(written by Chad Polk, AutoRevo CEO - published in AutoSuccess Magazine, April 2011)

Even with all the talk of mobile dealer websites, most dealers today are content to “just have one”. That’s like back in 1995 when a dealer would say “Yeah, I’ve got a website” (not to mention it only supported Internet Explorer ). Are you really content to “just have one”, when according to Google, mobile searches have grown 500% from 2008 to 2010? Another study closer to our industry, run in October 2010 by Brand Anywhere and Luth Research, stated that 88% of US mobile phone users are more likely to buy from an auto dealer who has a mobile website. Did we get your attention yet? So what should you look for when evaluating your mobile website and provider?

10 Questions to Evaluate your Mobile Dealer Website

1. Does your mobile website support all Smartphone browsers, not just iPhones?

The top 3 (Apple, Android, and Blackberry) represent 92% of the market, while Symbian, Linux, and Palm hold 8% collectively. If the top 3 are closely balanced in market share, don’t you think your mobile website should support all mobile browsers?

2. Does your mobile website support click-to-call?

It sounds fundamental, but the functionality actually has to be built in. When a consumer clicks on a visible phone number, does it automatically place a phone call? Consumers are less likely to copy and paste the phone number into the phone function of their phone, and much less likely to even know how to copy and paste.

3. Does your mobile website have a separate mobile URL?

Google has a separate index for mobile websites. If your mobile website does not have a separate URL, then Google may look at it as duplicate content. Also, it is important to have a separate URL for analytics and tracking of site traffic. Mobile statistics may have a completely different set of metrics than your primary dealer website.

4. How easy is it to search and filter inventory?

This is an absolutely critical element of your mobile dealer website. Shop your own dealership mobile site and see how easy it is to find a certain vehicle that you’d like to purchase.

• - Are the buttons large enough for men’s fingers?
• - How easy is it to change your search filters?
• - How quick are the search results displayed?
• - Slow mobile performance will run off consumers faster than anything else. Can you save your mobile search?
• - How easy is it to navigate back to the inventory list?

5. Will photos show in an easy to view format for Smartphone screens?

I see lots of providers get very fancy with photo viewers on mobile devices, and I can’t say that we didn’t toil for days on end over how we wanted to display photos. What we found in this scenario is that “less is more”- just make it “Apple simple” - where it just works. Photos should be easily scrollable without some sophisticated auto-play or other non-intuitive functionality.

The intended use of photos on a mobile device may be completely different than on a desktop computer. Mobile consumers may want to present the showcase image to their spouse or buddy; but in addition, they will check photos for confirmation of vehicle equipment present on the car. For example, I would check photos for 20” wheels, second row bucket seats, navigation screen, exact color of flooring, etc.

6. Can you track conversions on your mobile website?

Tracking your mobile analytics couldn’t be more critical. A consumer may use a much more finite list of keywords when on a mobile device to find your dealership. For example, they may really focus on the “dealership name” keywords and variations, or the terms may be more focused on “service” related keywords. You can only know what’s being searched by tracking mobile and desktop analytics separately.

7. Does your mobile website have integrated CARFAX?

I know in my own car shopping experience, one of the first things I check is if it’s a One-Owner vehicle. As I browse on mobile websites, I do the same thing. Make sure your mobile website not only shows the One-Owner logo, but also links to the full report. If it shows the One-Owner logo in the inventory list, it’s even better.

8. Does your mobile website support video on all smartphones, not just iPhones?

Video has become one of the most powerful marketing assets available on the Internet. Why not have it on your mobile website? Consumers that hone in on a few vehicles are very likely to watch the video of those vehicles.

9. Does your mobile website use pop-ups?

Nothing is more confusing to navigate through than multiple pop-ups on a mobile device. Remember: there’s no system bar with open window icons at the bottom of a mobile screen. Most mobile browsers require a user to look at a series of separate pages to figure out which window they would like to view.

10. Does your mobile website support landscape view?

When the iPhone first hit the market, landscape view was limited to very few applications. Today, it is almost a standard for all smartphone-based applications and browser pages.

Test your mobile website orientation. How well does it perform in landscape view? Does it stretch according to screen orientation? Does it present additional information in a wider screen view?

The growth in mobile shopping speaks for itself. The rapid adoption rate means consumers are starting to expect that their favorite dealership will have a mobile presence - making mobile dealer websites both an opportunity and an imperative for the auto retailing industry.

(written by Chad Polk, AutoRevo CEO - published in AutoSuccess Magazine, April 2011)

Even with all the talk of mobile dealer websites, most dealers today are content to “just have one”. That’s like back in 1995 when a dealer would say “Yeah, I’ve got a website” (not to mention it only supported Internet Explorer ). Are you really content to “just have one”, when according to Google, mobile searches have grown 500% from 2008 to 2010? Another study closer to our industry, run in October 2010 by Brand Anywhere and Luth Research, stated that 88% of US mobile phone users are more likely to buy from an auto dealer who has a mobile website. Did we get your attention yet? So what should you look for when evaluating your mobile website and provider?

10 Questions to Evaluate your Mobile Dealer Website

1. Does your mobile website support all Smartphone browsers, not just iPhones?

The top 3 (Apple, Android, and Blackberry) represent 92% of the market, while Symbian, Linux, and Palm hold 8% collectively. If the top 3 are closely balanced in market share, don’t you think your mobile website should support all mobile browsers?

2. Does your mobile website support click-to-call?

It sounds fundamental, but the functionality actually has to be built in. When a consumer clicks on a visible phone number, does it automatically place a phone call? Consumers are less likely to copy and paste the phone number into the phone function of their phone, and much less likely to even know how to copy and paste.

3. Does your mobile website have a separate mobile URL?

Google has a separate index for mobile websites. If your mobile website does not have a separate URL, then Google may look at it as duplicate content. Also, it is important to have a separate URL for analytics and tracking of site traffic. Mobile statistics may have a completely different set of metrics than your primary dealer website.

4. How easy is it to search and filter inventory?

This is an absolutely critical element of your mobile dealer website. Shop your own dealership mobile site and see how easy it is to find a certain vehicle that you’d like to purchase.

• - Are the buttons large enough for men’s fingers?
• - How easy is it to change your search filters?
• - How quick are the search results displayed?
• - Slow mobile performance will run off consumers faster than anything else. Can you save your mobile search?
• - How easy is it to navigate back to the inventory list?

5. Will photos show in an easy to view format for Smartphone screens?

I see lots of providers get very fancy with photo viewers on mobile devices, and I can’t say that we didn’t toil for days on end over how we wanted to display photos. What we found in this scenario is that “less is more”- just make it “Apple simple” - where it just works. Photos should be easily scrollable without some sophisticated auto-play or other non-intuitive functionality.

The intended use of photos on a mobile device may be completely different than on a desktop computer. Mobile consumers may want to present the showcase image to their spouse or buddy; but in addition, they will check photos for confirmation of vehicle equipment present on the car. For example, I would check photos for 20” wheels, second row bucket seats, navigation screen, exact color of flooring, etc.

6. Can you track conversions on your mobile website?

Tracking your mobile analytics couldn’t be more critical. A consumer may use a much more finite list of keywords when on a mobile device to find your dealership. For example, they may really focus on the “dealership name” keywords and variations, or the terms may be more focused on “service” related keywords. You can only know what’s being searched by tracking mobile and desktop analytics separately.

7. Does your mobile website have integrated CARFAX?

I know in my own car shopping experience, one of the first things I check is if it’s a One-Owner vehicle. As I browse on mobile websites, I do the same thing. Make sure your mobile website not only shows the One-Owner logo, but also links to the full report. If it shows the One-Owner logo in the inventory list, it’s even better.

8. Does your mobile website support video on all smartphones, not just iPhones?

Video has become one of the most powerful marketing assets available on the Internet. Why not have it on your mobile website? Consumers that hone in on a few vehicles are very likely to watch the video of those vehicles.

9. Does your mobile website use pop-ups?

Nothing is more confusing to navigate through than multiple pop-ups on a mobile device. Remember: there’s no system bar with open window icons at the bottom of a mobile screen. Most mobile browsers require a user to look at a series of separate pages to figure out which window they would like to view.

10. Does your mobile website support landscape view?

When the iPhone first hit the market, landscape view was limited to very few applications. Today, it is almost a standard for all smartphone-based applications and browser pages.

Test your mobile website orientation. How well does it perform in landscape view? Does it stretch according to screen orientation? Does it present additional information in a wider screen view?

The growth in mobile shopping speaks for itself. The rapid adoption rate means consumers are starting to expect that their favorite dealership will have a mobile presence - making mobile dealer websites both an opportunity and an imperative for the auto retailing industry.

At AutoRevo, we take SEO very seriously and have continued to improve this offering to our clients. Here are some of the SEO highlights of our recent dealer websites mini-release:

1. Users and search engines reward your website for intelligent, readable URLs.  For users, they can read the words in your URLs.  Search engines can determine the relevance to the users search.  AutoRevo has implemented a smart URL technology to so that each vehicle URL has Year-Make-Model-Trim-City-State-Zip.
2. As part of our smart URLs technology, we have added city, state, and even zip code to each vehicles URL.  In April 2010, Google actually changed their Google Business Center to Google Places.  According to Google, 20 percent of all searches are related to location.  Since comScore reports that 14.3 billion searches were conducted through Google in March, this means nearly 3 billion Google search queries contained local terms.
3. For each vehicle ad on your website, AutoRevo dynamically generates meta keywords and descriptions.  But – you thought search engines no longer indexed meta keywords? There is no clear consensus on whether they will have any effect on your ranking -  Google definitely doesn’t use meta keywords, but Yahoo and Bing are rumored to still consider them, as long as the keywords are also present in the text on that page. But, even if meta keywords have little effect on placement, it’s still good practice to have them listed for every page.  Meta descriptions are definitely important, because approximately the first 150 characters of your meta description are displayed in the search results under your link.  By having relevant information displayed to the consumer’s search, the consumer is much more likely to click on your vehicle.  AutoRevo displays the Year, Make, Model, Trim, City, and State in the meta description for display on the search results page.
   

For more information on AutoRevo dealer websites SEO, chat with a Dealer Consultant today or call 888-311-7386!

At AutoRevo, we take SEO very seriously and have continued to improve this offering to our clients. Here are some of the SEO highlights of our recent dealer websites mini-release:

1. Users and search engines reward your website for intelligent, readable URLs.  For users, they can read the words in your URLs.  Search engines can determine the relevance to the users search.  AutoRevo has implemented a smart URL technology to so that each vehicle URL has Year-Make-Model-Trim-City-State-Zip.
2. As part of our smart URLs technology, we have added city, state, and even zip code to each vehicles URL.  In April 2010, Google actually changed their Google Business Center to Google Places.  According to Google, 20 percent of all searches are related to location.  Since comScore reports that 14.3 billion searches were conducted through Google in March, this means nearly 3 billion Google search queries contained local terms.
3. For each vehicle ad on your website, AutoRevo dynamically generates meta keywords and descriptions.  But – you thought search engines no longer indexed meta keywords? There is no clear consensus on whether they will have any effect on your ranking -  Google definitely doesn’t use meta keywords, but Yahoo and Bing are rumored to still consider them, as long as the keywords are also present in the text on that page. But, even if meta keywords have little effect on placement, it’s still good practice to have them listed for every page.  Meta descriptions are definitely important, because approximately the first 150 characters of your meta description are displayed in the search results under your link.  By having relevant information displayed to the consumer’s search, the consumer is much more likely to click on your vehicle.  AutoRevo displays the Year, Make, Model, Trim, City, and State in the meta description for display on the search results page.
   

For more information on AutoRevo dealer websites SEO, chat with a Dealer Consultant today or call 888-311-7386!

One of the important features of our latest release of PowerSites 2.0 is 301 redirects. Now you ask “What in the world is a 301 redirect?”

A 301 Redirect causes a browser or search spider to go to another location permanently. For example if you go to http://TexasMotorCars.com it redirects you to http://www.TexasMotorCars.com. You may have also heard Google use the phrase canonical URLs. Canonicalization is the process of picking the best url when there are several choices, and it usually refers to home pages.

Examples:
www.texasmotorcars.com
texasmotorcars.com
www.texasmotorcars.com/home.aspx
texasmotorcars.com/index.aspx

Why is this so important? The search engines see TexasMotorCars.com and www.TexasMotorCars.com as two (2) separate domains (or separate references). Therefore your backlinks and other link bait you have on the internet would be split between 2 domains, according to Google – which ultimately affects your ranking on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). With a permanent redirect (301) on TexasMotorCars.com to www.TexasMotorCars.com, Google now recognizes your dealership’s domain as one (1) domain and all the credit goes to that domain for search ranking.

Next you say, “So, ok – if a customer goes to my website without the www in front, it redirects. That’s great, but that is only the customers browsing my website.” This is true, but think about search engines indexing all your links online and the hundreds maybe thousands of vehicles you have online backlinking to your website. Some may be using www and others not. Now you have thousands of backlinks online using two different domains according to the search engines! Ouch!

So in the end, pick the url you prefer and always use that format for your internal links. AutoRevo also now covers you with 301 redirects also for old pages and domains. And most importantly, we automatically establish a canonical (preferred) domain for each dealer website.

If you want to learn more about AutoRevo dealer websites or other products, chat with a Dealer Consultant today or call 888.311.7386.

One of the important features of our latest release of PowerSites 2.0 is 301 redirects. Now you ask “What in the world is a 301 redirect?”

A 301 Redirect causes a browser or search spider to go to another location permanently. For example if you go to http://TexasMotorCars.com it redirects you to http://www.TexasMotorCars.com. You may have also heard Google use the phrase canonical URLs. Canonicalization is the process of picking the best url when there are several choices, and it usually refers to home pages.

Examples:
www.texasmotorcars.com
texasmotorcars.com
www.texasmotorcars.com/home.aspx
texasmotorcars.com/index.aspx

Why is this so important? The search engines see TexasMotorCars.com and www.TexasMotorCars.com as two (2) separate domains (or separate references). Therefore your backlinks and other link bait you have on the internet would be split between 2 domains, according to Google – which ultimately affects your ranking on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). With a permanent redirect (301) on TexasMotorCars.com to www.TexasMotorCars.com, Google now recognizes your dealership’s domain as one (1) domain and all the credit goes to that domain for search ranking.

Next you say, “So, ok – if a customer goes to my website without the www in front, it redirects. That’s great, but that is only the customers browsing my website.” This is true, but think about search engines indexing all your links online and the hundreds maybe thousands of vehicles you have online backlinking to your website. Some may be using www and others not. Now you have thousands of backlinks online using two different domains according to the search engines! Ouch!

So in the end, pick the url you prefer and always use that format for your internal links. AutoRevo also now covers you with 301 redirects also for old pages and domains. And most importantly, we automatically establish a canonical (preferred) domain for each dealer website.

If you want to learn more about AutoRevo dealer websites or other products, chat with a Dealer Consultant today or call 888.311.7386.

With more people than ever using the Internet to research and even purchase vehicles, your dealer website can make or break your business. Your website is almost always a customer’s first impression of your dealership – so it’s absolutely critical to have a well-designed, easy to navigate dealer website.

Click the image to watch the video

From independents to large franchises and dealer groups, AutoRevo PowerSites will let you stand out from the sea of competitors on the Internet. Every website is custom-designed to fit the personality and feel of your dealership, so every site looks different – no templates or cookie-cutter sites here.

Most importantly, every site includes advanced search architecture, boosted SEO performance, and easy-to-navigate page layouts… all ensuring that customers can quickly navigate through your site to find the vehicle that they’re looking for.

For more information about AutoRevo PowerSites, call a Dealer Consultant today at 888-311-7386 or visit www.autorevo.com.

With more people than ever using the Internet to research and even purchase vehicles, your dealer website can make or break your business. Your website is almost always a customer’s first impression of your dealership – so it’s absolutely critical to have a well-designed, easy to navigate dealer website.

Click the image to watch the video

From independents to large franchises and dealer groups, AutoRevo PowerSites will let you stand out from the sea of competitors on the Internet. Every website is custom-designed to fit the personality and feel of your dealership, so every site looks different – no templates or cookie-cutter sites here.

Most importantly, every site includes advanced search architecture, boosted SEO performance, and easy-to-navigate page layouts… all ensuring that customers can quickly navigate through your site to find the vehicle that they’re looking for.

For more information about AutoRevo PowerSites, call a Dealer Consultant today at 888-311-7386 or visit www.autorevo.com.