Car dealer website SEO: How to improve your motor dealership's website's online presence

One of the things car dealers often ask us, is how they can improve their website's visibility on search engines, and whilst there is no simple answer, I'm going to dive into a few ideas to get you started and on the right track.

Search engines like Google, for the last few years have started using many different metrics and data points to determine how and where to rank websites. This includes the number and quality of backlinks, the relevance and quality of the content, and the maturity (age) of the content. So then the question becomes: as a car dealership, how can I optimise those key things to help me become more discoverable online?

Have a social media presence, and get links to your website onto other industry related websites

Many car dealers will advertise their stock on Classifieds sites such as AutoTrader, CarGurus, AA Cars, RAC Cars, PistonHeads, amongst others but oftentimes, without linking back to their website for prospective car buyers to visit and enquire on vehicles for sale or to find out more about the dealership. This isn't optimal for the customer experience, and is a lost opportunity to get a strong backlink to your website.

Reputable websites linking to your website is a strong indicator to Google that your link is trustworthy, and whilst it might not directly impact your ranking on Google Search, it will still improve your domain reputation which will have other positive side-effects to your car dealership's online presence.

Create a Google Business Profile and keep it up to date

Many searches on the internet today begin on Google. One of the things that comes up when people search for businesses local to them is something called a Google Business Profile, which is shown in a big box on the side of the search results page and sometimes on Google Maps, and contains details such as the business' name, address, contact details, website link, reviews, questions and answers and more. Having an up to date Google Business Profile makes it easier for prospective customers to find, contact and visit your car dealership which ultimately will result in more enquiries and more sales.

Create and maintain professional social media profiles

It goes without saying that many of us spend a lot of time on social media, whether that's browsing content, looking for inspiration in things we're interested in or communicating with others. Many prospective car buyers will be using social media as a way of gauging whether a business is legitimate and trustworthy, and as a method of initially contacting your business.

Having an active social media profile for your car sales business, with a link to your car dealership website will help increase trust and drive traffic to your website and get more eyes on your stock vehicles.

Publish useful, engaging and relevant content on your car dealership's website

A lot of people looking for cars know roughly what kind of vehicle their are looking for, so when they use a search engine they will query exactly for that, for example: Used Cars For Sale in London, so whilst it might seem obvious, if you sell used cars in London, it is important to make sure that this is reflected in your motor dealership's website content, as this will help search engines understand that your website is relevant for users searching for exactly that. Another example is car owners searching for something like: Car Servicing in Blackpool, if you offer that service, shout about on your website to increase your chances of ranking highly on search engines when people query search engines for that.

Of course, there are many other things that can be done when optimising websites for search engines and the few things I've mentioned in this post are just a tip of the iceberg. If you're looking for a car dealership software provider that can deliver fully customisable car dealer websites and an awesome dealer management system, visit the Vehiso website and start your 1 month free trial today!