5 Steps To Guarantee Your Auto Dealership Will Outrank The Competition

The recent economic recession hitting the automotive industry has taken serious tolls on the auto dealership industry, which is why it is more critical than ever to optimize your dealership website for maximum e-commerce potential. No matter what auto manufacturers your dealership deals—know that any dealership can take simple steps to start ranking higher in the search engines. In this guide we’re going to give you the lowdown of 5 easy-to-do steps that’ll ensure your dealership website will rocket its way up the search engine results.

1. Establish A Strong Relationship With Your Website Vendors
If you’re currently working with a website vendor, know that it’s critical that you make the most out of your relationship and try to build a working relationship that’ll be conducive to more efficient workflow. Though many website vendors have a notorious reputation for atrocious customer service, you’ll have to be patient and work through the hurdles to ensure you’re getting the service you want and need.

2. Find a way to get search-engine friendly content on your website
Whether you’re using an in-house staff writer or you’re outsourcing your content to a third party—it’s critical that you find a way to get quality content regularly posted on your website.
•  Many auto dealership websites lack severely when it comes to search-engine friendly content. In addition, most auto dealership websites are ubiquitous with flash media, which the search engines can’t spider; therefore, most have difficulty ranking in the search engines. If this is currently the case with your website, try talking to your website vendor or third-party web master to fix some of the inherent web design problems preventing the search engines from spidering your site.

• To combat the non-spiderable components installed on your website, and to make sure you’re getting adequate content refreshed on your site—create a workaround system that’ll allow you to post new content on a daily-to-weekly basis. One of the best (and cheapest) ways to achieve this is with a blog.

• Where there sometimes seems to be a negative reaction to the word “blog,” know that a blog is simply a systemized way to easily post new content. Whether you  choose to write about newly arrived vehicle models, promotions or service deals—a blog is an excellent way to nail a handful of birds with one stone. A well-crafted blog will help you generate:

• Spiderable content that’s search-engine friendly
• Link Juice
• Potential customers
• Excellent promotional possibilities
• A chance to showcase other areas of your dealership, like your service department, to boost revenue

3. Systematizing a weekly schedule to post new content
Whether you choose to generate your content in-house or you choose to outsource to a third party—make sure your copywriters or third party knows what you’re aiming for short and long-term.

•  Whether it’s a blog post or an article, you’ll want to make sure the information is informative and not too promotional.

• You’ll also want to make sure to post one to two articles or post per week at the  minimum.

•  Whether you choose to shoot for 2 articles per week or 5 articles per week, commit    to a long-term schedule and continue to meet or exceed your weekly goal.
•    Again, make sure your content is authoritative, informational and top-notch. Make sure to have a proofreader proof all your content before posting live.

4. Website Health Check
Aside from content, you’ll also want to make sure and do a routine health check examination of your website. Whether you, your web developer, or your web vendor controls your website—make sure you check the following on a regular basis:
•    Check your website for broken links
•    Depending on your link report, you’ll need to fix any broken links you might have
•    Update your sitemap
•    Optimize your Meta descriptions, title tags, and Alt tags
•    Keep track of your analytics data and optimize, adjust and week according to what   you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong
•    If you’re working with a website vendor, remain persistent with your needs and be patient when dealing with customer service despite how challenging that might be.

5.    Actively pursue high-quality/authoritative links
Another key component to help your website gain authoritativeness, search-engine friendliness, and ultimately rocket your way up the organic listings is high quality, highly authoritative links. In order to achieve this, you’ll want to:

• Include your URL on all promotional materials

•  If you belong to auto associations, the chamber of commerce, or any other community, statewide, or nationwide organizations or institutions—make sure to use those links as well as generate back linking.

• Make sure to list your website in the top directories. Use Strongest Links to find the top-rated directories on the web as well as detailed information on each of the directories. Aim to list in the top 20 directories.

Bottom Line

Whether your dealership’s website is operating in the black or operating in the red, use these 5 surefire steps to outrank your competition and dramatically increase your web traffic and subsequently your showroom traffic.