Backlinks are still a core element of any organic search results strategy. The key to mastering this activity is knowing the quality factors Google is looking for when they're evaluating the links they scan every day. 

Even if you're not actively building your own backlinks, it's still a wise move to understand the guidelines Google has created. Maybe you're looking to hire an outside agency to assist with your organic search results. If so, you need to be prepared to ask about their methodology to protect your dealership's website. 

Here's a list of 11 backlink types Google doesn't want to see. And if they do discover any of these activities happening within your website, you could either be penalized or even worse - stripped from the organic listings altogether. 

1. Google does not like paid links

Buying and/or selling links that pass PageRank can negatively impact your website's ranking in search results. This includes exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links; exchanging goods or services for links; or sending someone a 'free' product in exchange for them writing about it and including a link.

Do not buy or sell backlinks if you don't want to risk your website or blog rankings.

2. Google does not like excessive link exchanges

Exchanging links with other websites is fine. It happens all the time between websites. So, websites about electric or green cars can cross-link to other websites about electric or green cars and not worry about getting in trouble.

If the cross-linking looks unnatural (the electric cars websites links to a bike store and vice versa), Google might think that you're trying to build unnatural links.

Use common sense when exchanging links with other sites. If the link exchange makes sense for a human website visitor, everyone will .

3. Google does not like large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns

It's okay to publish your articles and guest posts on other websites as long as you don't do it in bulk. If you do guest posts just to get keyword rich backlinks, your website might get penalized.

Only publish articles and guest posts on other websites if you really want to contribute a valuable article.

4. Google does not like automated programs or services that create backlinks to your site

You've probably seen the ads for tools and services that promise hundreds (if not thousands) of backlinks with very little work. Don't use them. Ever. 

Avoid tools and services that automatically build backlinks to your website. Google is very, very smart. If you (or your vendor) found them, Google already knows about them as well. 

5. Google does not like text ads that pass PageRank

If you place a text ad on another website, be sure the ad uses the rel=nofollow attribute in the link. Google sees these as a manipulative backlink. 

6. Google does not like advertorials and ads that include links that pass PageRank

Simple rule: Always use links with the rel=nofollow attribute if you pay for an article or an ad. If the ad includes a paid link that passes PageRank, it might trigger a penalty.

7. Google does not like links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases

If your article contains paragraphs that look like the following, you might invite Google's spam algorithm to take a closer look at your website:

"With so many automotive parts stores on the market, if you want to have buy online parts, you can visit the best online parts store in the region. You can find the automotive parts you're looking for easily at our website's eCommerce parts store."

8. Google does not like links from low quality directories or bookmark sites

If you're submitting your website to hundreds of Internet directories that will never send you a single visitor, don't waste your time as most of them will be classified . These links won't help your Google rankings.

If a directory sends your website visitors, it's worth getting the link. You can ignore other lower quality directories. (Keep in mind, a high quality directory that doesn't send traffic to your site is still worth the effort) 

9. Google does not like widely distributed links in the footers of various websites

Some websites put keyword rich links to other websites in their footers. These links are always paid links and you should not use them to promote your website.

This doesn't apply to 'About us' or 'Privacy policy' footer links but to backlinks such as 'buy insurance' or 'buy automotive parts.' This is simply a no-no today. It worked years ago but won't float today. (It was also a great way to earn extra income from your website - I did it on my blog until the algorithm updates warned against it) 

10. Google does not like links that are embedded in widgets that are distributed across various sites

Some widget developers offer free widgets that contain links to other websites: "Visitors to this page: 4,723 - buy car parts"

If a widget developer offers you a widget to advertise on your blog, just make sure the links use the nofollow attribute. But you also need to consider the utility of the widget as well - is it really something someone needs? Or are you simply doing it to help boost rankings and/or earn a payout on it?  

11. Google does not like forum comments with optimized links in the post or signature

There are automated post commenting tools that can be used in forums - Google isn't a fan of these as well. The efforts need to resemble natural human efforts - not something that is going to generate 7,000 low quality links in 48 hours. That's simply not possible by even the most dedicated and focused employee.

"That's an awesome blog post with great information! Thanks so much lot!
Randy
buy online automotive parts buy car parts best aftermarket car parts"

Just don't do this. Google hates this. Avoid tools that automatically post your links to forums. It's really simple: Google does not like bulk links and they also don't like artificial links.

Many dealers have invested a lot of smart money in a lot of dumb things when it comes to their website. And by dumb things, I mean those things that are causing people to leave your site. I'm sure you remember being on a website that frustrates you. You remember that site and may even go out of your way to avoid it again. 

Think about the experience you're providing your visitors. Is it simple? Are their obtrusive items? Is it easy for shoppers to get the info they need to make a decision? 

Here's a list of some of the key culprits. And yes, I understand that you may not be able to control every single item. If so, speak up to your website vendor and let them know you want help with the changes. And if a website vendor tells you there will be a charge for it, simply ask them why they're charging you to help them improve their product. 

1. Music or auto attendants who automatically start playing - and are also difficult to stop. Would you run up to a new showroom customer and start blasting music at them or just start shouting out your newest specials? 
2. Traditional Captchas. Please stop showing these squiggly words. You can't possibly have that much of a spam problem, you probably don't get that much traffic to even warrant it on your site. If you still think you need it, there are much easier solutions - such as asking you what 1+2 equals. 
3. Pop-up coupon offers that cover the entire home page - and are extremely difficult to close. If you must use them, make them appear off-center, make them smaller and make them very simple to close. 
4. Multiple pop-ups on the home page. This is more of a personal preference, but I recently visited a dealership site that had a coupon pop-up, a drop-in chat window, a right-hand margin "ask a question" tab and a bottom pane tool bar that all loaded at the same time - it looks like an old west shooter game. I didn't know where to look first. Plus, all of these scripts slowed the entire site down and each page took way too long to load. 
5. Survey pop-ups on the home screen. Again, you don't ask your showroom visitors to answer CSI surveys when they walk in the front door.
6. Immediate newsletter sign-ups. Same deal. Please stop. 
7. Too many required fields in the contact forms. Name, email, phone number. That's all you need. I would even test name & email and let the phone number be an optional field. You don't need my home address if I'm submitting a form. (This is a sticky situation with the vendors as the OEM's may require this - it needs to change as it's a key factor why forms don't get used as much as they could) 
8. Blank specials pages. I want to see the specials. Where are the specials? I clicked on this expecting specials! 
9. Mobile sites that don't have the click to call function. Users expect this. 
10. Not showing all of your vehicle photos on your mobile site. One photo doesn't cut it. 

What other items do you keep seeing that may contribute to your site's high bounce rate? Let's get a solid list of items and wipe these problems out with the help of the website vendors. You'll enjoy better website performance and your online visitors will appreciate the improved experience.

Online shoppers want answers to questions. They expect easy access to this information. And they don't want to waste time getting those answers. 

One of the easiest ways to help your online visitors is to create a Frequently Asked Questions page. For those feeling extra ambitious could even create multiple FAQ's for different sections of the site. The point being, provide the answers to the questions you already know your guests are going to ask you. They'll appreciate the value in this effort incredibly.

Keep in mind, as Internet users continue to search using conversation search queries such as "How does leasing work?" "Where can I find 0% financing in Pittsburgh?" & "How do I trade-in my used car?" there will be more opprotunities for your content to get discovered. Plus, that's the type of helpful content users remember and share socially. 

Your stores are filled with experts, it's time to leverage their respective knowledge. This is how I created my dealership's FAQ content in just a few days.

1. Create a list of the subject matter experts in your store(s) [Service managers, GM/sales managers, top sales people, BDC staff, F&I, buyers, etc]
2. Ask your experts to write down the 10 top questions asked by customers. [Extra points for video answers]
3. Explain to them why you need this info; educate them on shopper behavior, how it creates a better user experience and how it contributes to your search marketing efforts as well.
4. Organize the questions/answers by categories. [Sales, Financing, Service, Used Cars, Parts, trade-ins, etc]
5. Use plenty of images to help make the content easy to scan - nobody likes to see a page full of text.
6. Use your keywords as anchor text for links in the questions/answers to link to relevant content. [this is what helps improve usability and your internal deep linking efforts]
7. Include additional call to actions/submit buttons and/or a form within the page to drive visitors to take action.
8. Include additional contact information to the contributors of the content when possible.[phone #'s, email, twitter, etc]
9. Use a separate tracking number to track phone calls from this page.
10. Add social sharing.
11. Keep adding new questions, or at least update your content once a month, to keep it accurate and current.

Do you have an FAQ page for your dealership? If so, please share yours in the comments below! 

Check out my man Willie. He's a Wal-Mart greeter and he's one of their best. 

Walking into Wal-Mart isn't necessarily an exciting or memorable experience, but Willie does his best to make sure it is for anyone who comes through those front doors on his shift. He makes people feel special. He makes his introductions unique. And he gets people to remember him. 

Willie becomes the image of Wal-Mart in this town. He goes way beyond the expectations of the Wal-Mart greeter. Does the first person to greet your customers make a difference like this or are your guests simply met with a bland, "Hello, welcome to boring motors"

Who's your dealership's Willie?

A popular topic of debate is whether or not dealers should be posting pictures of their customers with their cars at delivery. 

I say GO FOR IT! And here's why: 

1. It creates memorable, personal interactions with the customer
2. Celebrating moments and telling stories about your brand is what social media is all about
3. It helps drive the digital culture within your dealership
4. Posting from mobile devices helps create more engagement
5. Plus, why does it just have to be a photo? What about a Vine, or an Instagram video? Instragram now lets you upload video from your camera roll. Or, you could even try YouTube's awesome new video app: MixBit.

And here's the challenge - doing it with creativity. Don't just line up your customers in front of their car and force them to stand there lifeless. Everybody is doing that. Have fun with it. 

Add some context to their image as well. Tell the customer's story as to why they chose that vehicle. Where did they come from? Is there a special reason or story behind the purchase and/or usage? What were they driving before? Did they trade something in? 

Here's the biggest reason why I think you should be taking as many of these pictures and sharing them: Facebook's algorithm favors interaction with pictures. By creating more creative, fun pictures for your dealership's page, you're increasing the likelihood users will view them. By doing so, you're creating more opportunities for your images to show up in the content stream.

A new element of their algorithm is actually called "Last Actor." Facebook sees the last 50 people you have interacted with, such as people viewing your photos or liking your news feed stories. If a user is looking through your photos - because they're interesting enough - Facebook gives your content priority and show more of it to that user. The Last Actor change has already been enacted and is having an effect on content within the web and mobile news feed..

Start sharing. And have fun with it too. 

This is so simple.

Step 1. Post from your mobile device.

That's it. 

Facebook likes mobile. In fact, they love it. They're all about mobile usage, mobile interaction and most important - for shareholders - mobile revenue. So, their EdgeRank formula is even giving some extra preference to a brand's post made from mobile devices. Posting from your phones can provide up to 39% more interaction. (Another thought could be that most mobile posts contain more images & videos, which help create more engagement.) 

Facebook also notes that mobile posts doesn't mean grreater reach. 

I would get into the habit of posting to your dealership pages from your phones all the time to take advantage of this opportunity. Plus, there's a better chance you'll capture something that's more engaging, personal and spontaneous when you're posting from your phone. (Besides being more efficient) 

Read more about mobile vs. non-mobile post results here.

Can you believe we're halfway through the year? I've always believed that while you're tracking your daily activities to stay on course and hit your monthly goals you still need to keep your finger on the pulse of the bigger trends. What's the industry direction? Where are things headed? What will shape our decisions for our activities and tactics?

I shared my thoughts, at the end of 2012, about a few topics and trends that I felt would be important for us as an industry.

"What are your thoughts? What other trends are you seeing develop?"

Seven Concepts That Will Define The Retail Automotive Business In 2013.

1. Changing Website Design Standards

The time has come for a new standard in website content design. The familiar template design we've all grown tired of needs to change. Website design standards are changing and we need to adapt to this as well. Where is it written that says car dealership websites must live within a static grid system of non-effective content boxes filled with random content? Look at what's happening with the user interfaces within the sites the average Internet user spends their time. Top visited sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Netflix are moving away from directing the user via standard navigation and letting the user control more of their experience.

Imagine your dealership website as a palette of interactive vehicle images and videos with interactive research and shopping tools augmented with social elements such as ratings and reviews. That's all the consumer wants - plus it would adapt to their mobile devices so much easier. This also opens the door for the next wave of mobile navigation controls as we move from clicks to gestures. This concept rests solely on the industry's website providers to push the envelope of creativity.

So far, I have seen a couple nice examples of websites that step away from the rigid cookie cutter style; I like what DealerFire is doing with their widescreen, multi-container approach within some of their new automotive websites. Keep the changes coming vendors, I believe shoppers will embrace these new experiences.

2. Separation of Internet Directors and Marketing Ninjas

This concept of an Internet Director who manages sales staff, sales activities and Internet Marketing needs to stop now. You don't ask your sales people to sell the car and also change the oil every 3000 miles, do you? We'll start to see a massive shift in the delegation of activities and the types of people hired into these roles as dealers become educated and understand their responsibilities.

In my dealership, I focused on one thing: managing our online presence. That's it. Someone else managed the sales activities. We worked together to create solid processes and manage the flow of activity generated from our online presence. The concept works well because it lets talented people work within their interests and passions. 

Not sure if this is changing quickly or I'm just giving it more attention, but the dealers I've been in contact with this year have made a direct shift towards dedicating more internal resources towards managing the marketing efforts. The emphasis on digital asset performance creates a strong need for dedicated resources.

3. Managing is out. Leadership is in.

Look for an intense focus on leadership in 2013 as deeper concepts of ownership take hold at the dealer principal, executive and corporate levels. Teams will move beyond simply managing activity, they will become experts in mastering concepts within their respective areas of expertise to create a waterfall of knowledge and learning experiences for their entire organization. These experiences will influence the behaviors and actions of the entire staff rather than just one person driving the activity. Process, structure and marketing understanding have paved the way for a new layer of leadership as industry thought leaders become more savvy. Mastering the art of telling your brand's story, retaining customers and employees for life via inspirational experiences, education and embracing the power of your data will transform today's managers into tomorrow's leaders. 

Leading your teams by example, providing an educational element and creating a culture of ownership is definitely "In" - managing by simply following a tick sheet and barking out orders is "out." Which side are you on?

4. Mobile Payments (& Behaviors) Will Shorten Buying Cycles

I'm not concerned so much with the actual solution, rather the actual concept of how our behavior will change as result of this solution. NFC, Square, Paypal apps, Passbook and others will continue to provide more options for consumers to learn a new behavior. And with this behavior will become a shorter buying cycle, pushing us closer to providing better solutions for your customers to connect and purchase - anything from parts, general services and even make down payments. I've said this before: customers don't need new ways of finding things to buy, but they do need more efficient ways of paying for things. This action alone changes the perception of the shopping experience. 

We'll also see more contextual actions which integrate functionality from other social networks that help us complete actions based on our activity and those of our friends. Not only will we be alerted of a friend's upcoming birthday or newborn child, we'll also be able to find either products or retailers nearby based on our recent activity and interests. We'll also find relevant feedback and have the ability to purchase and ship within a few simple gestures as this all happens within our various mobile devices. 

More specifically, and within my favorite segment, location based services will not only hit a new level of awareness and understanding, but they will also achieve a new height of effectiveness with the introduction of better algorithms which learn and predict our habits, usage and interests - based on our permissions. Hype free, no spam and exactly what we want to see. Central hubs of our activity will exist, making it easier for us to stay connected to the key informational elements of our life - Grokr is a wonderful example of this new effective hub.

I'll admit this one is still a bit further out for our industry, however the concept and the activity is moving at incredible speeds for other sections of the retail industry. Square is on pace to process $15 Billion in mobile payments in 2013. Geo-fencing strategies and concepts are beginning to trickle down to more retail establishments; OEM's and large dealer groups are starting to experiment with these activities. We'll keep watching for more results and behavior data. I'm still betting big on this movement.

5. Niche Industry Events

The industry has spoken about macro events that happening just for the sake of having an event. Buying products based on sales pitches is out. Broad based integrated solutions based on awareness and education is in. It's time for dealership leaders to understand how the clock works rather than just being able to tell the time. The best example of this is next year's DrivingSales President's Club event headlined by Seth Godin. This will be a key niche event focusing on areas such as leadership, global economic impact, dealership M&A activity, industry regulations, and other retail industry insights which make up your key foundation assets.

While everyone at DrivingSales was a little cautious about the President's Club event it proved to be an overwhelming success based on the feedback from the attendees, the speakers and the vendors in attendance. Look for more of these events to provide a nice balance to the DrivingSales Executive Summit in the fall. Maybe an international event could be added to the mix?

6. Increased Mobile Video Presence and Effectiveness

Mobile video will become more helpful based on a couple of simple factors: Improved network infrastructure creating better connections on 4G and LTE networks and faster, more powerful chip sets within the devices constantly at an arms length away from us. Pictures will become old school, video will become the standard and keep an eye out for more practical uses of augmented reality as well.

Look for major improvements in mobile workflow solutions for all dealership departments, even better customer facing solutions, and especially new expanded solutions within your social media efforts with regards to real-time story telling. This all ties into shortening buying cycles, improving digital footprints and creating more effective social signals to help drive your local mobile search results.

Video continues it's charge. New devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, the iPhone 5S and others are positioning video as a core element of their experience. Vehicle merchandising tactics are also focusing on the importance of mobile. This one is a no brainer. Get on the mobile video train, the seats are filling up quickly.

7. Strong Focus on Professional Experiences and Personal Brands

As company leaders, Internet directors and marketing ninjas continue to be defined by their areas of expertise, so will the awareness of how important their individual brand is to the dealership's customers, staff and the industry. This is how the next wave of excellence and talent will be discovered within our industry. 

Tools like the DrivingSales dScore will help drive awareness around individual activity and relevant experience. Branding platforms such as About.me will continue to define your personal brands and provide greater context for our abilities and affiliations within the industry.

We've had some fun with the dScore so far this year. Every week someone else asks me about it, what it is, how it works and what it means. Another shift this year has been the changes Klout made with regards to introducing Klout answers. The ability to demonstrate relevant activity, authority and experience is important when building personal brands. Different solutions such as the dScore, Klout answers and Quora all help the cause.

By now you've heard Yahoo announced they plan on aquiring micro-blogging platform Tumblr for $1 Billion. The news made CEO David Karp a very wealthy 26 year old, it scared off a few die-hard Tumblr fans and probably makes Yahoo shareholders a little nervous. 

But, what does this signal for the future of social media and user generated content? Whether or not this deal proves to be fundamentally sound, it does point to the perceived importance of user generated content, how we interact with it and how the market perceives the value of this platform. (Tumblr only generated $13 million in revenue last year.) 

The theme here is that Yahoo is fearful of becoming the older, out-of touch player in a new world of social and content. Yahoo's power hungry CEO Marissa Mayer is placing a sizable bet on the fact that Tumblr's younger, more socially active user base can inject a cool and edgy lifeline back into it's veins. 

It all comes down to content. The media giants need it; users want to create it and they need a place to consume it. This is today's Internet and the next wave of Internet users are going to change  the platforms and distribution methods faster than what we're already familiar with happening. It took Twitter six years to go mainstream - six years could eventually become the entire lifespan of a billion dollar company from start to finish at the rate mega brands are swallowing up high valuation start up companies. 

Consider the content you're creating, the platforms you're using and who's using them. Content discovery is changing and so is the way brands are marketing to these users. Watch for these new alternatives to present themselves and consider how they can help your dealership. 

Does your dealership use Tumblr for creating content? Here's an old example of how I used Tumblr at my dealership to create hundreds of interviews with our twitter followers and customers.

What are you working on today that is helping you build something meaningful for tomorrow?

Or, does your day consist of going through motions that are essentially exercises in futility? If so, why is that? Is it simply a result of not having a plan? Are you doing what you truly love? Do you feel that you don't have the resources available to you?

We all have our core responsibilities - the daily grind. But this doesn't mean you can't build on something bigger with regards to your personal and professional development? You need to bake in value with everything you're doing, doing so inspires those around you while also raising the level of service you're providing.

Awareness, education and skills building is the new cool. The ability to find and consume helpful resources has never been easier.

Whether you want to learn how to improve your tennis game, understand the mechanics of the long term supply curve and economic profit from Khan Academy or if you want to beef up your automotive digital marketing skills, there are plenty of trusted sources that can help you improve to stand alone in this crowded space.

Don't be average. Be awesome. 

Last week I hosted a webinar for KPA marketing called "40 Tips in 40 Minutes." This was an updated version of a DrivingSales Executive Summit workshop held last fall. 

A major theme today is process, but as your proceses begin to tighten and your experience grows, you still need to be aware of new tools and tactics to continue improving and stay in the right frame of mind.

So, my goal of the webinar was simple - give visitors as many helpful takeaways as possible to add them to your current routines. 

Check out the deck and hopefully you'll walk away with at least one item that can help you and your marketing efforts within your dealership. If you want even more context around each item and to listen the full recording of the webinar, contact Becky Ross at KPA and they'll help you with the info.

And of course, if you ever have a question, feel free to shoot me an email or follow me on twitter @emiltsch 

All links in the presentation are live - click through for more info.