Car Dealer Search Guide

Consumers who are in the car market today will have several options to choose from. Some may look for a private seller; others can reach out to a car dealership. Many consumers will decide to do business with an auto dealer since it has the least hassle. However, what do you think is the best method for car dealer search? Some people will choose to drive around the area and stop at the first car lot they will encounter. To ensure that this will be worthwhile, planning plays an important role.

How to Do a Car Dealer Search

Most people will look online to look for a car dealer search engine. They will create a list depending on the first few companies that will appear on their list. Others will use an online database, and some prefer the traditional method of checking the yellow pages. Some will even verify their choice by asking for referrals from their loved ones.

Using Search Engine Site

The search engine site would often be the go-to channel of most consumers when looking for an auto dealership. Most people will not look beyond page one when doing a car dealer search. Therefore, you must ensure you rank on critical search terms. Otherwise, your business will not even appear on these people’s shortlist. Here are some ways to do that.

Refining Webpage

Your website will be crucial in guaranteeing that you reach the first page of the search result. You have to make sure that it is responsive or mobile-friendly. Most people will be performing their car dealer search strategy using their mobile phones; if your website appears odd on their device, there’s a high chance that they will not choose you. Moreover, Google uses responsiveness as one of the signals to rank websites. Also, you must ensure that it has a high loading speed; otherwise, your exit and bounce rate will increase. This will negatively translate to your SERP. You should use a high-quality image, but the resolution must not be too high that it will affect the loading speed of your website. Also, use a tool to monitor your webpage’s issues in real-time.

Content

Content will remain as the king in the battle on SERP. If you have a high-quality, relatable, informative, and entertaining article, people will read them longer. Know that engagement is a determining factor used by car dealer search engine sites on SERP. To guarantee that your content will interest your target audience, check Google trends and the trending topic on Quora, Reddit, or social engine platforms. Be sure to go on channels that are market specific.

It would be ideal if you could create a content calendar. This will make it easier for you to develop content for a particular day. After you’ve listed some topics you want to cover, it is time to perform keyword research. This is a very crucial part of the process. If you manage to find a low competition keyword with high search volume, it will be easier for you to land on the first page of the search result.

Off-Page SEO

Your off-page SEO also determines your visibility on the search engine site. For instance, creating healthy backlinks signals to car dealer search engine spiders that you are an authoritative site. Years ago, backlinks helped in determining the Page Rank of your website. While Google has already removed this feature in gauging the ranking of your website, they confirmed that they are still using the signals to rank your website. There has also been a change when creating backlinks. The comments and profile backlinks will not help you improve your SERP. What matters more here would be guest posting. However, you should only leave a guest post on high-authority and relevant sites. For instance, a dealership should avoid leaving a guest post on a health blog since the juice you will receive here will not help much.

Listing Sites

After using the search engine sites like Google, Bing, etc., your audience will verify their choices by heading to listing sites. Therefore, it is also crucial that you will have a strong presence here. Listing sites are like the car dealer search engine. It would be easier for you to find a dealer that works around your area. However, you should also check the authenticity of the site. Some of them will not have stringent qualifications to be included in the list. This will make it challenging for you to filter out the legit ones from those that are determined to scam you.

Check the Website

A substandard listing site will not waste time creating a well-designed website. Usually, this will look like a clone website. You should avoid them at all costs. The interface will be complicated, and the navigation system will be complex. Check the About Us section of the website; a questionable listing site will not include the name of the people behind the car dealer search directory sites. Here are more things to consider.

• Does it Look Professional- For starters, consider the quality of the images they are using. If the images appear blurred, think twice before including your name in their database. You should also look at their articles and ensure they are free from grammar and spelling errors. Otherwise, it will reflect poorly on your website. You should also check if there is no problem with their link. Use a tool to check whether the website has been updated recently.

• Is it Responsive- Most of your customers will access the car dealer search directory site using their mobile phones. Be sure that the website will appear organized regardless of your audience’s device. It will not be an ideal channel for your audience if it is not mobile-friendly.

• Talk to Their Customer Support- Since you need to know how often the site is updated, you should talk to their customer support. Do they have a team that verifies the veracity of the information added on their website?

• Security- The audience will have to provide additional information in some directory sites. Therefore, you must know if the site will provide them with enough protection to prevent data breaches.

• Navigation- The navigation of the directory site should be seamless, which helps the audience easily find your car dealership.

Online Reviews

As mentioned above, most car dealer search directory websites for car dealers will allow people to leave testimonials about a specific company. They have learned how critical reviews influence the buyer’s behavior or decision. Based on recent reports, at least 91% of the customers will read reviews before choosing their service providers. Here are some things to look into.

• Regulating Reviews- Do they have people who regulate reviews to ensure that only the authentic and verified customers are leaving you consumer feedback? Let’s be honest with this. Some of our rivals in the industry will work dirty, and you can be their target of negative campaigning. For instance, they can instruct their people to leave negative comments about you, which may prompt your prospects to choose them. Therefore, the listing site must have a rigorous standard when approving reviews.

• Do they Have Protocols Against Paid Reviews- Some companies will resort to this negative strategy to populate their review section. However, this may lead to a wrong expectation about your service and will only disappoint them.

• Information- Today, there has been a significant improvement in how people can leave reviews on car dealer search directory sites. They can leave a review on a particular staff or sales consultant of your company. People can also upload an image that will support their argument. The more information that they can provide, the better it will be.

Additional Features

Most directory sites for car dealers will have unique features that make it easier for prospects to look for you. Some tools will tell you that the listing site is serious about doing its job.

• Online Calculator- With an online calculator, it should be easier for your prospects to compare their option. It will be simpler to choose a company that will suit their budget. It is difficult for them to gather information and compare costs by creating a separate computation of everything. However, with an online calculator, they will simply have to put their desired model and make of the car, and they will be given an estimated cost and not just the initial cost of vehicle ownership.

• Contact Page- Some directory sites will allow you to reach out directly to the car dealer. The database should always offer a method for the customers to reach out to their preferred car dealer. Seamless communication is necessary to hook your audience and reach out to them during the most critical time.

• Fantastic Support- Their customer support should be unprecedented, especially if this is in the car dealer market. Some directory sites will help you reach out to some dealerships on their listing site that suits your budget.

• Advertisement- The directory site should also offer an advertising option to help you appear more frequently among people who require your service.

Referrals

Like review sites and directory sites, people will perform car dealer search by listening to the referrals of their loved ones. Therefore, an auto dealership will need to have a robust referral program. Referrals play a crucial role in lead generation and encouraging people to complete their sales journey fast. Here are some tips for creating your own referral programs.

Identify Your Customers

You should be aware of your target market when building a referral program. Otherwise, you will only be wasting your marketing budget. You will have to know if these people are interested in what you can offer. You may also need to identify your unique selling proposition and whether it resonates with them. This will make it highly likely for others to recommend your business. Once you have an answer to these, it will be easier to build a solid referral program.

Building a Plan

Now that you know your target audience and how to develop a service that will resonate with them, it is time to build a plan to help you reach out to them. This is essential since you want to contact them at the best possible time. Remember that not all kinds of referrals are the same. You should also take note of their car dealer search behavior to find what platforms they are using.

Offer Incentives

Not all of your previous customers will refer your company. Others will think that this is such a bother. To encourage them, you must offer an incentive for every successful referral. You can provide coupons, gifts, free services, discounts, special deals, etc. You must ensure that you are still making a profit even if you offer incentives. This is a business, after all.

Promotion

You will have to promote your referral program. Otherwise, your audience will not be aware of your offer. If you want to get enough referrals, you will need to get this campaign in front of your audience. Start promoting it on social media and across different digital channels. You should also advertise this on your website and email marketing campaign. Just remember to direct them to the right landing page; otherwise, this will all be for naught. This will make your car dealer search strategy more efficient.

Monitor

Finally, you should also monitor the effectiveness of this campaign. Some of the things that you must monitor are the people who refer you and to whom they referred you. You should also note the referral time, conversion rate, etc. It will also be best to have a solid lead nurturing system in place to convert them. You should also thank these people for referring your dealership.

There are different methods that the consumer will use for their car dealer search. Mostly, they will start by going online to create a shortlist of their preferred auto dealership. They will then head to the company’s website to check for further information. Once done, they will look into different databases and read customer reviews to narrow down their choice. Knowing the behavior and action of your target audience will help you choose which platform you should be active on.