As more and more customers are moving online to buy cars, you need to evaluate whether your dealership is able to keep up with the online needs of your customers. If you’re not able to meet the online needs of your customers, you’re going to lose out on a lot of business. In a study conducted by Google in 2016, it was found that 71% of a customer’s car-buying journey happens online. Since this study was done before Covid, it would be safe to assume that the number is much higher than 71% today. The way your dealership represents itself online and through marketing efforts is an integral part of spreading awareness, getting leads and ultimately, maximizing revenue. In this article, we put together 7 tips to boost your dealership’s online presence and increase revenue.

1. Have a Responsive, Bug-Free Website

Just having a website isn’t enough in 2024. You need to make sure that your website is easy to use, without bugs or accessibility issues. If your website has a bunch of dead-end links or annoying bugs, your customers are likely going to look elsewhere. 

With this also comes the concern of having a website that works on mobile devices. At least half of your customers will interact with your website on their mobile devices, so if your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you risk losing customers. 

2. Optimize for Search Engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo)

It doesn’t matter how incredible your website is if your customers can’t find it. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about making sure your website ranks in search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. The higher you’re able to rank your website on these search engines, the more traffic you’ll get and the more possibilities you’ll have of selling vehicles to customers. 

If you have a good SEO strategy or hire an outside marketing agency to do SEO for your dealership, you can focus on beating out local competition in the rankings and taking business that otherwise may not have been yours. Having your dealership website be easy to find can be a huge help in increasing organic leads.

3. Register for Google My Business

While this one ties into optimizing your website for search engines, it is slightly different. Google My Business will show customers your location, hours of operation, contact info and a link directly to your website. Google My Business is also a great way for customers to review your business. This is an extremely beneficial tool as it’s been reported that 90% of customers will check reviews on a company before visiting your website.

4. Setup Online Paid Advertising 

We’re certainly not saying radio/newspaper ads and billboards are a thing of the past but we are definitely saying it’s not enough if you want to be a real force in your city. There’s no more accurate way to hit your desired demographic than through online paid advertising. Through platforms like Facebook and Google, you can plan your advertising campaigns to target your ideal customers based on age, gender, location and a whole bunch of other demographics.

5. Be Active on Social Media

We have a whole blog dedicated to improving your dealership’s social media presence, check it out here! In short, social media creates familiarity with your business. It’s a great way to show your customers who you are and what you’re about before they even step into your showroom. There are a ton of different social media websites today so we know it can get overwhelming trying to be active on all of them simultaneously. This is why we recommend using a social media calendar where you can schedule all of your posts across all platforms. 

6. Use Video to Your Advantage

Today, pretty much everyone has access to a high-definition camera through their cellphone, yet not enough businesses are taking advantage of it. It’s important to know that approximately 33% of the time people spend online is dedicated to watching videos, and that percentage is increasing every year. Whether you’re going to do a test drive video, customer testimonial video or a meet the team video, you can market your dealership at minimal cost using the power of video. 

According to a report done by Bitable, 85% of consumers say they’d like to see more video content from brands. 97% of marketers also said that videos have helped demonstrate their business’s products and services. These numbers alone should be enough to incentivize you in starting to work on more videos in your marketing strategy. 

7. Have an Active Blog Page  

Despite popular belief, blogging is actually one of the most effective ways to increase revenue. Having a blog for your dealership gives your customers valuable resources that can help them go into buying a car with more knowledge. A well-thought-out blog shows customers that you’re an expert in the automotive industry and gives you the opportunity to answer common questions customers have. On top of giving your customers valuable information, a blog is one of the best ways to improve your search engine rankings. If you’re able to write blogs that are search engine optimized, you’ll find yourself ranking higher for valuable keywords that can drive traffic and sales to your dealership.