Yes”.
In today’s extremely competitive automotive internet marketing world, it pays to invest in both SEO and SEM. The ever-so-important factor is in finding the right company who understands the car business, understands the car buyers, understands the dealer’s website, and knows how to position both SEO and SEM properly.
They are not competing disciplines and should work in conjunction with each other. SEO takes time, so if a website isn’t optimized already, it is imperative with any launch to have some sort of search engine presence. PPC marketing is the best and fastest way to achieve this.
Once the website is found on the search engines, a lower budget for search marketing may be in order. Some dealers choose to never pull the SEM plug, as a lead through PPC marketing often costs under $10. Compared to 3rd party lead providers, this is dirt cheap, even less than half of what dealers pay for their 3rd party leads.
Just look at the lead providers themselves. How do they do it? They create sponsored ads, micro-sites, and portals to draw the customer in. Then, they start a PPC campaign. If they are paying $6-$10 per lead, it makes sense for them to charge the dealer over $20. Why? Because so many dealers will pay it.
So where does that leave SEO? If SEM will get cheap leads, what can SEO do? Optimizing a website to place at the top of the search engine results pages under the natural listings will get more leads for cheaper.
On average, 60% of internet shoppers and researchers will click on the natural listings if they are not looking for a specific website. While it takes longer to get ranked on the organic search, it can be more rewarding. Also, the investment is normally lower in the long run.
Many firms operate under the assumption that SEO and SEM are competing markets. It’s the few who do both (and do them well) that truly understand what making the most out of search engines really means.
UPDATE
There has been a disagreement recently between dealer.com and Paul Rushing over whether or not search engine optimization can be used for quick rankings. As a proof of concept, Rushing posted an article about Dealer.com Search Engine Optimization vs SEO. That was this morning. Within two hours, it was ranked #1 on Google for "Dealer.com Search Engine Marketing" as well as being ranked on the front page of Google for several other searches. While we respect both Dealer.com and Paul Rushing, this is one that can definitely be chalked up as a victory for Rushing.
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
If you have an hour and you are wanting to create and optimize a blog for your dealership, this is a must-see. Keep in mind, this is advanced stuff. If you do not already have the basics of blogging down, this video will probably not help.
Car dealers really need blogs. So few have them, and even fewer understand that they help on so many different levels. I will post again soon about this, but for now, if your dealer does not have a blog, please either make one, hire someone who can, or post a message here and I can help.
Two new words are emerging in the English language and spreading across the world like the Macarena. Okay, that was a slight exaggeration, but I want to introduce these two search engine optimization terms to you nonetheless.
Glinks refers to Google’s love of links. Earlier this year, I tested an established website that had under 25 words of content and no meta tags on the front page. Its title tag was a single word, the name of the company, and there was no way for a spider or bot to determine what the page was about.
In a month and a half of concentrated, advanced link building, I took the site to the front page of several medium-competition terms (1,000-50,000 monthly searches) and achieved #1 ranking for several of those terms. MSN gave the website even stronger results.
After two months, the results stuck. On Yahoo!, the website was nowhere to be found.
The website had three major assets working in its favor before I started building links. The domain had been live and registered to the same company since 1998. The registration was held until 2014. Finally, while it only had 3 inbound links, 1 of those links was a PR7 .edu homepage link.
Simultaneously, I ran a similar test with another website. It, too, was aged, had only a couple of links that were strong, and didn’t have content or tags until I touched it. I proceeded to load it with content, throw in appropriate tags, and worked on the internal linking. No inbound links were created.
After 2 months, it was at the top of its keywords on Yahoo!. It was nowhere to be found on Google or MSN.
Glinks and Yontent. Most good SEOs are familiar with this. For those who weren’t, here you go.
This article brought to you by the automotive marketing team for Hollywood Honda, Los Angeles Kia, and Glendale Nissan. In California, buying an import car, truck, or SUV is the best way to go.
Perhaps more importantly, this article brought to you by those who don't like seeing poor SEO tactics (other than those who are competitors.
Rather than repost the article here, I figured I would just link to this other automotive SEO blog that I do to offer a strange, obscure look into the underlying cause for search engine optimization in the car business being so hard.
The gist is that they don't understand the benefits and requirements to get it to work. Because search engine optimization on a proper level is often more expensive than the website itself, it is viewed on the same scale and is therefore dismissed because it is too expensive. What dealers don't understand is that sometimes, marketing a product costs more than producing a product.
Despite it's many uses as a lead generator and inventory aggregator, a dealer website is actually a product that they sell. True, they sell it for free in hopes of its presence being useful in selling their primary product -- cars -- but it is a product nonetheless.
You have to market products to be able to sell them. To "sell" the website to the customers as a free resource that they can use to solve many of their automotive needs and answer some of their automotive questions, a dealer must use the marketing that SEO and SEM provide.
Few do.
Read the complete article by clicking on SEO for Car Dealers.
Auto Dealer Search Engine Optimization
