The Lego Master Builder's Guide to Local SEO for Car Dealers

Transcript

1. The LEGO Master Builder’s Guide to Local SEO for Car Dealers Greg Gifford Vice President of Search | DealerOn | Dallas, TX 972-456-9709 | greg@dealeron.com @greggifford #NADASHOW Your photo here
2. The views and opinions presented in this educational program and any accompanying handout material are those of the speakers, and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of NADA. The speakers are not NADA representatives, and their presence on the program is not a NADA endorsement or sponsorship of the speaker or the speaker’s company, product or services. Nothing that is presented during this educational program is intended as legal advice, and this program may not address all federal, state, or local regulatory or other legal issues raised by the subject matter it addresses. The purpose of the program is to help dealers improve the effectiveness of their business practices. The information presented is also not intended to urge or suggest that dealers adopt any specific practices or policies for their dealerships, nor is it intended to encourage concerted action among competitors or any other action on the part of dealers that would in any manner fix or stabilize the price or any element of the price of any good or service. 2
3. 3 Here’s where I usually say something about kittens…
4. 4 Bullet Points are EVIL…
5. 5 Who’s trying to be number one in Google search results?
6. 6 Who’s trying to be number one in Google search results?
7. Who’s trying to be number one in Google search results? 7
8. 8 Thanks to personalization and localization, every user sees slightly different search results Instead of chasing number one, go for maximum local visibility
9. 9 Regardless of the conversion source, every purchase starts with a Google search
10. 10 It’s important to realize: There are 2 different algorithms, so there are 2 kinds of SEO Traditional SEO: Optimizing elements on and off of a site to influence how the site shows up when someone searches certain keywords Local SEO: Optimizing elements on and off of a site to influence how the site shows up in a particular geographic area
11. 11 The easiest way to explain how Local SEO works is with a few simple “pizza delivery” searches on Google For more details, watch this video: bit.ly/seo-pizza
12. 12 The easiest way to explain why Local SEO is necessary is with simple back-of-the-napkin math For more details, watch this video: bit.ly/seo-simple-math
13. 13 Remember: SEO takes time… It’s a marathon, not a sprint For more details, watch this video: bit.ly/seo-timeline
14. 14 Remember: SEO isn’t cheap…
15. 15 Local SEO is harder because it includes additional signals… And the rules are always changing Whenever Google updates the algorithm, you’ve got to update your SEO tactics
16. 16 The Panda Update Changed how we write content for our websites
17. 17 The Penguin Update Changed how we write build links to our websites
18. 18 The Pigeon Update Changed how local results are calculated
19. 19 The Possum Update Changed how local results are calculated (again)
20. 20 The Possum Update Should have been called Playtpus…
21. 21 The Possum Update Should have been called Playtpus…
22. 22 The Possum Update Duplicate GMB listings are more damaging The Possum Update Third party reviews carry more weight The Possum Update Category dilution causes more issues The Possum Update Proximity became much more weighted
23. 23 So how the heck are you supposed to know how to optimize your site with the right local signals?
24. 24 Test everything for yourself to see what really works! What works for another dealer won’t necessarily work for you What works in another city won’t necessarily work in yours
25. 25 The Local Search Ranking Factors annual study is the Local SEO bible
26. 26 Everyone wants to be in the map pack The second most important factor is having an address in the city that’s being searched The most important factor is proximity of search result to the person searching
27. 27 Remember: There are no silver bullets SEO is the cumulative aggregate of your signals over time
29. 29 Inbound links are your white knight… They’re the most important ranking factor
30. 30 Inbound links are the bane of most marketers’ existence… They’re hard to get and they take a lot of time
31. 31 Most automotive SEO agencies don’t do any link building at all
32. 32 Cruddy directory links do not count!
33. 33 More than anything, you need links from local businesses
34. 34 Look at things your dealership is already doing for link ideas
35. 35 Look at relationships your dealership already has for link ideas
36. 36 Lord Business’ world dominating awesome link ideas: Sponsorships Volunteer opportunities Local meetups Local blogs Local clubs & organizations Business associations Ethnic business directories Neighborhood watch sites Child seat installation (city) yard of the month winner (city) Awards (city) Sports associations (city) Golf tournaments (city) Bowling leagues (city) Basketball tournaments (city) Hockey tournaments (city) Select soccer teams (city) festivals Search Google for: (city) inurl:sponsorships (city) inurl:sponsor-us (city) Churches (city) Car clubs (city) Church (city) Church event (city) School events (city) School awards (city) Church awards
37. 37 Link prospecting tips: Use Open Site Explorer to check your inbound links To access Open Site Explorer, go here: moz.com/researchtools/ose Check your competitors’ links and look for opportunities Don’t forget to check other markets! You need unique links to win the game
38. 38 Don’t point all your links to the home page of your site! Internal pages will rank better if they have a few links
39. 39 Don’t forget internal links! Your internal link structure should look like a pyramid
41. 41 Content is the second most important ranking signal Quality is what matters… Not quantity! SEO DOES NOT EQUAL constantly adding content pages
42. 42 There are 2 kinds of site content: Revenue-generating and non-revenue-generating
43. 43 Your content needs to actually BE local
44. 44 If you change the dealership name and city, would your content still work on another dealer’s website? That’s really bad…
45. 45 Pro tip: Read your content out loud If it doesn’t sound like something you’d say to a customer, it’s wrong
46. 46 When you’re writing content, you have to have the right thought process… Never write anything “for Google” – everything should be to help users
47. 47 If you want to rank for something, you’ve simply got to have a page about it on your site!
48. 48 The most important question to ask yourself: Why do you deserve to rank?
49. 49 Elements to optimize (on every page) for local SEO: City/ST in title tag City/ST in H1 heading City/ST in page content City/ST in image alt text City/ST in URL City/ST in meta description
50. 50 Elements to optimize (on every page) for local SEO: Local phone number
51. 51 Elements to optimize (on Home and Contact pages) for local SEO: Embedded Google map
52. 52 You must start thinking mobile first! Google is releasing the new mobile first index soon… You must have a responsive site You should design your content for mobile devices first Design your content for different device sizes (mobile, tablet, desktop) If you want to rank for content, it must be on your mobile site!
53. 53 Advanced content strategy: Use Local Content Silos to help your site show up in nearby cities where you have no physical location For more info, read this Search Engine Land post: bit.ly/local-content-silos
55. 55 Citations are mentions of your dealership’s name, address, and phone number on other sites. They’re a foundational factor, Like an ANTe in a poker game…
56. 56 Your citations must be consistent (exactly the same everywhere)
57. 57 Your dealership needs to be listed where Google’s algorithm expects it to be listed
58. 58 Check your top 15 citation sources with Moz Local’s free tool Moz Local citation checker: moz.com/local/search
59. 59 Check all of your citations with Whitespark’s Local Citation Finder Whitespark’s Local Citation Finder: whitespark.ca/local-citation-finder
61. 61 Your Google My Business information now lives on the right side in the Knowledge Panel of a search for your dealership name
62. 62 Need help accessing your dealership’s Google My Business listing? Tweet to @googlemybiz
63. 63 Make sure you add UTM tracking to your link in GMB… Otherwise, tons of organic clicks on your GMB site link get mis-attributed as “direct” Add this to the end of your URL: ?utm_source=GMBlisting &utm_medium=organic
64. 64 Google recently added “department listings” to most dealerships (depending on the size of the dealership and the brand sold) Here’s how to find out if you’ve got any (and how to optimize them) Do a search on Google Maps for your dealership’s name Zoom in on the map, keeping your dealership in the center. If you have any department listings, they’ll appear in the last few zoom levels You might have a parts and/or a service listing, named “(brand) Service” or “(brand) Parts” The listing(s) will be labeled as being “inside” of your dealership’s main location Simply click “claim location” (it’s automatic, since it’s a department of your main listing) Keep the “(brand) Service” or “(brand) Parts” at the beginning and add a dash and your dealership name Add or update the listed phone number. You MUST use a different number from your main listing. Add or update your website link. Make sure you link to your service or parts page (NOT your home page) Update your categories. Department listing categories MUST be unique, so don’t forget to remove from your main listing. Update your hours. This step is vital, since they’ll display on your main GMB listing. Upload photos. Make sure you’re uploading photos that show the department.
66. 66 Spread your reviews as evenly as possible between: Google, Facebook, Industry sites, and Yelp
67. 67 You can’t ignore Yelp because it powers the stars on Apple Maps
68. 68 Yelp also powers the review stars for anything Siri says…
69. 69 Make sure you respond to every negative review And remember – your reply isn’t for the reviewer… It’s for the rest of the public to see what you did
70. Questions 70
71. The LEGO Master Builder’s Guide to Local SEO for Car Dealers Please visit the NADA Pavilion in the Expo Hall for information on accessing electronic versions of this presentation and the accompanying handout materials, and to order the education video recording. Greg Gifford Vice President of Search | DealerOn | Dallas, TX 972-456-9709 | greg@dealeron.com @greggifford #NADASHOW Your photo here