One of the most popular sayings amongst internet marketers is “Content is king.” We all know this is true, but make sure you’re not just talking the talk and writing exclusively for search engines. Because while that used to be a worthwhile strategy, the key to outranking your competition now isn’t through optimization, it’s through content marketing.
In 2014, people expect quality. You can’t get away with half-assed content anymore. The most effective SEO strategy is to stop trying to find a way around Google and simply focus on providing value to users.
Add the following types of posts to your automotive SEO efforts for a more robust strategy that encourages consistent growth.
How-Tos and Answers
Instead of thinking of your dealership’s site as having only to do with the operations of selling and servicing cars, think of it as a resource for everything that has to do with the cars you sell and services you provide. If you can create content that acts as a resource, you can achieve natural search rankings that will not only bring traffic to your content but boost rankings for your site as a whole.
Steal These Ideas
- How to protect a car from rust
- Do new cars still have a break-in period?
- How often should I change the oil in a [Insert Model Here]?
- Should I buy or lease a new car?
- How do you perform an oil change?
- What is a HEMI engine?
- What does turbocharged mean?
Model Comparisons
Sure, those of us who work with every single type of dealership love each and every brand equally. Unfortunately, we also know our Chevy clients want to take as much business away from local Ford dealers as possible. A great way to show car buyers that your dealership’s brand is superior from the guy down the street is to create content that proves this fact.
For example, Toyota doesn’t really have to market the Camry because its reputation sells itself. So how does a Chrysler dealership convince mid-size car buyers that the 2015 Chrysler 200 is a better choice? Well, on your website, you could create a page called “2015 Chrysler 200 vs. 2014 Toyota Camry.” Details of the new Camry have not been released, and Chrysler’s got an opportunity to strike with the redesigned Chrysler 200.
Use these pages to link to the main inventory pages throughout your website. From there, make sure you’re sharing them regularly on social media to create those crucial social signals.
Brand-Related News
Posting brand-related news on your blog is a way to show Google and other search engines that your site is active and providing fresh information to visitors on a regular basis. After all, your brand is awesome, right? Talk about new models, promotions, and other exciting bits of news that enthusiasts or potential customers may want to know.
For instance, it’s an exciting time to work with Dodge dealers. The brand is moving focus toward performance cars and the company unveiled a 707-hp version of the Challenger SRT called the Hellcat. Every tidbit of information about the Hellcat is being gobbled up by car enthusiasts.
One way you could capitalize on it is by creating a page called “Countdown to the Hellcat” and have a countdown to September 1st. The actual release date isn’t known just yet, but once it is you can update it. In the meantime, use that page as the ultimate resource for up-to-date information about the Hellcat. Post details as unique blog posts and link to those from the countdown page. With each update, share the page across your social profiles to make sure fans can see that you’re a valuable source of information.
Image Galleries
Wikimotive’s content strategy for clients is built around creating relevant content for a variety of purposes. In most instances, informative content is extremely powerful and will provide a regular flow of traffic and build search engine authority. In some, however, the goal is to entertain our client’s visitors and social media followers.
There’s no better way to entertain people with cars than to create galleries full of high-quality car photos. No, that doesn’t mean you should be posting pictures of $200,000 exotic sports cars on your Ford dealership’s site–you simply need to find an angle that suits your inventory.
A great example of this would be to showcase cars from your brand that have appeared in famous movies and explain a little bit of backstory behind each appearance. Another would be to create a list of “Great Value Cars from [INSERT BRAND HERE].” These can be cars below $20,000 that are perfect for young people and small families. Have fun with these and think of different angles you could take to keep the variety going!
Original Videos
Video walkthroughs are great to have for people who want to see more of a car before they buy, but they only serve that purpose.
Why not shoot some original video that breaks out of the ordinary pictures/walkthrough world of dealerships and spices things up. What’s a new, innovative feature you could show off? Did you know a lot of cars come with heated and cooled cup holders? What does the new [INSERT SPORTS CAR HERE] sound like? People want to know these things! Challenge your staff to create content outside the norm every once and a while. They’ll enjoy the freedom, and you’ll get some great content.
Sounds like a win-win to me.
Each and every dealer out there has the ability to go above and beyond what is expected from a dealership site. As long as you’re thinking about the value you can add to a user’s experience, you’ll see results.