…continued from Dealer SEO Part 1
Online reviews previously played an indirect role in SEO because better online reviews could lead to:
- More visitors to a website, which could lead to
- More people talking about it online, which would lead to
- Mentions, which could lead to
- Being listed in other directories.
We’re now actually seeing evidence suggesting that online reviews play a more direct role in SEO and your ranking. In other words, if you have 15 online reviews and your competitor within the same geographic location has only eight, all else being equal, your dealership may rank better.
Here’s a question I’ve heard more than once: Is it good enough to rank in the top three?
Here’s my answer: Congratulations on making it to the top three; however, if you don’t rank number one, your job is not done.
I was a guest speaker at a NABD conference. Afterward, a few dealers complimented me on the content I shared. Some were immediately interested in what my company could do for them, and some were confused or misguided when it comes to rankings. They said, We are interested in your marketing strategy design or at least having you take a look at what we are currently doing; BUT, we are fine as far as rankings go – we are ranked number seven on the first page of Google.
Don’t get me wrong, being ranked on the first page of Google is very, very good. However, being ranked 1st could be as much as 10 times better than being ranked 7th. The amount of people who click on the first few websites listed on the first page of Google is heavily, heavily skewed. Just take a look at the numbers according to several combined studies:
- After viewing the first page, 92 percent of the people do not go to page two, so you need to be on page one.
- On that first page, 40 to 52 percent of the people click on the first website listed (that number varies depending on what study you read).
- The website ranked number two gets about 13 percent of the visitors.
- The number three ranked website gets about 10 percent of the visitors.
- The number seven ranked website gets about 3-4 percent of the visitors.
Those numbers illustrate that there is a lot of room for growth if you are not ranked number one!
Here’s another frequently asked question: Once my company gets ranked, how important it is to recheck the ranking, and how often? And my answer: Every day. How else are you going to know how you’re really doing? Let’s take a look at a few different scenarios.
Scenario No. One: If you are a Ford dealer and are ranked number one for the keyword phrase “Ford Dealer,” that is important. BUT, that is only one of many keywords you should target. Not everyone who visits your website or buys a Ford had that intention from the get go. Some car shoppers are just searching for a new vehicle – it could be a Ford Fusion or it could be a Toyota Camry or a Honda Accord. If the car shopper goes to Google and types in “new car dealer,” they are not looking specifically for a Ford dealer. So your ranking for “Ford Dealer” is worthless in this scenario.
Scenario No. Two: If you are a Buy-Here Pay-Here dealer and are ranked number one for the phrase “buy-here pay-here dealer,” that is important. BUT, that is only one of many keyword phrases you want to rank for. Most people do not know what a buy-here pay-here dealer is. You know what it is, and I know what it is, and even some of your customers know, but only AFTER they have purchased a car. Many car buyers know they have bad credit and don’t know there is a specific segment of the automotive industry dedicated to their situation. They may Google, “bad credit car dealer.”
Scenario No. Three: How are you ranking in the world of mobile technology? Try this little test: Use your cell phone to search for a “new car dealer” or “used car dealer” and see where you rank. Then go to lunch five miles away and do the same search on your cell phone. Do you still rank at or near the top? If not, it’s time to dedicate resources to achieve a higher ranking in mobile search or run ads for mobile search. Consider the situation of someone using their mobile device to find a dealer. They may be driving around right now, looking to buy a vehicle. They could be on your lot in less than five minutes if they find you using mobile search.
Do not assume your ranking in mobile is the same as on a desktop computer.
Contact us to request a ranking study of your dealership using various keyword phrases and checking rankings on desktop search and mobile.