For dealers in most of the industries that we serve, summer is a busy time for business. However, with summer comes the high likelihood that many of your team members are out of the office or otherwise occupied with extra family and vacation time. The start of fall and the new school year signals a shift in behavior for everyone, not just kids – and it’s a great time to focus on best practices for your business. Because your dealership’s website acts as your online showroom, it’s important to implement best practices in digital strategy to set up your business for success. It’s time to take a good look at your dealership website.
The first and most important step is having a responsive site, as 52% of all online traffic now comes from a mobile device¹. It is crucial that website visitors have a positive experience whether they are using a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer. If your site is poorly designed for a user’s device, 94% of people could cite that as a reason not to trust your business². It could also prevent a user from finding the unit they’re interested in or submitting a lead on it, due to difficulty in navigating your site on their device.
Custom web design is also important – this means that your website is made specifically for your dealership with your business needs in mind. Ideally your website will outshine that of your competition, which can be easy to do if their site has a templated design. Another benefit that comes with investing in custom web design is that you are most likely working with a designer or web provider that is fully invested in your dealership, offering suggestions and help along the way.
Even if your site is responsive and has custom design, it’s still important to refresh and update the look of your site on a regular basis. Not only does this keep website visitors (AKA your customers and prospects) interested, but it also keeps your website up to date and on trend for the highest level of usability. Although website design trends do come and go, there are a few constant elements that are considered best practices for a highly engaging website:
- Minimalistic design keeps website visitors from feeling overwhelmed. It also allows your units to stand out – giving your site the best chance of earning leads and conversions.
- Large navigation buttons for things like “Browse new boats” or “Apply for financing” help visitors easily get around your site. They make it simple for people to find exactly what they are looking for.
- Offering plenty of opportunities for leads gives you the highest chance to earn the most leads, and ultimately sales. There should be easily identifiable call-to-action buttons and lead forms on every page of your site. Submitting a lead should always be one click away.
Updating the content on your site regularly is another best practice that is important to follow. Hopefully your site will be custom designed on a responsive platform with some level of built-in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) but adding and updating the content on your site increases SEO even further. This signals to search engines that your site is a valuable, high-quality, and trustworthy resource to offer to searchers. Not only should you add content with well-written and keyword-rich text, but things like your homepage slideshow images should be regularly switched out with changing seasons as well as updates in terms of sales, specials, events, and more.
The good news? If you’re already a Dealer Spike customer, you can rest assured that many of the above best practices are already implemented on your site. Beyond the website itself, there are a variety of digital marketing tools that can help increase your online presence and drive more leads and sales. These include additional SEO services, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Marketing Automation, Targeted Digital Advertising strategies, and more. The more you invest in your digital presence, the more it can serve you – if you’d like to learn how Dealer Spike can help, click here.
¹Statista
²Tyton Media