Downtime for your sales team means go time for your website!
As the off-sales season approaches, Dealer Spike offers tips to assess your current online health and strategize for the future.
Sales slow down, phones go silent and your store empties. Does that mean your website takes a break, too? Of course not! As in-store activity drops, your website efforts should ramp up. Why? Because your off-sales season is the perfect time to build up your online presence.
Keep Your Search Engine Optimization Optimized
Maybe you have heard this before, but we cannot over-emphasize how crucial your SEO is to your website performance. If your website is your online powerhouse, SEO is the engine that keeps it moving. Just like you don’t wait until an engine is on its last leg before you analyze its needs, you also need to be proactive about monitoring your SEO.
Your website is built with search-optimized features to give your online presence a strong start. To help you capitalize on that initial momentum, you must keep your website compliant with evolving search engine algorithms. Think about this: Google updates its platform regularly – up to 600 times per year – and websites that fall inactive after launch will no longer meet the requirements to rank highly online.
Don’t wait until the eve of the next sales season to check in with your website – SEO needs time to build, which is why we always tell dealers to start now.
Monitor Your Website Data
Remember, YOU stand at the helm of your website, which means you should see your site’s results for yourself. Using Dealer Spike’s dealer admin panel on your website, you can keep an eye on your website performance. Monitor your year-over-year progress to track seasonal lead generation and identify any emerging trends.
Here are some prompts to help you leverage your dashboard data:
- What time of year do you receive the most traffic?
- Which channels (search engines, social media) generate the most leads?
- Which promotions yield the best results?
Analyze Your Site for Roadblocks
Apply your website analytics to your site’s functionality. Follow the path a shopper would take across your website. Are there any roadblocks? Points of friction could discourage leads from following through on a sale, so it’s important to identify any areas that need optimization.
Here’s a helpful checklist:
- Can you navigate easily to your inventory listings and finance options?
- Is your contact information (phone number, address, etc.) current and easy to find?
- Does your site promote your current store hours – including any upcoming holidays?
- Consider how your offline processes affect online shoppers. Can website visitors access customer service quickly, either by phone, email or live chat?
Be Proactive with Your Website Content
Think ahead to your next sales season. Which units do you plan to have available? Will you be offering new brands? With these thoughts in mind, start updating your website content so that your site is to roll next season!
Not sure what to update? Consider these suggestions:
- Reassess your website images – remove outdated or stock images. Freshen up your site with sleek new photos.
- Update your keywords to reflect your inventory, financing options and shopping process (eg, buy online and pick up in store).
- Change out old website banners (eg, promotions, announcements) and replace with fresh information.
Bring Your Website Presence to Your Social Media
A very significant channel runs between your website and your social media – keep it active by aligning your social media with your website strategy. Organic posting keeps your dealership in front of your current customers. Build up your social following during the slow season so that you have a rich marketing base when the next sales season comes around.
Here are some quick ways to generate more social media interaction:
- Congratulate customers on their recent purchases.
- Ask buyers to provide feedback on their experience.
- Re-share posts on trade shows you plant to attend.
- Assess your direct messaging response time. Being more responsive goes a long way in generating lead engagement.
Off-sales seasons hold a lot of value for your annual revenue. These periods of downtime are great opportunities to critique your online health and optimize your strategies for the next period of heavy selling. When other dealerships will be scrambling to update their websites, you will already have a top-notch online presence.
Do you have questions about optimizing your website? We have answers! Connect with Dealer Spike today!