This post is in part a con. While I'm definitely interested in offering advice and not a sales pitch to any DrivingSales member who has SEO or Internet Marketing questions, I have an ulterior motive.

If you aren't on Twitter, you might be missing out. If you haven't heard of Twitter, you need to watch more news, read more newspapers, and spend more time online.

Twitter is a microblogging and lifestreaming platform that has taken the Internet and the rest of the world by storm. It has been credited with helping Obama win the election, for helping Britney Spears improve her faltering reputation, and for giving Skittles a new direction in their marketing campaign.

Still not convinced? Do a search on Google for "Twitter". Hit the "News" button up at the top. Check out some of the headlines and the dates on these stories. You'll notice immediately that Twitter is hot and it's on the rise.

How is Twitter going to be used in business? How can it help car dealers, manufacturers, and vendors? These are topics for a future post as well as for my upcoming Twitter Ustream.TV show, but for now, I'll just entice you with some quality, sales-free SEO advice.  All you have to do is tweet me.

If you have a Twitter account, you probably know what to do.  Add me: JD Rucker on Twitter, and send me an @ reply. Direct Messages get mixed in with the other 50 I get a day, so @ replies are the best way to get my attention.

If you don't have a Twitter account, here is the basics to get started:

1. Sign up at Twitter.
2. Pick your User Name carefully, preferably your full name or first initial, last name.
3. Add your photo and some biographical information.
4. Add me: JD Rucker on Twitter by pressing the "Follow" button.
5. In your Twitter bar, past the following:

@0boy - I am from http://drivingsales.com and I have a question for you.

I will contact you through DrivingSales to discuss your SEO or marketing question.  It may sound confusing, but it should take a total of 5 minutes. Twitter limits interactions to 140 characters or less (which is its strength, but I'll explain that in future posts) so sending your questions themselves through Twitter might not be the best way for us to interact. With that said, you may wonder why I would want you to go through the whole process of joining Twitter. Why wouldn't I just post my email or phone number and tell you to contact me that way?

You'll understand soon enough. Join Twitter and my SEO brain is yours for the picking.

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Read more about Automotive Social Media on this blog.

For Searchers

The way it looks initially, searches will be experiencing a paradigm shift in the way they search.  Sounds pretty dramatic, but between changes coming in Universal Search and the SearchWiki functionality rolling out right now, searchers will (hopefully) be able to get the information they need more easily without having to use multiple attempts at different keywords to get what they want.

Before, typing a search for "Toyota Dealers" would yield mostly national searches in the organic section.  The sponsored section was normally geo-targeted results, but unless you happened to be close to dealership whose website was very well optimized, you probably had to do the search again.  If localized, universal, and personalized search make good on their promises and meet their goals of relevancy, that could all change.

For Website Owners

The real question should be, "Is your website provider or marketing firm ready for what's coming down?"

Bruce Clay is saying that "ranking is dead."  Behavior based search is expanding, regardless of whether someone is logged into Google or not.  He predicts that in the first quarter of 2009, there will be a major shift to localized, personal search that will make the once-simple job of optimizing a website much more difficult.  The factors that determine the rankings delivered to the target audience will change and we will see a shift towards other indicators for success.

Matt Cutts says "ranking won't be as important as it used to be in 2009."

This is a scary proposition for the ill-prepared SEO firm.  It isn't a matter of making websites linkable and large.  What will be necessary is for them to be directly relevant to the search terms that they are wanting to rank for.  This is a subtle distinction, but in the whole scheme of things, it's a huge difference from the way websites are optimized today.

Personalization and localization are coming.  They're here, to some extent.  If you haven't seen it already, don't worry.  Your data center will update soon.

Universal search is changing.  It is apparently in a constant state of flux.  We've had a taste of it for a year, now.  SEO's must embrace the fact that they are having to become more like marketers.  There is a distinction, and anyone who doesn't make that distinction and adjust will be lost in 2008.

Other key points:

• Got videos?  Yes?  Great!  But, do you have video sitemaps?  You better ask.  Then, you better verify.
• Flash cannot get indexed?  Wrong.  Does your website provider know this now, or are they still preaching that you can't optimize flash?
• Subdomains - they have been a hot topic for a while, offering "distinct" websites that stand on their own.  Google has made adjustments to the way they handle same-server subdomains, yet so many are still preaching that subdomains offer the same or even better SEO benefits than separate domains on separate hosting.  Not true.

It always makes me laugh when I hear SEO firms and website providers who are touting their skills that are still using techniques that have been outdated for a while.  Now that we are learning more about the changes that Google is making in their algorithm, strong, search-focused marketing firms are having to make dramatic adjustments to their styles.

For those ready to cry foul, here is a video from Pubcon of Matt Cutts from Google discussing these trends.  Are you ready for the changes?

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Read more about automotive SEO on this blog.

As with many of my posts lately, I'm going to ride the fence.  There are advantages and disadvantages to having your website inventory indexed.  This issue has popped up more and more lately as a lot of gurus are pointing towards indexed inventory as a strong SEO tool.

To me, it's a gray issue.

Advantages of Indexed Inventory:

• More pages
  
• More opportunities to rank for long-tail keywords
  
• Searchers land on specific vehicles versus navigation
  
• Internal link potential (if done properly) to help other pages rank well

Disadvantages:

• Temporary listings that can become 404 errors or redirects when the search engines crawl the page next time
  
• Duplicate content
  
• Lack of focus on primary linked pages

For those who want the verdict without the details, I can say that IF the website provider is doing everything else that is required to properly optimize the homepage and landing pages, the benefits can outweigh the disadvantages.  That's a big IF, as most website providers rely on indexed inventory as the primary tool in their SEO strategy.  For high-volume keywords, it just doesn't help.  Here is a list of the top 10 for the difficult, high-volume keyword "Los Angeles Honda":

1. http://www.1sthonda.com  - 16 Indexed Pages
2. http://www.hondaofhollywood.com/ - 580 Indexed Pages
3. http://w3.normreeveshonda.com – 11 Indexed Pages
4. http://www.lacyclesports.com/ - 1 Indexed Page
5. http://www.buenaparkhonda.net/ - 797 Indexed Pages
6. http://www.robertsonhonda.com/ - 41 Indexed Pages
7. http://www.lahondaworld.com/ - 1700 Indexed Pages
8. http://www.scottrobinsonhonda.com – 33 Indexed Pages
9. http://www.amhonda.com – 429 Indexed Pages
10. http://www.hondaofsantamonica.com – 620 Indexed Pages

OK, now, most gurus will say, "Yes, but what about the other keywords?  Even though they aren't number 1 for that keyword, they probably rank for a lot more keywords!"

Well, no.  Not in this case.

• http://www.lahondaworld.com/ - 1700 Indexed Pages – Ranked for 20 Keywords
• http://www.buenaparkhonda.net/ - 797 Indexed Pages – Ranked for 79 Keywords
• http://www.hondaofsantamonica.com – 620 Indexed Pages – Ranked for 59 Keywords
• Los Angeles Honda Dealers -  16 Indexed Pages - Ranked for 216 keywords.

Please understand that I am NOT using this example to say "indexed inventory is bad for SEO."  All I am wanting to point out is that most companies use their indexed inventory as the bulk of their SEO technique (and sales pitch).  I had a discussion with a dealer today who was considering going with a vendor who had a pitch for their indexed inventory that apparently blew my pitch for sound SEO strategy out of the water.  I talked about links.  I talked about proper formatting of the website.

The other vendor really hammered him on indexed pages.  Luckily, I got one last chance to prove my point.  We compared our website, one that the dealer chose from a list of 50, and compared it to the other vendor's sample multi-brand website that should have ranked for 300 keywords.  They ranked for 16.  My single brand dealer ranked for 173.  Case closed.

Indexing inventory IF DONE RIGHT AND AS PART OF A COMPLETE OPTIMIZATION CAMPAIGN is not a bad thing.  That is all up for debate.  What is NOT up for debate is whether or not indexing inventory is the key to SEO.  It isn't.

Leather interior doesn't make a car drive any faster.

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Read more Automotive SEO Tips on this blog.

There is a debate going on, though few are involved and even fewer understand it.  First, the definitions:

Long: Searches that are specific, normally 3, 4, or more words, that are highly targeted by minimal for traffic.  They are normally an extension of a primary keyword.  Example: "New Honda Accord Shreveport"

Medium: Less specific than long keywords, usually 2 or 3 words, with higher volume and lower conversion.  Example:  "Shreveport Honda"

Short: Very general terms.  High volume, low, low conversion.  Example: "Honda"

These definitions are loose simply because the automotive industry is so locally targeted, the traditional definitions of "long-tail" vs "short-tail" don't do it justice.  Technically, all relevant automotive keywords for a dealership are long-tail, so it is important to add the middle definition.

With that said, you can throw the "Short" out the door for SEO.  With a strong SEM budget, the short-tail are fine because you can target your ads geographically, but otherwise, they are worthless.  Getting ranked for "Honda" would be nearly impossible for a car dealer, and if they could get ranked there, it would be served to millions of people, 99% of whom don't care about your dealership because they are far away.

Medium keywords will drive the most traffic to a site because the searches are high volume.  "Los Angeles Honda" is searched for hundreds of thousands of times a month.  A car dealer definitely needs to go after as many relevant medium keywords as possible.  There are a lot, but the real estate is still very precious and exclusive.

Long keywords drive less traffic to a site, but they are more likely to convert once they get there.  If someone is searching for a specific vehicle in a specific place, they are probably potential buyers.  Here are some numbers taken from one of our dealers.  The names and cities have been changed for privacy reasons and the numbers themselves have been evenly scaled, but the picture painted by these numbers is telling:

7 Medium Keywords
1142 Unique Visitors
83 Leads
12 Sales

142 Long Keywords
565 Unique Visitors
52 Leads
9 Sales

It is clear which one is better, right?  The answer is, "Yes".  In today's economy, you need them both.  You need every visitor, every lead, and most of all, every sale that you can get.  Having a website that can achieve top rankings in as many keywords as possible is the best way to achieve success.

Curious how well you're ranking.  Try this tool: SEODigger.  If you sign up for a free account, you can see how well your website (and the websites of potential vendors) are doing as a whole.  It will tell give a good representation of how many keywords a website is ranked for in the top 20 on Google.

Any questions about this tool, automotive search engine optimization, or website design, feel free to call or email me: jrucker@tkcarsites.com - 949-310-1727

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Get more automotive SEO advice on this blog.

Don't you hate it when you lose a sale?  It could be a poor inventory, not clicking with a customer, or a conflict in trade difference that causes a lost sale.  Luckily, all of these are easily fixed - we all know how to handle those.

Sometimes, a lost sale starts from your website where the chance is missed to convert a visitor into a lead.  This, too, is easily fixed with a better website.

We can look at our salespeople or check the statistics on our websites and identify problems with these forms of lost sales, but there is another lost sale that affects many dealers and most don't even know they are losing them

Search for your dealership by name.  You should (we hope) see your dealer website at the top.  Now scan down on the page.  Anything out of place?  There should be the vendors who are vying for your business - nothing you can do about those.  No, what you're looking for is something bad.

For example, a search for Rountree Ford shows something very interesting.  Ouch.  Scan down.  Do you see more?

Negative reviews are often the most annoying occurrences that a car dealer can face on the search engines.  They often rank exceptionally well and can prevent people from even clicking on your website at all.  When terms like "Ripoff" or "Lawsuit" or "Scam" appear in listings close to the top, there is no telling how much business is being lost.

There are ways to prevent this.  There are ways to fight it.  The key is in having properties that can rank above these listings, thus pushing them down "below the fold" of the search engine result page and hopefully on to page 2.  Once on page 2, the likelihood of anyone seeing it is dramatically lower.

Blogs, social media, social networks, branded microsites -- all have have a beneficial impact on your search results.  The best potential customers are the ones looking for you by name.  Why not make sure your name is defended online?

I can't think of a good reason not to.

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Read more automotive search marketing advice on this blog or email me if you have any questions: jrucker@tkcarsites.com.

The old saying that "content is king" is just that... and old saying.  In automotive search engine optimization (any SEO for that matter), the importance of content has been superceded by quality, relevant inbound links.

Content still has its value, of course.  In the race to the top of the search engines, every little bit helps.  The way that SEO has evolved over the last couple of years has placed a strong emphasis on what other websites are saying about your website.  They know that you can manipulate your content, play with the percentages, and stuff keywords.  That is why content, while still important, is not the factor that it used to be.

Take a look at First Honda.  They are ranked #1 on Google for Los Angeles Honda.  If you take a look at their source code, you'll see that the term "Los Angeles" is in the Meta Description once and the content twice.  Not exactly keyword stuffed, but when you consider the dealership is 40 miles north of Los Angeles, it would seem that the links are working.

Do a search for Washington DC Acura Dealers.  Chantilly, VA is 30 miles west of Washington DC, yet Pohanka ranks above every competitor that is closer, even the ones in Washington DC itself.

Dealers beware: there are good ways and bad ways of getting these coveted links to your website.  Make absolutely certain that your vendor is not spamming your website across the Internet.  This isn't a game of numbers.  It's a game of quality.  One strong link from a trusted automotive website can have more SEO weight than 10,000 spam links.  Just because someone says "link-building" doesn't mean that they're doing it right.  In this industry, most are not.

Read more about auto seo on this blog.

Gas mileage is a hot topic to automotive consumers. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a hot topic to automotive dealers. With today’s economic conditions, getting the most mileage out of a vehicle has many parallels with getting the most out of your SEO.

In both cases, we want more for less. Search engine marketing is becoming more expensive, so smart dealers must position themselves on the organic section of the search engines to get the most bang for their buck. Here are some tips to help achieve the most possible clicks for the least amount of money.

Buy a Hybrid
Just as hybrid vehicles are rolling off showroom floors at record rates, hybrid SEO campaigns are becoming more popular for car dealer Web sites. A hybrid SEO campaign is one that properly utilizes both onsite and offsite optimization techniques.

In the past, having proper SEO on a Web site itself was enough. Today, the search engines like to see more in the way of relevant, high-quality inbound links from other Web sites to your own. These links act as “votes” for a site, and search engines are counting these heavily.

For example, if a blog about an auto repair has a story about getting quotes, the search engines will consider this relevant to auto repair in general. If there is a link to a dealership’s service department page within a blog post and the anchor text of the link is “Auto Repair Richmond VA,” the search engines will take this as a ”vote” for that page as the authority for that service department.

Quality inbound links are far more powerful than any onsite SEO. Having a gas-guzzling, onsite-only SEO campaign will hurt you in today’s ultra-competitive market.

Avoid Unnecessary Weight
Up until very recently, bigger was better, both in vehicle sales and in SEO. The full-size pickups and SUVs people used to love are becoming less valuable as gas goes up. Similarly, car dealer Web sites with hundreds or even thousands of pages, a trait Google used to love, are now hurt by the bulk.

Google still loves relevant, content-rich pages. Google just doesn’t look at inventory details pages the same anymore. There are two problems with having indexed inventory pages:
 

• The pages normally aren’t loaded with good content. If they do have content, it’s normally duplicated across several pages. For example, if a dealer has 15 new Honda Accords, chances are the pages are almost exactly alike except for VIN, stock number and price. These pages will get indexed quickly, and then be removed from the index just as quickly.
• Inventory pages are temporary. As vehicles sell, the pages they were on either become a redirect or “404 Page Not Found.” One of the things Google does not like is to index a page, list it on their results page, then have the page change to a redirect or 404 page.

There are advantages to a high number of indexed pages, such as long-tail rankings, but in the auto industry, the negatives outweigh the positives. If your inventory pages are indexed currently, have your provider either set the robot.text file to “noindex” or simply frame in inventory.

Change Your Oil
While most drivers are diligent about changing their oil, very few dealers are diligent about modifying optimized keywords. A good SEO campaign will monitor keyword rankings and make adjustments when keyword goals are met.

If your Web site is ranked #1 for a particular keyword, you can’t move it up any higher. Why waste optimization on that keyword? Instead, new keywords should replace those that are considered “victories” while the ones in the #1 spot should be monitored. If they start to fall in the rankings, they should be added back to the active keywords to optimize, but as long as they are #1, they will be able to coast for a while in that spot under normal circumstances.

True optimization is an ongoing process that requires constant monitoring and adjusting. The average dealer Web site ranks for 15 to 25 keywords per make. A well-optimized site will rank for 50 to 120 per make. With properly monitored and adjusted optimization, it is possible for a dealership to rank for hundreds of keywords per make.

Keep Tires Properly Inflated
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make a big difference. Having the right amount of air in your tires can have an effect on your mileage. Having the right amount of content, meta keywords and meta descriptions can be that little edge your Web site needs to reach the top.

Content on a Web site should be around 250 words per page. Because the search engines look at saturation of keywords as a percentage rather than a tally, having too much content can dilute your onsite SEO. Not having enough can make it less valid.

A proper meta description will have its greatest effect on clicks from the search engines more than on rankings themselves. The search engines use the meta description as the primary source for the description in the listing; having this well-worded can compel people to click on your listing over a competitor’s.

Meta keywords have a very limited positive effect on SEO, especially for Google and MSN, but they can have a negative effect if they are “stuffed” with too many keywords. Keep it clean, lean and relevant. Just as every drop of gas counts when prices are approaching $5 per gallon, every bit of SEO is important in a competitive market where every click counts. Applying these tips or finding a company to apply them for you (properly) can be the difference between scraping along for Web site traffic and having an explosion of traffic and leads.

(Originally Published in AutoDealerMonthly, Vol 5, Issue 8)

When we take on a new client, I have the opportunity to really dive into the Search Engine Optimization that has been done the sites by various vendors.  There are certain things we do that others do not do and visa versa.  Everyone thinks they have the right formula -- it's all a matter of knowledge and taste.

One thing that is definitely not up for debate is the keyword selection.  This essential part of the equation can help set a proper SEO campaign in the right direction.  It can also be the part that ruins the optimization of a website and sends it down the dark path of oblivion.

Dramatic? Yes.

True?  Absolutely.

Perhaps the biggest mistake that dealers make is that they want to optimize for everything.  They want their websites to rank well in 100 different cities.  Regardless of where people are and how often they search for a particular keyword, the dealer often wants it.  In search engine pay-per-click marketing, this isn't a bad thing as the click itself is what is paid for.  Adding another keyword, even if it's not a very good one, will not hurt a dealer website.

In SEO, it can result in disaster.

Search engine optimization is not an infinite pool from which to pull.  The days of "keyword stuffing" are behind us.  The search engines, when looking at onsite content, use percentages more than they use bulk.  In other words, if you have 500 words of content and 10 of those words are "Chicago Toyota" then the search engines consider that as 2% of the content.

Now, take the dealer who wants to add Chicago and 100 tiny cities into the mix.  All of a sudden, their primary market area of Chicago has been diluted by the presence of all the other cities.

When doing keyword research (or paying someone else to do it) it is important to be smart.  A dealership can go for a lot of keywords at a time as long as they don't go overboard.  One major metro and 4 or 5 smaller cities close by is good.  You will be fine going with up to 3 major metros and 20 smaller cities (such as San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose).

Beyond that, you're diluting your SEO.  Once you're ranked well for the first batch, it's okay to add more later, but in the beginning, going for hundreds will result in success in none.

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Read more Automotive SEO Tips on this blog.

Leave it to Google.  Just when search engine optimization companies were starting to get a better understanding of what it takes to get their clients on top of the search engine results pages, Google starts to make some major changes.

There have been major changes in the past, but only two in the last couple of years.  One was Universal Search, which many companies are starting to get into.  The other was the effect of paid links on PageRank.  These two are miniscule compared to what is coming down the road.

In true Google style, they have not come out and made any major announcements.  Like a ninja, they are simply setting themselves up quietly to make silent kills.  That's how they work.

Because this blog is read by both our clients and our clients' competitors, I cannot go into too many details here.  This is just a heads up.  A warning.  Ask your SEO company or website provider about the following current and upcoming changes to the Google algorithm:

• Semantic Indexing and Ranking and LSI
• Recent Changes to the Webmaster Guide
• Social Media PR Hits
• Changes to Duplicate Content

Again, I hate to tease, but it is too valuable of information to "let out of the bag".  Just ask your providers.  If they are silent or do not have answers that sound like they're on top of it, run.

Read more about SEO for Car Dealers on this blog.

One of three things happens whenever a car dealer is talking to their marketing company and asks the question, “Should I focus on search engine optimization or pay per click marketing?”

1. SEO is touted as the end-all, be-all form of search engine marketing and pay-per-click is trashed as a waste of money, or…
2. PPC is touted as a must-have marketing investment because it is instant and controllable, or…
3. The dealer is told that they shouldn’t do either because it’s all just a waste of money.

How the question is answered is almost always determined by what the marketing company or website provider does well and where they can make the most money.  The truth of the matter is that marketing companies and website providers should not be the determining factor when dealers consider how to spend their online marketing budgets.  The only thing that matters to a dealer should be, “What is best for me in my dealership’s current situation?”

The key point there is “…my dealership’s current situation…”

Everyone has different needs, different budgets, and different roads to success.  Here are some variables that should be considered when deciding how to spend your money and who to spend it with:

Location

A Honda dealer on the outskirts of Los Angeles will have a different marketing plan than a Kia dealer in Pinedale, Wyoming.

Optimization should be considered for any location as people in the market area need to find you organically.  The location variable comes into play when it comes to budget.  For smaller markets, being ranked organically normally does not require a $2,000 a month SEO package.  Because the competition level is lower, a basic SEO plan is normally sufficient to rank well.  Sometimes, a dealer by itself in a secluded area may rank without paid optimization at all.  In those situations, the question becomes, “How far out can we attract business?”

On the other hand, for dealers who are in or near a major metro area, the volume of searches makes it imperative to rank organically for keywords.

PPC comes into play for those who want that extra push into other markets or if there is enough competition in their own backyard.  While it can be more expensive in the longrun, it still accounts for nearly 25% of the searches clicked, so ignoring it can often not be an option in this competitive market

Budget

This is a simple variable to work with.  If you have the budget for both strong SEO and an extra PPC campaign, go for it.  If you have to pick between one of the other, the first thing you should do is check to see how your current optimization is working.  If you are already ranking in the top ranks organically for tough keywords, then a PPC plan may be the best way to go.

The worst thing you can do, however, is to do PPC when your SEO is NOT strong.  Get your SEO up first, then transfer that budget over to PPC.  If you can't afford both at the same time, investing in SEO will be the long term fix while PPC can be the supplement.

Goals

This is an important issue.  Today's needs can only be covered by PPC if your optimization is poor.  This is a temptation that many fall into, but know that there are drawbacks.  Once you start a PPC campaign, it's impossible to pull out without losing traffic significantly.  If there is no budget to pick up the SEO now or later, PPC will have you hooked since there is nothing gained from a PPC campaign if you cut the budget off.

For those who can afford to look to the future, SEO has huge advantages.  It can be self-sustaining when it comes down to it - once a site is optimized, the results will stick for a while.

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There are other variables, of course, but these three cover the basics.  If after answering these questions you still do not have a clear solution, feel free to contact me.

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Read more automotive marketing tips on this blog.