Reach Marketing Pro

Tag: SEO Agency

  • Automotive SEO & Content Marketing: How to Rev Up Your Dealership’s Rankings 

    Automotive SEO & Content Marketing: How to Rev Up Your Dealership’s Rankings 

    Whether you’re a dealership or auto parts retailer, investing in automotive SEO is essential to your bottom line. It helps your business show up on Google when consumers search for relevant information, services, and products you offer online. 

    If you aren’t optimizing your SEO marketing strategy for search engines, your brand is basically invisible online to users you want to reach, especially in an oversaturated digital market. You may already be creating SEO content or utilizing Google Business Profile. 

    But, are they generating the results you’re looking for? 

    Auto dealers often make mistakes with their SEO marketing, like using the wrong search intent for blogs or keyword stuffing their websites—which is common! You’re not expected to be an SEO expert. But as a result, you may not see high keyword rankings or web copy that doesn’t convert to sales.

    Our complete automotive SEO marketing guide walks you through the best practices and mistakes to avoid. That way, you can better drive your dealership to the top of the search engine results page (SERP).

    A Guide to Automotive SEO & Content Marketing to Drive Traffic for Your Dealership

    Automotive search engine optimization (SEO) has many facets, including content marketing, local SEO, and more. However, they all share the same focus—generating traffic to your website by strengthening your online visibility. Some SEO automotive marketing strategies have additional end goals, such as converting paid search ads to sales.

    Below are the SEO essentials your auto brand must know to meet your SEO goals effectively. 

    Invest in Local SEO for Your Local Dealership

    Two people looking at videos and reviews of a car listing

    SEO for the automotive industry is especially crucial for local dealerships and auto part retailers with physical stores. You need to reach local target audiences while standing out from competitors nearby. 

    That’s where local SEO comes in. 

    You know local consumers read your reviews and check how you compare to the competition to see if your online reputation is trustworthy. While you may have a Google Business Profile (GBP), it may not be optimized fully or marketed correctly to target local audiences. 

    Some automotive SEO tips for GBP include:

    • Optimizing your business description and image file names with target keywords
    • Creating weekly posts to cross-promote your blogs 
    • Responding personally to all reviews over template-based responses, including your negative ones
    • Diversifying your GBP posts’ call-to-actions (CTAs), like “Learn More” or “Sign Up”—people aren’t always ready to “Buy Now” especially vehicles since they’re a larger purchase 

    Create Valuable & Optimized Automotive Blog Topics for All Funnel Stages

    You know each customer is unique. Every driver isn’t always car-savvy. Some may only know basic information to look for when car shopping, like vehicle history, entertainment features, and test drive comfort. Others may have more technical knowledge, like understanding the powertrain they want for a work vehicle. 

    A vehicle is a significant investment. Drivers nowadays are conducting preliminary research to ensure they’re making the right choice in their car purchase. Creating blogs for users in all funnel stages is key to meeting them where they are in their buyer’s journey by providing valuable, relevant content. 

    The three funnel marketing stages with automotive blog topic examples are:

    • Top-of-Funnel (TOF): How to Buy Your First Car, # Mistakes to Avoid When Purchasing a Used Pickup—for users who need more guidance on basic vehicle information 
    • Middle-of-Funnel (MOF): 2023 vs. 2024 Jeep Wrangler: What’s New, Best Light Duty Pickup Trucks of 2024—for more educated users who need help deciding between options
    • Bottom-of-Funnel (BOF): Auto Part Spotlight: Duramax’s New Diesel Engine, Customer Success Story, New Test Drive Videos—for users who are ready to buy 

    In addition to valuable funnel content, you must optimize all blogs for users and Google to find online, including:

    • Adding backlinks from reputable sites with high Domain Authority to be a trustworthy resource in your industry’s niche—arguably the top keyword ranking factor in SEO! 
    • Using target keywords throughout the body and headings naturally to prevent keyword stuffing
    • Following the right keyword density per your blog’s word count to make it readable for users
    • Including internal links to other blogs and web pages naturally to prevent over-optimizing
    • Cross-promoting your blogs by sharing them on your automotive social media profiles 

    Keyword Research Tips for Automotive Blogs

    Two people conducting keyword research on a computer

    We mentioned common SEO mistakes auto dealers make, like using the wrong search intent in their blogs. Search intent means exactly that—the intent behind a user’s search. 

    The four types of search intent with automotive keyword examples are:

    • Informational (TOF): car financing tips, used car buying mistakes to avoid, etc. 
    • Commercial (MOF): best electric vehicles 2024, tesla cybertruck vs. gmc hummer ev, etc. 
    • Navigational (BOF): auto parts stores in denver co, car dealerships near me, etc. 
    • Transactional (BOF): used pickup trucks for sale, hybrid cars for sale, etc. 

    If a user searches for “vehicles for sale in manhattan” and you create a blog topic on “How to Find the Best Vehicles for Sale in Manhattan,” that’s not what they’re looking for. They’re searching for Manhattan vehicle product listings, not a blog with tips on finding one because it’s a transactional search intent.

    You can verify a keyword’s search intent by simply typing it into Google and checking the SERPs. Do the SERPs show all blogs or product pages? While some keywords may have mixed search intent, if the SERPs don’t show blogs, it’s not the right search intent for your blog content. 

    If you don’t know where to begin with your keyword research, start by conducting a competitor SERP analysis. Enter a keyword into Google and perform a content audit with your SEO software of the top-ranking competitors. Content audits allow you to see which keywords they’re using and uncover content opportunities where you can outrank. 

    For example, you might find many question-based keywords related to a blog topic you’re writing about. You can take this opportunity to create an FAQ section to rank for those keywords if your competition didn’t make one. 

    Optimize Your Website for Search Engines & Users

    As mentioned earlier, another common mistake auto dealers make with their SEO is keyword stuffing their websites in hopes of higher rankings. This practice can do the opposite and harm your keyword rankings instead. 

    Google prioritizes E-E-A-T content (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, & Trustworthiness) to deliver more helpful, relevant information when searching for information. If your website is over-optimized with keywords, it makes your content’s readability less enjoyable and weakens your user experience (UX). 

    Remember, you’re also writing for humans, not just search engines.

    Other common SEO mistakes include not optimizing your site for mobile devices or creating a separate website for your blog. A recent study shows that 33% of car shoppers use mobile devices to research vehicles online, and 60% of them would call a dealership from a call extension link. 

    Additionally, hosting your blog elsewhere is basically like having two different websites. Automotive SEO is comprehensive enough. Optimizing for two sites creates more challenges, and your end goal is to drive more traffic to your main site. 

    Website optimization must include on-page, off-page, and technical SEO:

    • On-page SEO is optimizing what’s on your website pages, like keywords and internal links.
    • Off-page SEO is optimizing what’s off your website pages, like backlinks and social media.
    • Technical SEO is optimizing what’s behind your website’s page, like loading speed.

    While this may seem like a lot of information to digest, don’t get overwhelmed with this part. SEO tools and software platforms, like SEMRush and Ahrefs, automate website optimizations for you. Through website audits, they’ll flag areas of your site needing optimization, which types, and how to do it. 

    Some automotive SEO tips for website optimizations include:

    • Implement a search bar with filters on your parts page so users can easily find and shop for products
    • Add QR codes to your specials page so consumers can download coupons and redeem limited-time offers faster
    • Write web copy for your services page so potential customers know what’s included in each of your offerings
    • Optimize your website for desktop and mobile to prevent people leaving from poor user experience (UX), like small text on smartphones and no site breadcrumbs
    • Include target keywords in your metadata, like headings, meta descriptions, and page URLs, for Google to crawl (discover) and index (store) easier

    Website optimizations are about making it easier for your users and Google to discover online.

    Promote Your Inventory with Google’s Vehicles for Sale & Vehicle Listing Ads

    Two people buying a car with a clipboard of its features

    In addition to generating organic traffic, auto dealer SEO should promote paid traffic to your website. Also known as search engine marketing (SEM) or Pay-Per-Click (PPC), it boosts your search engine rankings through paid search ads. However, aligning your SEO and SEO marketing strategies can produce optimal results for automotive brands. 

    Remember, some users are ready to purchase a vehicle (transactional intent) or are comparing local providers before purchasing (commercial intent). The difference with SEO is that it focuses more on informational search intent and research-oriented queries, like “car buying tips.” 

    Combining SEO and SEM allows your brand to cover all relevant vehicle-related keywords consumers use when searching online. And, Google makes it easy for automotive brands to do so with its Vehicles for Sale and Vehicle Listing Ads.

    The Vehicles for Sale feature allows auto dealers to integrate their inventory directories directly into Google’s search results via your Google Business Profile. Users can apply search filters and browse your inventory outside your website to learn more about a specific vehicle. It also links back to your site when they’re ready to buy. 

    The Vehicle Listing Ads feature matches your vehicle inventory data feed within Google Merchant Center to provide a personalized shopping experience via advertising. Google matches specific car details users search for by displaying relevant vehicle ad listings. They enter the features they want, like location, mileage, and price, and an ad listing is shown.

    Monitor Your SEO Marketing Strategies

    While everything we mentioned is auto dealer SEO best practices, that doesn’t mean it’ll always generate the results you want. Google’s algorithm and car consumer demands are consistently changing—especially with various technologies disrupting the SEO landscape, like AI content writing and Search Generative Experience. 

    Continuously monitoring your SEO marking strategies helps you measure their success with data-driven insights. 

    Key SEO metrics to track include:

    • Organic Traffic: Number of users who entered your site without paid search 
    • Keyword Rankings: New, improved, and lost rankings 
    • Clicks: Number of users who clicked on your website
    • Impressions: Number of users your website was displayed to
    • New Backlinks: Number of websites linking back to your site from theirs
    • Top Pages: Website pages that generated the most traffic 
    • Local SEO Visibility: Number of calls, clicks, and search views of your Google Business Profile
    • Indexed Pages: Number of pages that Google indexed (stored) in their database, including those that couldn’t be indexed

    While KPIs will vary depending on your SEO goals, you can find these metrics in Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and SEO platforms. 

    Turbocharge Your Dealership’s Online Traffic with an Auto SEO Agency

    As an auto dealer, driving sales and investing in SEO can be time-consuming. You have to manage your company and your trade while understanding the importance of SEO. 

    Let our automotive SEO experts do the heavy lifting for you. At Reach Marketing Pro, we have extensive SEO experience in the automotive industry. We’ve worked with used and branded car dealerships and auto parts brands to enhance their online presence for their bottom line.

    From website designs and optimizations to multiple GBP location management and content writing, we can supercharge your SEO efforts for optimal results. We’re fully transparent with in-depth monthly SEO reporting to continuously measure your strategy’s success. 

    What makes us stand out is our tailored automotive SEO services. 

    Our Dealer VIP Program boosts sales for your vehicles in production like SEO content writing for the customer reservation process and designing custom home page slider graphics.  

    Our Absorption Boost package streamlines your customer’s buying process, like mobile QR codes to scan specials easily within OEM and Google’s guidelines. 

    Ready to rev up your automotive brand’s rankings?

    Learn more about our SEO services or contact us for help today!

  • How to Do Keyword Research for SEO the Right Way

    How to Do Keyword Research for SEO the Right Way

    What is Keyword Research & Analysis?

    SEO keyword research requires finding the terms that users are looking for in the search engines. Additionally, SEO keyword analysis determines which of the phrases being searched are beneficial for your company to rank for and target. Keyword research also relates to SEM, and it is pretty essential for PPC marketing. While keyword research and analysis are crucial for SEO and SEM, the process and keywords used for each are different.

    Why Keyword Research & Analysis are Vital for SEO

    Keyword research is imperative when laying out the website navigation, naming the URL, and adding content to each page. How else will you know that your content will perform well? A hunch? A gamble? No, you should always take a data-driven approach. You want the appropriate terms taking center stage so your audience can find you. If you fail to do your keyword research before plotting out these pages, you could miss out on valuable traffic or struggle to rank at all.

    The Best Keyword Research Tools to Use

    SEMrush logo with an orange background - a great SEO keyword research tool to use

    If you want to know how to research keywords for SEO, you could start with some free tools. We will show you our favorite keyword research tools, some of which are free.

    • SEMrush: Provides SEO, content, PPC, social media, and competitive research.
    • Ahrefs: Complete SEO toolset to help your site rank.
    • Moz: Tools focused on SEO, link building, inbound marketing, and content marketing.
    • Google’s Keyword Planner: Offers insight into top search words and how they are used on a global, national, and local level.
    • Ubersuggest: Shows you how others are using keywords for an advantage.
    • Google Trends: Find the topics that people are searching for now and get content creation insights.
    • QuestionDB: Database of user questions to help you generate content.
    • Wordstream: Allows you to create, optimize, manage, and measure search content.
    • Google’s People Also Ask Enhanced SERP Feature: Shows you the questions people are asking related to the inputted search query.

    Knowing how to pick keywords is only one piece of the puzzle. While many of these SEO tools are free and will get you started, it’s vital to have a paid-for toolbox to work with for proven success. It’s also wise to cross-reference your advanced keyword research among two tools to ensure you are on track with multiple databases.

    How to Analyze SEO Keyword Metrics

    To succeed with keyword analysis, you must know how to measure SEO keyword metrics and make necessary changes. It’s essential to understand what these terms mean, how each drives traffic, and how to use them as a compass for directing your content path.

    • Search Volume: Average monthly search volume for any given keyword typically over a 12-month period.
    • Trend: The interest of searchers for a given keyword typically over a rolling 12-month period.
    • Keyword Difficulty: This shows how hard it would be for a website to rank organically on the 1st page of Google for any given keyword.
    • CPC: Cost per click shows the average price advertisers pay for a user’s click on an ad triggered by any given keyword in Google Ads.
    • Density: Level of competition between advertisers bidding on the same keyword within their PPC/SEM campaigns. Don’t mistake this for keyword density in terms of SEO.
    • SERP Features: Enhanced results includes Instant Answer, Knowledge Panel, Carousel, Local Pack, Top Stories, Image Pack, Site Links, Reviews, Twitter, Video, Featured Video, Featured Snippet, Image, Adwords Top, Adwords Bottom, Shopping Ads, Hotels Pack, Jobs Search, Video Carousel, People Also Ask, FAQ and Flights.
    • Search Results: The number of URLs displayed in all organic search results for a chosen keyword phrase.

    How to Do Keyword Research & Find SEO Keyword Ideas

    Illustration of a cartoon lady holding a magnifying glass analyzing keywords in on-page content

    With your keyword tools in mind, you can now perform some research to get data-driven ideas for your SEO content. You must understand who your target audience is and work within your chosen niche. Type some relevant keywords into the tools to see what you should rank for and relevant to your business. These SEO tools will also show you any long-tail keywords or question-based queries that you could use to increase search volume and click-through rates. Also, examine the time of year these words are searched (i.e. their trend) and the difficulty you might face against your competition.

    Understanding Search Intent & Why It Matters for Keyword Research in SEO/SEM

    Search intent is understanding and knowing what a user is looking for when they input a specific query. When you perform keyword research, you want to consider search intent. If you’re going to educate your audience, your search intent should reflect understanding a product or service. You can break down the search intent of keyword phrases into two broad categories: an informational, research-based search intent vs. a buyer’s, conversion-based search intent. One represents the intent to learn, whereas the other represents the intent to convert. However, your pages can still rank high if you want to appeal to the purchase or conversion intent. With SEM, the intent is always to create a conversion. Without the right intent-based keywords, your ad copy won’t convert and will cost you more money in the long run. This could result from including too many research-based keywords in your ad groups that are not intended to convert by design. You may indeed get conversions on research-based keywords, but you won’t have a desirable conversion rate, and your spending could get out of hand. To perform keyword research for SEM/PPC, you can use similar methods as you would with eCommerce keyword research.

    National vs. Local Keyword Research

    When looking for professional keyword research services, you want to choose a digital marketing company that can focus on helping you rank locally and/or nationally. Local SEO and national SEO can be quite different. Many companies overlook your local audience and go straight to the national level, but that means you miss doing business in your region. Additionally, most keyword research tools focus solely on national keyword data, which doesn’t help your small business targeting a local area or specific region. Agencies that understand this know that all SEO keyword metrics must be cross-referenced locally and nationally to ensure the best keyword strategy is in place.

    Don’t Have the Time to Build SEO Success for Your Business? Partner with Us!

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    Reach Marketing Pro is dedicated to providing professional, advanced keyword research services that improve your website’s digital footprint through SEO (organic) and SEM (paid). Our SEO agency partners with you to accelerate your search engine efforts, so you rank on the first page of Google for the terms that matter most to your business. We can increase your keyword rankings, create data-driven, keyword-driven content that allows you to succeed, and help you get found on both the local and national levels. Contact us today for your free SEO consultation.