Automotive SEO

Stop putting off filling out your Google My Business information. This is one of the most important ways you can connect locally.

While it might not seem like it’s that important for your car dealership to have complete information in this listing, the information contained is extremely useful to those who search online for the products and services you offer at your dealership.

The information a potential customer finds online helps them make their buying decisions. Google My Business can be a great tool for you.

What Information is Part of the Google My Business Listing?

You need to complete your listing to allow customers to find your business and benefit from what you offer. Items including store hours, directions, customer reviews, and services are all just a small part of what your online visitors can find when they search for what you have to offer. Considering you need to connect with the local community to invite them to your location with the information they need.

Strategies Used to Benefit Your Dealership

Google My Business is much more than simply your online listing and you can use it to benefit your business to present your shoppers with the information they need. Make simple upgrades and use these strategies to improve your connection with your local community.

Claim and Verify your Local Listing

If you don’t claim and verify your listing your business won’t show up on Google Maps or on Google Search with the business information you want to show your users. This listing is free, which means it’s something you should do right away. Once you claim your listing, you can manage important information and make it easier for your shoppers to benefit and know what you offer and when they can head to your dealership.

Regularly Update the Dealership Information

Are you taking a day off for the holidays? Will you be open late on Saturdays and closed on Sundays? Have you added more phone numbers for different departments of your car dealership? These items are all part of your Google My Business listing and should be included and updated as needed. Make it easy for your online visitors to know when you will be available to offer services to them.

Add Photos to Your Profile

One of the best ways to give your local community the connection they desire is to offer something that looks familiar to them. Add photos from the perspective of a customer driving past your location on the street out front to give them the reference points. This will offer the community the view of your location they are familiar with.

Check for and Remove Duplicate Listings

Search for your business in the Google My Business Dashboard and see if there are any duplicate listings. You want to remove any duplicates because users may find those listings and then turn to another dealership because those listings aren’t complete. You want to have one verified listing that’s used for your business.

Is Your Google My Business NAP Consistent?

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. What you have listed in your GMB listing should be the same as what can be found on your website. This consistency shows professionalism and allows your users to contact you more easily. If you offer email addresses or social media handles that allow users to link with you, these items also need to be consistent.

Use the Tools that are Part of the Dashboard

The Insights tab of the GMB Dashboard can help you identify search terms that are actually being used in your local area. This can help take the guesswork out of creating keywords that will bring your content in front of users. You’ll be glad to see the most popular terms each month and can aid your marketing team with this tool as they work to create the right content for your website.

Did You Know Videos Were Allowed?

Do you participate in community service events every year? Have you taken videos of these events? Do you want to give your customers a view of your dealership showroom? Would you like to spotlight some of your employees? All of these ideas can be put into videos that are part of your Google My Business profile. Imagine the impact that seeing your team in action can give to your dealership.

Make Your GMB Profile the Center of Your Digital Efforts

You don’t have to manage it every day, but you certainly can benefit from the information and tools offered in the Google My Business dashboard every month. Keep your listing updated and offer your customers a fresh view of your dealership and what you’re doing through your profile. Make GMB the center of your digital marketing and it will pay off for your car dealership.

GMB Is Used for More than Just Hours and Phone Numbers!

If you’re under the impression that you only need to use this feature of Google to list your business and put your hours and phone number into the space, you’re not getting as much out of it as you should be. Let’s take a deeper dive into how you can benefit when using Google My Business.

Accessibility to Information has Grown

Various search methods have been developed and Google is leading the way in using them. This means your dealership listing is easy to find on any platform including through the use of voice search and home assistant items. If your Google My Business (GMB) listing isn’t complete, a search for the hours, phone number, or location of your dealership could be incomplete for a potential customer.

Make Full Use of the GMB Platform

While it’s not a social media platform, GMB is going to be where many shoppers find the information they desire. Not only will you list your business information, but you can also connect with customers by publishing pots and photos through this platform. Your team can also respond to reviews and show the comments and the conversation path. These activities allow customers to feel they are being heard.

Direct Shoppers to Your Google My Business Inventory Listing

We are in a fast-paced world in which shoppers want information now and sooner would have been even better. Rather than require shoppers to go through your website from the home page to the inventory, you can partner with different Google-certified companies and direct customers to your entire inventory selection.

More Interactions are Starting with GMB

Even though you have to be active on social media and offer excellent landing pages that link from your posts, we are seeing more interactions with your website pages than being with Google My Business. You have so many ways to allow your shoppers to learn about you and most of that information can either be present or linked right on your listing, which is typically the first place a serious shopper will look for their next vehicle.

Provide Photos that Will Offer Familiarity and Excitement

Your shoppers want to feel they are in a familiar place when they step into your dealership. This can happen when you offer photos of your business on your GMB listing. Showcase the view from the road, the interior of the showroom, and the customer area of the service department. You’ll add a comfort level that wasn’t present without your photos.

Another great way to help get customers excited while updating your GMB information is to offer photos of new models as they arrive at your dealership. Whether you’re selling new or used vehicles or some of each, you can show the truck that arrives with a load of hot new cars or offer a view of the vehicles sitting on your lot ready to be sold. Reach your customers with images of what they could buy today.

Publish Photos and Posts Regularly

One of the tasks that should be part of your digital strategy is to keep your listing updated as often as necessary. Are you having extended hours for the weekend or closing during a holiday? Add those items to your listing, but even better yet, make a GMB post about it as well. Is there a special event going on at your dealership? Write about it and put that information on your GMB post. This is a great way to keep your customers informed about what they can expect to find when they arrive.  At a minimum, you should be publishing a photo and a post to your Google My Business on a weekly basis.

Track Your Traffic

Now you know more about what your Google My Business listing should include, but now it’s time for this platform to give you information. You can use this platform to understand what search terms bring a shopper to your GMB listing. This will give you the data and insight to optimize the content on your website and bring more shoppers in.

Let your Google My Business Listing Work for You

The basic aspects of GMB are important and allow customers to know your name, phone number, business hours, and location, but there’s so much more that you need to take advantage of this tool. Get involved and familiar with the features of this platform and let it go to work for you. You’ll soon understand how important it can be for you to actively manage your GMB listing.