If you have hired an internet marketing agency for car dealerships to assist in optimizing your website, then you might not think that e-commerce techniques will do you much good. After all, people research cars online, but they seldom buy them there. They see a car they like, and then they go into the dealership to make the purchase. However, some of the same optimization techniques that an SEO company would use for e-commerce will still benefit car dealerships.
Product Descriptions
Part of what happens with site optimization for e-commerce is that the internet marketing agency tries to describe the products that are for sale in as much detail as possible. They will run down all of the best features. They’ll have an FAQ section to try and answer the most likely questions that a potential customer will ask. They will also optimize the product descriptions with keywords. Every one of these techniques will work well with auto sales. Although the car sale itself will not take place with the click of a button as it would if the person were buying a mixing bowl or a vacuum cleaner, you’ll still be prepping them for the buy, even if that last step is going to take place in person.
Show All the Costs
Part of what frustrates car shoppers is when there are hidden costs added on to the total. If the price you quoted them was $5,000 for a used car, and then it comes to $6,200 with hidden fees like taxes and “dealer preparation” fees, they have every right to be upset.
The way you can alleviate this problem is to try and be upfront about any additional costs, just as you would with e-commerce. Again, the sale is not going to happen online, but if your internet marketing agency lists an accurate price for the vehicle and gives a detailed breakdown of any extra fees, you run less chance of alienating a potential customer when they show up for a test drive. For car dealerships, any customer who walks away rather than drives represents lost revenue.
E-commerce is not quite like auto sales because very few people are willing to buy a car sight-unseen. Pictures won’t do it; they need to drive the vehicle first. But if you use some of the same best practices as you would for e-commerce, you’re likely to entice more potential customers that way. They’ll show up at the dealership ready to buy, and you won’t have to try any hard-sell tactics that irritate car shoppers.
