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The importance of Search Engine Optimization
I am currently in the market for a company that handles online marketing and website design. My question is how important is the search engine optimization part of that process. The reason why I ask is because, as many of you know, this stuff isn’t cheap. But as of right now my shop is nonexistent on the internet with the exception of our Facebook page. I am ready to pull the trigger and dive into this. But I need to know how much of an effect it will have on my business before I decide to spend x amount of dollars. Any input is appreciated. Thank you.
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5 Replies
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Without great SEO (search engine optimization) shop websites are pretty much useless. But, if done correctly it can quickly become your number one source of new customers.
Here is a list of companies who do websites specifically (and sometimes exclusively) for auto shops: -
Hi Fred,
To answer your question about the importance of search engine optimization (SEO), my first reply is that SEO works well for many, but doesn’t work for every shop. In fact for many shops it is a total waste of marketing dollars.
There is little point in spending on SEO if there are not enough people searching online for your services to make the investment worthwhile (think small town vs big city). Good way to test is with Google Adwords. If you get good response to your ads then invest in SEO. Adwords are a quick test, but very expensive in long run. SEO is long term investment. Good SEO that is…
And you need to do the correct SEO to actually make it work. Doing only part of the SEO puzzle, or doing in wrong order, is a huge waste of dollars. Do it right or you will waste you money and spend more in long run.
EVERY business is different and cookie cutter SEO has little value. You need someone who can look at your situation (SEO audit) and work out best approach for your business.
All too often people start spending on SEO before getting other more important parts of their marketing in order first. There is little point in attracting people to your website if it doesn’t have the information people are looking for.
People follow a basic process when shopping for auto repair:
ABC’s of Marketing:
A – Attract customers (advertising & promotion).B – Background (your story: who, what, how about your business).
C – Credibility (your online reputation – customer reviews).
How To:
#1) Get your online reputation in order. Customer reviews are “proof” of your claims or story. Your reputation is the reason people will phone you. Think trust building. Don’t focus on just reviews. Customer satisfaction and feedback are more important. Need to catch unhappy customers BEFORE they become negative reviews and the reputation damage that does. Get your business management right and positive reviews will come naturally.#2) Get your website in order. Help people understand who you are, not just what you do. Long term, loyal customers build “relationships” with people, not tool boxes. Show and tell them about the ‘people’ in your business. And how your customers will be treated.
#3) Find advertising that attracts your type of customer. Not all types of advertising works for everyone. You need to test (try) to know what works for YOU.
Advertising is all about attracting new customers who want your services.
SEO is just another form of advertising. It is only one way to attract new customers.
Like other forms of advertising SEO doesn’t work in all cases.
Regardless of what advertising you do people will check out your website.
The final decision to become your customer depends on your online reputation.
Hope this helps.
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Well said Doug!
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Also, there are many, many types of SEO. Each depends on what your want to achieve and whether it will provide a Return On Investment. The main types of SEO are your business name, services/products, vehicle types, and location SEO.
- The absolute minimum SEO any website should have is having your website in #1 spot when people search for your business name or phone number. Yes, I still see many websites that don’t rank well for even their business name or phone number… and not just DIY websites! Any website developer can easily do this with basic understanding of SEO. Check out how your business is listed by doing a simple search yourself. Your website homepage should be #1. Your citations and directory listing have major effect on this. Your reviews/testimonials page on your website should be #1 when you search for your ‘business name + reviews’. If not your website and SEO has problems. That being said keep in mind that SEO changes rapidly and websites quickly become obsolete.
- IF you want to be listed for specific services in search results you need a separate page for each service or product. General “services” pages just don’t work in competitive markets. The narrower the topic of the page, e.g. “brake repair” vs “auto repair”, the greater value search engines award the page and stronger the SEO will be. The page should have details about what YOU do when providing that service (what makes you a better choice over your competitors), typical problems specific to that service (things people will search for), any options in how the job is done and parts used (OEM vs aftermarket, etc). Photos that are correctly tagged and named will both add SEO strength to the page and make it more interesting to people. Keep in mind that the longer readers spend on a page the greater the value awarded to the page. Longer pages with INTERESTING content and photos rank significantly higher in search results!!!
- Being listed in Local Search results box requires different SEO than general organic listings. Local SEO focuses on optimizing for search in your local area. This is becoming more important as more people use mobile devices to search.
- Search results are VERY localized. The distance you are from the city center has an impact on how you are listed (especially in Local Search box results). In big cities you may have to do a lot more SEO to get anywhere near the front page. Just a fact of more competition. For example, for any city there are only 3 listings in the Local Search box. Not that difficult in a town with only 5 shops, but a city like Dallas, TX still only has 3 listing in the Local box and 10 organic listings on page one. Competition can be fierce. Often you are forced to use paid ads to get onto page one and get any response.
- Getting listed for surrounding cities/towns can be a challenge. You won’t get into Google’s Local Search results for any town other than your own, and for organic search results you will need a separate page for each town on your website. Might also need to get links from other businesses located in each town if you have competition in those towns with strong web marketing.
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When considering an investment in SEO(Generating Leads For Yourself) or Buying Third Party Leads(Google Adwords, Yelp, Facebook Ads), there is a short term and a long term benefit to each.
SEOShort Term – Content for email, social media and PPC marketingLong Term – Rank Organically for Keywords as your content is indexed and gains traction.Buying Third Party Leads(Google Adwords, Facebook Ads, Bing Ads, etc.)Short Term – Show up on the first page of Google and Bing today.Long Term – Google Adwords & Facebook Remarking to prospects, Continue to capture in market buyers.
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