The Essential Elements of an Effective Dealership Website
How effective is your dealership website? As more and more consumers turn to the web during the automotive research process, it has never been more critical to maintain an optimal dealership website. Whether you’re building a new site or making improvements to an existing site, it’s important to ensure that your site contains each of these essential elements:
Clear Calls to Action
Include clear, visible calls to action (CTA’s) throughout your site. Be strategic when selecting calls to action, consider the sales funnel and what type of conversion is most likely to appeal to consumers at each phase. Calls to action should include:
Call Now – When encouraging site visitors to pick up the phone, ensure that your phone number and hours are prominently displayed.
Chat – A chat feature should be offered during business hours. This is appealing to many consumers who are unable to talk via phone during the day and can free up your phone lines.
Schedule a Test Drive/Request More Information – These two actions can be achieved with one simple form (the more simple the better). This simple form should be visible on all vehicle detail pages or at most, only one click away.
Prominently Displayed Phone Number
A phone number should be visible on all pages of your site. Remember it is your goal to encourage site visitors to contact you directly. Having a phone number prominently displayed will simplify this process and increase phone calls. Consumers today are more likely to call you (or just show up) than they are to complete a lead form with their contact information.
Live Images
When updating inventory, always use live images of your vehicles, rather than stock. Savvy consumers recognize stock photography and are more suspect. Consumers would rather see live images of the car listed as it appears on your lot. By making this simple change, you can expect to experience an increase in inquires.
Clear Navigation
Having a simple, easy-to-follow navigation is essential for any website. In highly competitive industries, like automotive sales, clear navigation is paramount. You do not want to lose a potential customer due to confusion or frustration when navigating your site. Make it as easy and convenient as possible for potential customers to visit your site and access the information they’re seeking. And just because it’s pretty – does not mean it’s functional.
Customer Testimonials
There is nothing more compelling than a genuine customer testimonial. Be sure to share your customer testimonials on your site. Both written and video testimonials should be used to tell your story and establish a sense of trust with prospective customers.
While there are many important elements to a website, these few are essential for those in the automotive sales industry. If your website lacks any or all of these, now is the time to act! Don’t miss your opportunity to drive sales via the web. If you would like any advice on website providers that do great work, contact us. As a result of working with well over 500 stores, we work actively with nearly all providers in the marketplace today. At Speed Shift Media, we are proud to offer a highly advanced display advertising platform built solely for the automotive industry. Through programmatic display ads, inventory targeting, and retargeting we are helping dealerships improve online performance and drive sales! If you would like to learn more about our programmatic display ads and the Auto Audience™ Network, schedule your demo today!
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