Every dealer I work with knows that search engine optimization is vital to their site being found online. But all the ins and outs of SEO? Well, even though they know a lot, that's for sure, they know they don't know everything. So how can you be sure you're doing everything you can to ensure you're at the top of the rankings for the most important keywords?

Find out at PTMS' SEO Seminar. It costs $399 for a four-hour session, and you'll leave with an SEO manual, PLUS a report of what you're doing well with SEO for your site - and what you need to improve.

Sign up here.

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The Television Bureau of Advertising announced last week that television revenue fell by 27.6% in the first quarter. Adding to that, spending in the automotive category of local broadcast TV fell a whopping 52.1% in the first quarter of the year.
Has the economy finally forced local automotive dealers to rethink their television advertising budgets? I hope so. Television is a traditional medium that offers questionable
Traditionally holding the top spot among individual spenders, autos are hitting local stations’ revenues particularly hard. While bad for local broadcast stations, I think there is some silver lining to this dark cloud. Has the economy finally forced local automotive dealers to rethink their television advertising budgets? I hope so.
Television is a traditional medium that offers questionable ROI or tracking ability. In today’s world, dealerships are looking to advertise more and spend less. This isn’t going to happen with TV ads. Autos have long lo...

 
 
The economy and the auto industry are in turmoil and dealerships are jumping on any cost-savings strategies they can. I often hear dealerships talking about taking their advertising in-house as a way to save money, but does this strategy really save money? Or could you end up spending even more than with an agency? Well, it depends.
 
If you're considering bringing your Internet marketing in-house, first you'll want to make sure these characteristics fit you :

You have staff with time to spare. Lots of time. Managing online marketing campaigns takes time and planning to ensure success. If you don’t have the time to manage budgets and tweak ad copy, don’t bother. You’ll end up costing yourself more in the long run.
You (or your staff) have experience running campaigns. Dealerships aren’t in the position to be guinea pigs for trial campaigns. You need experience working with the major search eng...

 
 
As my boss pointed out in his blog, Google announced in mid-May that they’re planning to lift their ban on trademarked terms in ad copy. It was scheduled for June 15th, but I haven’t heard whether it’s officially happened or not. This is supposed to be big news, but this seems kind of like it’s happening with a whimper instead of a bang. And I think that’s because of the reasons that Todd points out here.
 
Here are the key issues:

Companies like Lexus and Toyota have spent a great deal of time and money building their brands. How likely is it that they’ll let their brands be diluted by allowing others to use their trademarks without a fight?
Cost per click is likely to go up if more companies are allowed to use the terms. This is mainly going to be an issue for Toyota and BMW, as they’re the brands who currently enforce their trademarks. Good for Google, maybe not so good for everyone else?
Used car dea...

Many auto dealers are having to make drastic cuts in their advertising budgets. The most cost effective advertising medium today is the internet, but many dealers are unsure how to get the most out of their internet advertising.
That's why, together with the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA), Auto Dealer Traffic is offering a special webinar to learn real world best practices that can immediately impact your business. Auto Dealer Traffic is the Affinity Partner of the AIADA.
This FREE 30 minute webinar will offer strategies to help dealers more effectively execute internet marketing strategies and how to effectively spend their internet budget. We'll cover:

Online inventory
How is inventory displayed in classifieds
Where are your efforts focust
Getting the most real leads online

The strategies we'll cover will help dealers get the most from their internet marekting and help cut advertising spend.
Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 2:...

 
With Google’s recent launch of its “search options” feature, the web is buzzing.  Since this is still new technology, I’m still unsure what I think about it or exactly what the ramifications of these new options could be. For those who haven’t heard, Google is now allowing users to filter their searches by categories of results (ie: video, reviews, and forums), recency, as well as through the “wonder wheel” – which shows related searches.  You can also opt to see images or more text in the results.
Personally, I’m a fan of the Wonder Wheel.  Through this, user can see related searches. It’s really a visual aid to see how different related topics are clustered together. When you click on any spoke of the wheel, it then causes that search term to be at the center. Now I know this technique isn’t new, but I don’t know anyone else who has given it such a high profile by inserting it on the main ...

 
I was reading this article the other day and was shocked by its statistics.  The industry pressures dealers to advertise online, but this study really showcases a flaw of many people’s Internet marketing campaigns: they have no clue if it’s really working because they didn’t take the time to benchmark where they were when they started, and they aren’t using analytics to track the current status of the campaign once it’s in motion.
Before businesses decide to do anything aggressive online you must first determine what defines success for your online efforts? While this question sounds basic, it deserves some thought and attention.  Is success increasing the number of unique visitors? Just getting consumers to call or submit information? Placing an order?  Before even thinking about starting your campaign you need to know what success means in real, quantifiable language.  Otherwise you, and your marketing partner, will be doomed...

 
I came across this timeline of changes the major search engines have gone through over the past 10 years or so.
What struck me is that Google has been keeping it simple since the beginning – and they continue to be the dominant player online.
We can learn from this. Google is a great example of how to keep things simple. This KISS philosophy (keep it simple, silly) should also be applied to your business. Google’s success is because they concentrate on their core “search” capabilities, and don’t let themselves get distracted like their competitors do, with “overcrowding” their information. They keep their focus on what’s really important in what they provide: SEARCH.
What’s your business? What can you eliminate so that you can be focused on your most important capability?...

 
The economy blows. It says so in every newspaper you open.
In this tough economy, fewer people are buying - and those that are buying are doing their homework. That means online research: making sure they're choosing the right car for their needs, at the right price, from a dealer they trust. The days of customers driving around to different dealerships to check out prices are long gone.
Search results can make or break you in this economy.
Here are five tips for your SEO campaign:

Get local. Most people purchase within a 50 mile radius of where they live. Buy for local search. Include maps. Show people that you're nearby for a look.
Don't just optimize your home page. A good SEO agency will try to bring people to your home page, but they'll also optimize the other pages in your site to improve results.
Put your inventory to work. Each page of inventory should include title tags and META data. Each should occupy a unique URL, so that each page can rank indep...

 
So you're running an Internet marketing campaign - be it pay per click, SEO, or display ads. If you're not, it's about time you got up to speed, advertising like the industry has been doing for years.

You’re probably working with a marketing/search provider that promised you the world when they sold you, and you’ve seen yourself on Google a few times.  Times are tough and your boss is asking you if this campaign’s actually working and if it’s worth the money.  I've listed a few pointers to gauge your Internet marketing campaign’s effectiveness on my personal blog. You can check out the full post here.
To summarize, make sure you do the following:

Set a Benchmark before you begin

Set reasonable, measurable goals

Make sure your expectations are reasonable

Track your progress


These simple rules will start you off in the right direction for your campaign.

If you're working with a co...

 
If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
Remember what it was like in automotive Internet marketing before programs like AdWords? I do. Even six or seven years ago, it was a much simpler time for dealerships looking to get in on the action of the big, new world of online marketing. Back then, you had a choice of only a few providers, and little competition for keywords.
Nowadays, there is a new online marketing firm popping up hourly and intense competition in keyword bidding. With so many choices for an online marketing provider, how can you know who to trust?
I've laid out a few of the basics:

If they sound too good to be true, then they probably are. If you get a sales rep coming into your dealership promising you #1 rankings on Google or thousands of clicks on your PPC campaign, don't fall for it. IN the world of SEO, there are no guarantees for ranking placement - and you should be wary of any provider that tells you otherwise. Likewise with PPC cam...

 
Obama man of strategy, everything executed so well. But, one of the most obvious things that he proved, is the power of the internet.
No one has been able to move the younger generation better than he has. With him having so many young internet savvy supporters he was able to take the internet by storm and stream his message to millions 24/7 by having that strong presence online. For those that may disagree: If you did not see those ads then guess what you weren't the target market.
I have said over and over again your car shopper is not that same shopper 10, 5, or 3 years ago and I know all of my fellow internet marketing guru's can co sign my thoughts. You have the biggest proof right here in this history making event  that shows you the power of the internet.  My generation the generation right behind me are accustomed to this way of getting information, and that's not going to change. Their not going to suddenly start reading the newspaper or stop listening to X...

 
Auto Dealer Traffic Launches Advanced SEM/SEO
and Online Inventory Marketing Services Suite
 
Maximizes Dealership Web Site Traffic and Conversions
 
COLUMBUS, Ohio (October 6, 2008) — SEM pioneer Auto Dealer Traffic, Inc. (ADT), the retail automotive industry’s leading pay for performance Internet marketing company, today announced the release of SEM Accelerator, SEO Overdrive and SIM Full Throttle, a new benchmark in search engine marketing, search engine optimization and online inventory marketing services for dealers.  The new services suite uses ADT’s proprietary, highly advanced Internet marketing technology to quickly and easily maximize dealership Web site traffic from new and used vehicle in-market consumers, resulting in increased sales conversions.  Dealers pay month-to-month with no long-term contract commitments, and only for top placement on organic search rankings.
 
“Since ADT was founded in 2001, many c...