How SEO will Help your Car Dealership Improve Sales
What does SEO (search engine optimization) have to do with your car dealership and its ability to sell more cars? Plenty! SEO drives every search online today. Search engine optimization is what Google and other websites utilize for organic search results, when people are looking for a product or service (ie, car dealerships). For example, when someone goes to Google and types "Best Houston salesman for Audi or BMW," there are specific keywords that are being typed, for someone looking for a make/model, in a local area. If your website isn't properly optimized, with the right keywords, relevant content, and value-added descriptions for visitors, you're site isn't going to pop up in the first 10 results on Google. That's a bad thing, as you want to be the first result, but at the very least, should strive to rank on the first page.
So, how does properly optimizing your page up the chances that people will find your local car dealerships, for different makes/model vehicles you sell in a specific area? And, what's important to include on your website as it relates to increasing organic SEO results? Let's see.
It's Local
Today, local SEO is imperative, especially for something like car dealerships who are trying to drive more visitors to their site (and ultimately, the dealership). In focusing on proper SEO for your website, it's important to
· Include city, state, locality, phone number
· Local landmarks, nearby attractions
· Local cities/nearby towns where other car dealerships are located (if you operate more than one)
· Cross streets, and major intersections
The more information that helps people find the dealership easily, the greater the chance is they will visit. And, people who are shopping for a new car, 9.9 times out of 10, are going to enter a city/state/location with their search. They want to visit, test drive, and see the car before buying. So, you'll want to include local SEO tactics to increase your visibility online.
It Legitimizes the Business
It's important for car dealerships to maintain a Google My Business Page. Doing this is free, and it verifies you are an actual business. Google is "promoting" your company as a legitimate, trusted company. It's important to claim your business page, and maintain accurate information about your car dealerships. The phone number should be the same on Google as it is on your website, and on the doors of the dealership. The address should be correct, and website content should be accurate. Claim your listing, update inaccurate information, and this will instantly help increase your site's rank for organic SEO searches and local searches.
You're Viewed as a Leader
People who are shopping for anything online, use Google to help them find sources they can trust. For car dealerships who want to be viewed as leaders, or locally trusted businesses, you want to land at the top for SEO searches performed, revolving around car dealerships, cars, used/new, pricing, and so forth. By optimizing your site with the right keywords, blog content, updating the product descriptions for cars on your website, and including information regarding transparent pricing and financing, you'll do just that. People want to deal with car dealerships which are honest and forthright. Not those that lie online, and tell them a completely different story in person. Make sure your site is well-developed, has appropriate links, the content is valuable to readers, and is well optimized for SEO keyword searches revolving around cars and dealerships.
People Trust You
Not only as an industry leader, but they'll believe what you're selling is valid. Think about yourself as a consumer for one minute (outside of the realm of car dealerships and buying a car). If you're looking for a local dog sitter, when you search for "dog sitter in Houston for low prices," you're going to click on the first result that pops up. At worst, you'll scroll down the first page of Google and stop there. People are doing the same thing when they're searching for car dealerships. So, you want to be the top, or at least on the first page, to ensure your website is at least seen. The higher up your site ranks because of great SEO, the more chances are potential buyers will click on it, and eventually visit your dealership.
There's no way around it. Today, you have to rank highly for organic SEO searches in any industry. And, in such a competitive industry (car sales), you have to include local SEO keywords, phrases, and location terms, to guarantee your car dealerships are outranking competitors. If you're not sure where to begin with optimizing your site, hiring a professional SEO and web design team is a good starting point!