WHY DEVELOPING QUALITY CONTENT IS KEY TO SUCCESS ONLINE
How are shoppers using search engines is a question I am often asked. So let me ask you some questions before I answer this one: How do you use a search engine when you are shopping?
Wouldn’t you agree it depends on where you are in the shopping cycle? Research, price justification, location of retailer etc.
What constitutes a search engine in the first place? Google, Yahoo, MSN, are all search engines but are you like me and have you also used YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, Facebook, Forums, and Blogs? What about websites that you visit directly to gather more information and in several cases end up making a purchase. e.g. Amazon, Zappo’s, Craigslist, and Kijiji?
It is also critical to think about what are people entering into the search bar? There are some very popular search trends to be seen when you utilize “Google’s Keyword Tool”.
There are billions of searches but one pattern is consistent and this may shock you, since often, we make the Internet appear much more complicated than it actually is. People are asking the questions online that they have asked and still ask in real life.
Some example searches:
• What kind of car should I buy?
• What kind of car do I want?
• Engine light on?
• Brake job cost?
• “Vehicle Model” Review
The Facts: Google receives more searches for vehicles than any one specific website, after all Google is the #1 search engine in the world. YouTube also receives more search queries than any other specific websites.
MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES
Regardless of how one goes through the shopping stages there are many opportunities to market to consumers via paid search in the forms of Text Ads, Video Ads, Audio Ads, Click to Call, Email for More Info, Contextual Retargeting, Interest Based Display, Demand Generation, and the list goes on.
This is where the issue of conversion starts and where good advertising can really work. Case in Point: If you search for “2012 Ford F-150 Review” you would be hard pressed to find an actual review where a dealership or Tier Two marketing association has taken the time to do a video walk around or a written review. What you would find is the price of a 2012 Ford F-150 if you were “lucky”.
Think about it this way — if a customer walked on your lot and said “give me a review of the 2012 F-150” would you just blurt out “$27,995, $4,000 rebate, $379 a month” and walk away? Well that’s exactly what is being done online.
My point here is paid search is the best source to drive leads to your dealership but it won’t always be trackable due to someone filling out a form or calling. People have a lot of choices and we as shoppers can never be put into one bucket and categorized as a “blank” type shopper.
Based on dealership websites we manage:
• 73 per cent of website traffic is information
from shoppers;
• 62 per cent of visits are driven by paid search
• 38 per cent of visits are driven by organic search
Shopping habits are always different based on circumstance so a well-rounded strategy is needed with the goal of touching a consumer as many times as possible as they go through the process or even before they begin the process. Once you have them as a customer for the first time, it is critical to have a strategy to keep them in a relationship with you after the sale.
The next question is one I am asked almost daily: What do I think about SEO? I used to be a big believer in Search Engine Optimization but my philosophy and strategy is different than most. I don’t see value in meta tags and massive poor quality back links. I’m much more in favour of an organic SEO strategy. If a website is built properly with a site map, title tags, H1 Tags and Alt Tags then it should do fine over time.
QUALITY CONTENT
Develop quality content regularly and you’ll benefit with the best leads you have ever received. Think about it? Lot ups have drastically dropped for the simple reason people prefer the Internet. It’s critical you develop a content strategy and start to mimic what we use to do on the lot when someone would visit. This is where you need to start building a video and text strategy to answer all the questions we were and are asked during the process. Make your site a resource site and the traffic will climb, the links will increase and the SEO will be just fine.
This is where I say throw out the term of “Search Engine Optimization” and define it as “Supply, Engage, Opportunity.” Supply the content, Engage the shopper and provide the Opportunity for a sale! Any SEO strategy that is not based on real quality content that is updated consistently is snake oil and a get rich quick scheme. Sorry, no short cuts here — you have to do it the old fashioned way with hard work.
The bottom line is everyone is searching differently and people don’t always approach the shopping process the same way. In other words, one week we might go directly to a known third party website and make a purchase and another week we might travel down a research mode and gather as much information as possible before deciding on a product or service.
The interesting fact is that 49 per cent of shoppers will visit five dealers websites and then show up to one dealership. Also, a dealer’s website is a very important portal when shopping for a vehicle, which is why quality content is key in make a dealer stand apart from the rest as well as increasing the amount of leads they receive.
