Auto Dealer SEO: Give Your Automotive Inventory Business New Direction
Auto Dealer SEO: Give Your Automotive Inventory Business New Direction
The online automotive marketing landscape is full of tough competition. Autotrader, Cars.com, eBay Motors, Craigslist are all stock full of competing dealerships hunting for the buyer. How can you set yourself apart from your local competitors? Almost none of them are using local search engine optimization. This is your ticket to a wide open field of opportunity.
What is local search engine optimization you may ask? Local SEO is focus on local listings, reputation management and ultimately showing your dealership listings in the top position when buyers search for vehicle information in your local market.
Here is a scenario: a buyer hops online and searches Google for a new Ford F-150 truck. Google knows which market they are in and serves them local listings. If your dealership has been local search engine optimized the buyer will see your dealership listing in a map view, your dealership as the top organic result with the vehicle they are searching for ("Ford F-150 truck"), a video listing of a Ford F-150 you have on the lot and further listings with positive reviews of your dealership.
How powerful is that? Owning a majority of the listings on a search engine is a reality for dealerships that focus on local SEO. The customer can only come to one conclusion; that your dealership is the place to buy from! Some local SEO areas to focus on are Google Places, review sites and organic search engine optimization.
Getting a listing with Google Places is step one. Make sure that your dealership name, address and phone number are correct. Here is a little tip; it is best to use a local number and not a 1-800 or 1-888 number. Having a listing here will allow your dealership to be searched for when a customer searches for keywords related to your auto dealership.
Review sites like Yelp, Angie's List and Google itself are an important first step for customers to look at before buying. It is important for your online reputation that you manage and ask for feedback here to boost your rankings. An important note about negative rankings. With any business, you may have some customers that weren't happy with your service. It is best to handle negative comments immediately and give your side of the story and offer to rectify the situation in a reasonable manner.
Local organic search engine optimization is best handled month-to-month by an SEO expert. They will look at your current website, listings, inventory and compare against the local competition. From this analysis they will suggest ways to boost your rankings, perform link building, reputation management and other tasks to boost your rankings and sales!