Automotive SEO and Social Media ROI

I was inspired by an article by VJ (Volker Jaeckel) from Cobalt Group to detail my thoughts about the ROI of Automotive SEO and Social Media campaigns.  But before you read what I have to say, I would like you to watch this video:

As you know,  PCG is an advocate for both strategies and we are passionate about the return on investment, not cost, that these services provide.

Benefits of A Strong Automotive SEO Strategy

In a nutshell with Automotive SEO, car dealers get:

• Search Relevance
  • Good Content
  • Good Website Architecture
  • New Content Added To Website
• External Links
  • From A Diverse Group Of Sites
  • From Authoritative Automotive Sites
  • With Quality Anchor Text
  • And Proper Page Positioning
• New Sources of Traffic
  • Social Media
  • Content Publishing
  • Automotive Forums
  • Advertising Portals

Car dealers are in the weakest position when it comes to building external links.  Links are the “votes” from other websites and the links authenticate your web site’s value for specific search phrases.  Over time dealers should have THOUSANDS of good links pointing to their websites.

When dealers realize that there are about 25 third party websites that I see on Google Page One every day pushing their website off Page One, the issue of links will become more apparent.  Dealers have given their inventory to free advertising portals that have created sites that rank above them in their OWN TOWN.

I estimate that less than 5% of dealers nationwide understand that if they only have ONE website to market their goods and they are not concerned about links, then they will be at a significant disadvantage.  The disadvantage is getting larger each day.

If you want to validate this claim, type in a year, make and model search for your town and brand of car you sell.  See just how many dealers vs. third party lead collectors/advertisers are on page one that are NOT dealer centric in their ad model.

The days of consumers going to one car advertising website because of a million dollar off-line branding campaign is being diminished by many new paths to searching and researching a car.  Consumers are getting more sophisticated in their search behavior and are more empowered to find their own “best” deal.

Search 2008 Toyota Corolla Downey

There is a Toyota dealership in Downey California. When you look at the Page One search results, the dealer’s website is no where to be found and its their own city.  80% of the page is occupied by third party lead collectors or third party advertising portals.

Check it out yourself:  View Search (shown in photo on right)

Automotive SEO strategies that include microsites, content writing, link building and social media do not make sales and visibility changes overnight.

Most dealers do not have the patience so in the end they spend 2x more on pay-per-click investments over the long-haul.

Automotive SEO is a long-term investment in your multi-million dollar franchise.

In the past 6 months we have seen a 200% increase in competitive search traffic for year, make and model searches and it’s not looking good for dealers who ignore SEO strategies.

AAN Members Can Fight Back

Do a similar search for a member of the Automotive Advertising Network (AAN) which is the first dealer centric advertising network.

Search: 2008 Toyota Camry Englewood

You will see their AAN local advertising page in the 3rd postion on Google Page One, shown in the image below:

Note: The dealer’s own Dealer.com website is not on Google Page One.  This is not a criticism about their DDC website but rather commonplace from what I can see.  Car dealer websites are under attack and they don’t yet see the problem.

Members of the AAN get both Automotive SEO and Social Media integration benefits that include:

• Inventory Plugin For Facebook
• Customer Testimonial Channel Plugin For Facebook
• Unlimited Blog Posting on the AAN’s Automotive News Network
• Inventory integration to their own blogs
• Cars listed on national, regional and local advertising pages
• Numerous links back to dealer’s primary website
• Unlimited leads from optimized SEO advertising pages

Social Media ROI

Social media is more than Facebook and Twitter and it includes tasks like Reputation Management, FourSquare, Social Communities and Blogging.  As dealers participate in online communities and social media platforms they can connect and engage with consumers in their marketplace.  As the video points out, if you compare everything in social media with outdated ROI standards you will be missing the point of social media.

PCG’s own advertising budget is primarily based on social media.  We participate in blogs, social networks and communities to get our services and expertise in front of business owners.  Our company’s growth is based on practicing our own SEO strategies and social media participation.

Dealers as a whole are impatient with the process. I understand that impatience but I would not stake my reputation and career on vaporware.

Someone said it best, “Don’t bet against Pasch”.

I took that as a great compliment but it reflects my passion.   I work around the clock testing new ways to assist car dealers increase their search relevance and authority.

The Automotive Advertising Network is a delivery on that passion (SEO and Social) and promise those that participate will be rewarded…just not overnight like a PPC campaign would deliver.

Automotive SEO and Social Media engagement is a critical investment that must be a part of all car dealer budgets.

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Tags: automotive advertising, automotive seo, car dealer social media