So you’ve been working on your search engine optimization (SEO) for a while now…or maybe you’re just getting started. Either way, you’re probably reading a lot about different automotive marketing solutions, best practices for the industry, and all kinds of tips and tricks for getting ahead. But what about the stuff you shouldn’t be doing? One poor decision can completely tank the rest of your SEO strategy–no matter how well-executed. Are you shooting yourself in the foot, or are you dodging these bullets so far? Read on to find out.
Mistake #1: Thinking You Don’t Need SEO
This one seems like it should be pretty obvious, seeing as we’re talking about SEO on a site dedicated to providing high-quality SEO…but it bears repeating. SEO works best as a holistic practice, and if you’re not fully invested, you’re never going to see the results you’re looking for. Sure, you can get some pretty good traffic by throwing money at pay-per-click (PPC) ads, but when your budget is all gone, so are the ads. SEO is the gift that keeps on giving, earning you higher rankings, traffic, and sales even after you’ve finished paying for it.
Mistake #2: Getting Impatient
We all like instant gratification. We live in a fast-paced world, and it can be hard to wait for the results of our work. But take a beat and let things settle. It can take three to six months to begin seeing the fruits of your labor as your website rises to the top of the search engine results page (SERP). If you run around trying a million different approaches all at once, you’ll never know which one is paying off. Plus, you may do more harm than good as you risk the different tactics working against each other and getting canceled out. Instead, do some research ahead of time to map out a strategy, and stick with it until you have enough data to make an informed decision about your next steps.
Mistake #3: Leaning on Outdated and Lazy Methods
One of the most common issues we see in online content is the use of “keyword stuffing.” A relic of the early aughts (and one that should have been left there), keyword stuffing is the idea that the more times you can fit your keyword into your content, the higher that page will rank in search. More was more, and a higher keyword density earned your page a better chance of appearing at the top of the SERP. The internet is more sophisticated now. The folks at Google have made it clear that their top priority is providing relevant, useful results for people’s searches. In other words, content that sounds like this: “NEW AND USED CAR DEALER IN NEW YORK SERVING NEW YORK WITH NEW AND USED CARS AT OUR NEW YORK CAR DEALERSHIP” just doesn’t cut it anymore…and really, can you blame them?
While we’re on the subject of dated approaches, you can leave your “local spotlight” blog posts in the past as well. While the thought process behind this type of content is a little more understandable (show the people that you’re one of them!), the fact is that waxing poetic about your local pizza joint and how much the finance department loves the breadsticks is never going to translate into more traffic on the sales floor. So leave the dog park reviews and shoe shine recommendations to Yelp, and share some content that’s relevant to the people who might actually be looking to buy a car. This brings us to our next point…
Mistake #4: Writing Lousy Content
Well-written, informative, and useful content is the backbone of any good SEO strategy. If you’re just writing for the sake of writing or trying to fill space with fluff, not only will Google see right through this, but even if any human users do find your page, they won’t have anything to engage with. Give them some information they’re looking for, and you’ll give them a reason to stay on your site!
And by the way, you don’t have to write a novel (this isn’t Shakespeare, folks), but don’t go cranking out a new blog post every day with only a couple hundred words just so you can say you’re putting out content. All you need to do is write genuine content that answers the questions people are actually searching for. Proving that you know what you’re talking about earns trust, and trust earns business.
Mistake #5: Not Knowing Your Own Site
When was the last time you opened up your website and really poked around? Do you know how many clicks it takes to get to the model page for that exciting new release you’re trying to promote? Or, imagining you were a prospective customer, how easy or hard would it be to find information about your dealership’s financing programs or service offerings? And what about popups and floating buttons? Are you getting smacked in the face with a new one every time you go to another page?
Whether or not you realize it, these are the kinds of things that have a big effect on user experience (UX): how customers interact with your site and how Google understands and ranks it. So take some time to make sure that your site is structured in a way that makes sense so that you can hit the goals you’re setting.
The Takeaway
If we’re being honest, the items above only just scratch the surface of the kinds of SEO blunders we tend to see. Some of them have easy fixes (just don’t DO that thing!), while some are more complex (how SHOULD you do that thing?). What’s important is that you start learning what to avoid so you don’t end up wasting your time and money on things that don’t work.
At the end of the day, SEO is a very nuanced practice, and we’ll be honest–we know it takes a lot of work! Luckily, we happen to love SEO here at Wikimotive; it’s what we do! So if you want to know more about why these mistakes matter, need some direction to get started, or are ready to take your old-school SEO to the next level…give us a call! We can chat strategy, give you a free demo, and get you set up to crush your competition.