We work with multiple dealer groups, and they all have their own preferences on how inventory and leads are routed.  Some have 2 OEM flags under 1 roof and share a DMS, others have multiple rooftops and 1 pre-owned lot with each running their own DMS, and some even have multiple pre-owned lots with one OEM rooftop.  The point is that the multiple rooftop configurations of dealer groups have no end.

Just recently, we brought on a new franchise OEM dealer group that had 2 OEM rooftops and 1 pre-owned rooftop.  Simple enough, right?  Here was the rub:  The pre-owned lot was 40 miles away from the OEM rooftops, they had 1 dealer group website that only displayed phone number and contacts for the new car stores, and all new car and pre-owned car leads went to the new car sales reps!  You see where this is going…

New car sales reps were selling the pre-owned vehicles on a lot 40 miles away to leads that came through the dealership’s website.  Consequently, the pre-owned sales reps only handled walk-ins and phone ups (that didn’t call the phone number on the website).  The Pre-Owned Manager had talked with the General Manager on several occasions about this issue, but the answer was always “I don’t care who sells the car, as long as the car is sold.” When we brought them on board, the 4 pre-owned sales reps were ready to bolt…

Not only is this a morale killer for the pre-owned sales reps to have their inventory sold out from under them to their own leads, but it was extremely inefficient for customers as well.  When a customer would call in asking about a pre-owned vehicle, the new car sales rep hasn’t even seen the vehicle, so he has to look it up.   The rep then informs the customer that he can show the vehicle but it is 40 miles away (or that he can show the vehicle at a later time, when someone’s had enough time to drive over and bring the vehicle back to the new car lot).  Really?  What if a customer just walks on the lot looking for the pre-owned vehicle they saw on the website?  I couldn’t imagine running a dealership group in this way.

To make a long story short, we had conversations with the GM of the new dealership and convinced him that new car leads should be routed to new car sales reps and pre-owned leads should be routed to pre-owned sales reps, no matter what channel the customer came in through.

There is definitely power in a dealer group’s online presence, but our clients need to understand the fundamental foundation of the online display of their group brand online.

So, I wanted to list 5 fundamentals of a dealer group website:

1. Home page – Home pages are intended to cast a broad digital marketing net.  You do not know what the consumer is coming to your homepage to find, so you should have every department represented. We believe the pre-owned inventory on a dealer group’s home page should get top left screen real estate.  Top left is the hottest visual section of an online display.  Consumers are drawn to your dealer group pre-owned inventory because of the large selection.  Let them search all pre-owned inventory regardless of location.  Don’t make them go to each location’s website to find their desired vehicle.On the new car side, consumers are coming to your website to look at a specific brand, so having new inventory separated by brand makes a lot of sense.
2. Inventory list - Enabling the search of all pre-owned inventory from one list is key.  You can either separate the inventory list by location, or once the customer is on the vehicle details page, the location can be displayed.
3. Search, Filter, and Sort – Does your dealer website have the “old school” search? Usability of this old school search functionality is poor at best.  Words that come to mind are clunky, frustrating, and unintuitive; especially if your customers are searching large sets of inventory.  Dealer groups should be using the modern user-friendly search filters that are available from the advanced website providers.  Google-style search boxes are key as well.  Many customers, especially ones who are later in the buying cycle, will prefer to just type in what they’re looking for.
4. Vehicle Details Page - Once a consumer lands on a vehicle, the contact phone number (and in some cases, the actual sales rep’s name) must be displayed.  The provider’s system must be able to display phone numbers by location and by vehicle.
5. Lead routing by location -When a lead is submitted through your dealer website, is it routed to the correct location or does it go to the Internet ringmaster who “passes out the leads”?  Please – stop the one-person-passing-out-leads business.  It doesn’t scale, it’s a single point of failure, and it causes constant conflict among teams.  Route the lead directly to the location and representative that is vested in responding to that lead.

Does your dealer website have these 5 fundamentals in place?

Skip the internal conflict over who can steal cars out from under another group location.  If a sister store has an existing client interested in inventory on another location’s lot, that’s different than routing pre-owned leads to the new car location.  Dealer group websites are a vital piece of the marketing puzzle, but nothing is going to fit together correctly unless the vehicles are clearly assigned to the correct physical location.

We work with multiple dealer groups, and they all have their own preferences on how inventory and leads are routed.  Some have 2 OEM flags under 1 roof and share a DMS, others have multiple rooftops and 1 pre-owned lot with each running their own DMS, and some even have multiple pre-owned lots with one OEM rooftop.  The point is that the multiple rooftop configurations of dealer groups have no end.

Just recently, we brought on a new franchise OEM dealer group that had 2 OEM rooftops and 1 pre-owned rooftop.  Simple enough, right?  Here was the rub:  The pre-owned lot was 40 miles away from the OEM rooftops, they had 1 dealer group website that only displayed phone number and contacts for the new car stores, and all new car and pre-owned car leads went to the new car sales reps!  You see where this is going…

New car sales reps were selling the pre-owned vehicles on a lot 40 miles away to leads that came through the dealership’s website.  Consequently, the pre-owned sales reps only handled walk-ins and phone ups (that didn’t call the phone number on the website).  The Pre-Owned Manager had talked with the General Manager on several occasions about this issue, but the answer was always “I don’t care who sells the car, as long as the car is sold.” When we brought them on board, the 4 pre-owned sales reps were ready to bolt…

Not only is this a morale killer for the pre-owned sales reps to have their inventory sold out from under them to their own leads, but it was extremely inefficient for customers as well.  When a customer would call in asking about a pre-owned vehicle, the new car sales rep hasn’t even seen the vehicle, so he has to look it up.   The rep then informs the customer that he can show the vehicle but it is 40 miles away (or that he can show the vehicle at a later time, when someone’s had enough time to drive over and bring the vehicle back to the new car lot).  Really?  What if a customer just walks on the lot looking for the pre-owned vehicle they saw on the website?  I couldn’t imagine running a dealership group in this way.

To make a long story short, we had conversations with the GM of the new dealership and convinced him that new car leads should be routed to new car sales reps and pre-owned leads should be routed to pre-owned sales reps, no matter what channel the customer came in through.

There is definitely power in a dealer group’s online presence, but our clients need to understand the fundamental foundation of the online display of their group brand online.

So, I wanted to list 5 fundamentals of a dealer group website:

1. Home page – Home pages are intended to cast a broad digital marketing net.  You do not know what the consumer is coming to your homepage to find, so you should have every department represented. We believe the pre-owned inventory on a dealer group’s home page should get top left screen real estate.  Top left is the hottest visual section of an online display.  Consumers are drawn to your dealer group pre-owned inventory because of the large selection.  Let them search all pre-owned inventory regardless of location.  Don’t make them go to each location’s website to find their desired vehicle.On the new car side, consumers are coming to your website to look at a specific brand, so having new inventory separated by brand makes a lot of sense.
2. Inventory list - Enabling the search of all pre-owned inventory from one list is key.  You can either separate the inventory list by location, or once the customer is on the vehicle details page, the location can be displayed.
3. Search, Filter, and Sort – Does your dealer website have the “old school” search? Usability of this old school search functionality is poor at best.  Words that come to mind are clunky, frustrating, and unintuitive; especially if your customers are searching large sets of inventory.  Dealer groups should be using the modern user-friendly search filters that are available from the advanced website providers.  Google-style search boxes are key as well.  Many customers, especially ones who are later in the buying cycle, will prefer to just type in what they’re looking for.
4. Vehicle Details Page - Once a consumer lands on a vehicle, the contact phone number (and in some cases, the actual sales rep’s name) must be displayed.  The provider’s system must be able to display phone numbers by location and by vehicle.
5. Lead routing by location -When a lead is submitted through your dealer website, is it routed to the correct location or does it go to the Internet ringmaster who “passes out the leads”?  Please – stop the one-person-passing-out-leads business.  It doesn’t scale, it’s a single point of failure, and it causes constant conflict among teams.  Route the lead directly to the location and representative that is vested in responding to that lead.

Does your dealer website have these 5 fundamentals in place?

Skip the internal conflict over who can steal cars out from under another group location.  If a sister store has an existing client interested in inventory on another location’s lot, that’s different than routing pre-owned leads to the new car location.  Dealer group websites are a vital piece of the marketing puzzle, but nothing is going to fit together correctly unless the vehicles are clearly assigned to the correct physical location.

(written by AutoRevo CEO Chad Polk)

Invest in mobile and be ready for your shoppers

If you haven’t yet heard of the 3-screen lifestyle, you’ll soon become very aware of it.  It’s the ever-growing lifestyle of consumers with a TV, Computer, and now s Smartphone.  Modern marketers are finding creative ways to reach these consumers who are riding the growing wave of always on instant availability.  Recent research finds that U.S. mobile Internet users are engaging in shopping-related activities at a rate that exceeds desktop usage.

Any way you look at mobile, it is transforming the way your customers shop and interact with your dealership.  Dealerships that are not investing in mobile shopping technology are at risk of getting left behind.  The good news for mobile initiative dealers is that mobile-optimized websites can raise engagement as much as 85%.

This isn’t meant to scare anyone.  Mobile websites are just another marketing channel to reach prospective customers.  What better gift could a customer give you than to have your dealership available in their pocket 24/7? You’re probably a smartphone user, right?  At any given time, how far away is your phone?  Personally, I know the farthest my phone ever gets from me is my nightstand.

In a recent study done by Adobe, I found some statistics that will get your attention:

• 53% of mobile shoppers rated product and pricing information as most important
• 66% of mobile shoppers prefer shopping via mobile browser vs. in an app
• 46% of first time mobile shoppers access a retailer’s site is by typing the website into the browser
• For consumer researching and browsing product information, 81% prefer mobile browser and 19% prefer mobile app
• 71% of consumers prefer a mobile browser over a mobile app when comparing products and prices.
• 53% of consumers spend 1-5 hours per week shopping mobile websites

Auto dealers have gone through the TV phase, are living in the computer phase, and have now been given a new frontier for marketing: the smartphone era.  For dealers, mobile can be a highly influential marketing channel.  For automotive retailers, it provides the unprecedented immediacy of shopping your store when the need strikes the consumer.  Think of mobile not strictly as a purchase channel, but more as a marketing channel to drive consumers to an action (lead conversion) and to serve them information whenever they’re ready to buy.

Mobile shopping is still in its early days, but auto dealers absolutely need a mobile presence to begin testing and measuring what works for their store, clients, and region.  Mobile will continue to evolve as user experiences catch up to the fast pace of smartphone technology.

So, you ask, “What should I consider when setting up my mobile website?”  Here’s a list of 5 areas to consider when you’re getting started with mobile (or to evaluate your current mobile site).

1. Minimalist approach to the user interface (UI), with a focus on uncluttered shopping experience.  An example of poor UI would be putting too much information on the inventory list.
2. Your mobile website must convert leads.  Do you have consistent easy-to-navigate lead forms, touch-to-call, or SMS functionality?
3. High quality imagery.  Touch screen smart phones have made incredible strides in displays.  Does your mobile website deliver rich media to the mobile browser?
4. Deep product details.  There are several great ways to display as much vehicle data on a smartphone screen as there is on desktop browsers.  Provide your consumers with as much information as you do on the desktop.
5. Robust search.  Searching, sorting, and filtering inventory could not be more important on a mobile website.  Customers are usually looking for a finite inventory set or a specific vehicle when searching on mobile.

Google recently stated that mobile searches have increased by 500% from 2008 to 2010, and according to recent projections published by Nielson Co., 1 in 2 Americans will own a smartphone by the end of 2011. It’s time to take notice that the “must have a website” era in our industry has now become the “must have a mobile website” era! 

(source: Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011)

(written by AutoRevo CEO Chad Polk)

Invest in mobile and be ready for your shoppers

If you haven’t yet heard of the 3-screen lifestyle, you’ll soon become very aware of it.  It’s the ever-growing lifestyle of consumers with a TV, Computer, and now s Smartphone.  Modern marketers are finding creative ways to reach these consumers who are riding the growing wave of always on instant availability.  Recent research finds that U.S. mobile Internet users are engaging in shopping-related activities at a rate that exceeds desktop usage.

Any way you look at mobile, it is transforming the way your customers shop and interact with your dealership.  Dealerships that are not investing in mobile shopping technology are at risk of getting left behind.  The good news for mobile initiative dealers is that mobile-optimized websites can raise engagement as much as 85%.

This isn’t meant to scare anyone.  Mobile websites are just another marketing channel to reach prospective customers.  What better gift could a customer give you than to have your dealership available in their pocket 24/7? You’re probably a smartphone user, right?  At any given time, how far away is your phone?  Personally, I know the farthest my phone ever gets from me is my nightstand.

In a recent study done by Adobe, I found some statistics that will get your attention:

• 53% of mobile shoppers rated product and pricing information as most important
• 66% of mobile shoppers prefer shopping via mobile browser vs. in an app
• 46% of first time mobile shoppers access a retailer’s site is by typing the website into the browser
• For consumer researching and browsing product information, 81% prefer mobile browser and 19% prefer mobile app
• 71% of consumers prefer a mobile browser over a mobile app when comparing products and prices.
• 53% of consumers spend 1-5 hours per week shopping mobile websites

Auto dealers have gone through the TV phase, are living in the computer phase, and have now been given a new frontier for marketing: the smartphone era.  For dealers, mobile can be a highly influential marketing channel.  For automotive retailers, it provides the unprecedented immediacy of shopping your store when the need strikes the consumer.  Think of mobile not strictly as a purchase channel, but more as a marketing channel to drive consumers to an action (lead conversion) and to serve them information whenever they’re ready to buy.

Mobile shopping is still in its early days, but auto dealers absolutely need a mobile presence to begin testing and measuring what works for their store, clients, and region.  Mobile will continue to evolve as user experiences catch up to the fast pace of smartphone technology.

So, you ask, “What should I consider when setting up my mobile website?”  Here’s a list of 5 areas to consider when you’re getting started with mobile (or to evaluate your current mobile site).

1. Minimalist approach to the user interface (UI), with a focus on uncluttered shopping experience.  An example of poor UI would be putting too much information on the inventory list.
2. Your mobile website must convert leads.  Do you have consistent easy-to-navigate lead forms, touch-to-call, or SMS functionality?
3. High quality imagery.  Touch screen smart phones have made incredible strides in displays.  Does your mobile website deliver rich media to the mobile browser?
4. Deep product details.  There are several great ways to display as much vehicle data on a smartphone screen as there is on desktop browsers.  Provide your consumers with as much information as you do on the desktop.
5. Robust search.  Searching, sorting, and filtering inventory could not be more important on a mobile website.  Customers are usually looking for a finite inventory set or a specific vehicle when searching on mobile.

Google recently stated that mobile searches have increased by 500% from 2008 to 2010, and according to recent projections published by Nielson Co., 1 in 2 Americans will own a smartphone by the end of 2011. It’s time to take notice that the “must have a website” era in our industry has now become the “must have a mobile website” era! 

(source: Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011)

(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.