Auto dealerships have many options to drive traffic to their websites. With paid search, display advertising, retargeting, social advertising and more to focus on, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be an afterthought.
…there has been a 51% year-over-year growth in mobile searches in the automotive category
Do We Still Need SEO?
Yes! According to Google, there has been a 51% year-over-year growth in mobile searches in the automotive category. Optimizing your dealership site to gather Organic Traffic is important- now more than ever. Shoppers are visiting fewer and fewer dealerships in person; instead deciding what to buy, and where, from their online research. A dealership’s website is the core of a dealer’s digital presence and will increase sales when additional organic traffic is funneled to the site.
Google has continued to report higher search volumes for automotive keywords. Without a solid SEO strategy and process in place, car shoppers will visit competitors, or go to third-party websites that charge dealers to reach those very same shoppers.
It’s a Process
Optimizing an automotive dealership’s website to drive increased organic traffic is not something that only happens once. A quality vendor can’t build websites, sprinkle magic SEO dust, and then never touch them again. That would be like deciding to get in shape, going to the gym once, and expecting to lose weight.
SEO is constantly changing, so the process of optimizing is never finished.
Good Search Engine Optimization requires a strong process, much like getting in shape requires continuous, dedicated effort. An effective SEO strategy looks something like this:
To keep up with this process and get results, it is necessary to have someone managing it on a regular basis. SEO is constantly changing, so the optimization process is never finished.
Core Principles
At this point, it is understood that receiving organic traffic from search engines is important, so dealers need strong processes in place, and someone constantly managing them. But what should that person be doing? What principles should they follow to get a site in front of more potential shoppers?
In the first part of this 2-part blog on SEO process, we will cover the first two core principles of reaching SEO success.
1. Go Where They’re Going, Don’t Follow
Search engines have a fairly simple goal: to connect online researchers with content that will help them. To put it a different way, they help people answer questions and solve problems.
…create a strategy that meets them where they’re going, leading to quality results and long-term success.
Many SEO companies were hit hard by Google algorithm changes like Penguin and Panda because they built their strategies on specific techniques that exploit holes in Google’s algorithms. When Google closed those holes, those companies had to scramble to adjust. By understanding the goals that search engines are trying to accomplish, and seeking to accomplish the same thing, vendors can create strategies for dealers that meets them where they’re going, leading to quality results and long-term success.
2. Solve Problems
Dealers can help car shoppers solve very specific problems, like:
- “Is this car right for me?”
- “Where can I find this car?”
- “Where can I get my car serviced?”
Creating and optimizing your automotive dealership’s website to help car shoppers answer these questions ensures that SEO goals are aligned with that of the search engines, keeping dealerships out of trouble.
Stayed tuned for part two of this blog to see the third and fourth core principles!
Need SEO assistance today? Dominion Dealer Solutions now offers SEO help for any automotive dealer, no matter what vendor you use. Call 877.421.1040 to get a better SEO strategy today!
