Bump up your Google my Business Page

A lot of people claim their Google my Business page, maybe fill in a few details and leave it at that.  It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot to be done with GMB, but in fact there is more than it might seem at first.  Plus Google has been very active recently in adding new features, many of which may hgave a positive effect on rankings.

Start with the basics, all GMB listings should have at least:

• Accurate business name
• Phone number
• Website address (if applicable)
• Opening hours (sometimes overlooked)

Taking it further

• Add photos of your business, the premises, inside/outside, stock, staff, pictures from events etc.  Google likes listings with several, good quality photos, aim for at least 6, ideally more.  Never underestimate the power of images!
• Write a description of your dealership (up to 750 characters), maybe include types of vehicles sold, brands, extra services, what makes the business different.
• Turn on messaging.  This feature basically makes it easier for mobile users to send a message to you, direct from within Google.  Messaging is handled by an app which is downloaded to your smartphone.

Get More Reviews

Reviews not only increase customer trust, they increase trust with Google too.  As a result, reviews often make a different to positions in Google.

Consumers are much more likely to leave a review if asked.  Some people fin t it awkward to ask, or don’t get the chance to bring it up.  Getting into the habit of asking customers is one thing, relying on them to actually go out and do it is another.  Sometimes people won’t have the time, or simply forget.  Anything you can do to make the process easier will definitely help your case. 

So how do you do that?

• Give customers a review sheet with their invoice/receipt

A review sheet is a tangible reminder, plus the handout breaks down how to leave a review.  You don’t have to bring it up, but it would probably help.  The handout takes no more than 5 minutes to generate and a few more to print.  Makes perfect sense!   I like to use WhiteSpark’s free handout generator.

• Email or text them a direct link

Sometimes it’s not enough to rely on people to look something up themselves.  If you send them to the right place, you’re most of the way there and far more likely to get a review.  You can generate a review link with WhiteSpark.

Make Google Posts a Habit

Google posts is a feature of Google my Business, launched mid-2017.  Short posts can be displayed alongside your Google listing, promoting news, new stock, sales, anything really. 

What makes Google posts interesting to some is that it seems to have a positive effect on Google rankings, so long as the activity is consistent (1-3 posts per week).

As a dealer there’s usually a new car on the lot or a price reduction to mention.  The post doesn’t need to be long, and of course a picture is a good idea.

There is evidence that Google + posts increase rankings too, just don’t get this confused with a Google my Business post, as the two are different!

Search for local link opportunities

Backlinks have long played an important role in influencing a website’s local visibility.  To Google links from other websites local to yours show that your dealership has a strong local presence, as such it’s worthy of higher Google positions. 

Types of local links

• Local directories (for your town, city or state)
• Local charities (sponsoring a local charity might gain you a backlink)
• Local garage (If your dealership has a relationship with a local repair garage, you could swap links with their website)

Backlinks should not be underestimated as one of the most powerful methods of increasing visibility in Google.  In Moz's 2017 study into local ranking factors it was found to still be the most influential ranking factor.

Speed up your website

Google seems to be putting more and more emphasis on speed.  It has remained a minor ranking factor for some time, however there is evidence to suggest Google could make it more important.

A lot of the time you will see pages at the top of Google tend to load pretty fast; that’s no coincidence.  If people leave the site before it is fully loaded that is like a down vote to Google and the website could drop in rankings compared to others. 

Since most people browse the internet from a mobile and want quick results, speed is growing in importance.  If your website takes more than a few seconds to load, that’s probably most visitors lost already, especially on a mobile.

Most websites can be sped up more than they currently are, some with more a need than others!

Since most people browse the internet from a mobile and want quick results, speed is growing in importance.  If your website takes more than a few seconds to load, that’s probably most visitors lost already, especially on a mobile.

Speeding up your website

I won’t go into too much technical detail here, just more of a general overview.

• Avoid unnecessary ‘flashyness’ like animations, videos.
• Images should not have large file sizes, 1mb or above is definitely too big.  Find a program to save the image as ‘web optimized’ so it is compressed while losing minimal quality
• Enable caching (if the site is built on WordPress or another popular CMS there are plugins that can manage this)
• Enable Gzip compression
• Avoid too many scripts like Facebook timeline, Twitter feed (too many of these slow the page down)

These are things your web developer should be able to help with.  To find out how well your website is performing run a speed test with Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix is also good for finding out actual page load time.

About the author

Oliver Neely is a digital marketer working with Auto Ad Sales to help dealerships get noticed and get more from their marketing dollars.  He has a particular passion for local business.