Automotive SEO

Every month the average car dealer spends thousands of dollars on Automotive Advertising that drives consumers to search for a car dealer's name. What is interesting to note is just how much traffic is generated by local brand awareness created by radio, TV, print and community involvement.

Car dealers and ad agencies need to inspect what consumers see when they Google a dealership's name because they could be negatively impacting their profits by having a low POD Score™. They could in fact be encouraging consumers to shop at their #1 local competitor! 

How is that possible?  Read further and view the actual reviews shown in this article that appear on Google Maps for a car dealer today.

Over the past 5 years, the search results have produced alarming trends that most dealers are not aware of; their brand is under attack.

A dealer’s POD Score™ is a measurement of how much of their brand equity is being diverted to competitors, lead collectors and unmitigated commentary about their dealership.

A low POD Score™ could mean that you thousands of dollars in automotive advertising is helping your #1 competitor.

Page One Defense - POD Score™

We have created a revised formula for creating a POD Score™ that is designed to give dealers a quick measure of how well their name is being defended/protected online when consumers perform a "direct search" on their name in Google.

The POD Score™ calculation include three metrics and the Google Maps element is also a measure of a dealers Automotive Reputation Management (IRM) program.

The elements in the revised POD Score™ are:

• Google Adwords Campaigns
• Google Maps
• Organic Listings

The revised formula also changes the weighted value of listings in the first five positions of Google organic results as compared to the last 5 listings on Page One. A car dealer’s name is the number one keyword that drives traffic to their website in organic search. It can also be in the top five most clicked keywords if the dealership name is purchased in Adwords.

This is largely due to local brand awareness created by location based traditional media and word of mouth marketing. This valuable asset is being eroded by low a POD Score™. Consumers who search for a dealers name are most likely further along in the sales funnel than a consumer typing a broad search phrase.

Consumers who search for a dealers name can be searching for a phone number, responding to an advertisement seen or heard offline, and an existing customer looking to service their car or ask a question.

Would You Buy A Car From This Dealer?

Watching For Disruptive Attacks

Since these consumers have set a search goal to connect with a dealer, it will take a disruptive event to divert a significant amount of traffic from a dealers website. I am suggesting that some of the more common disruptive events on Page One can be:

• A targeted PPC campaign showing by competitors or OEM.
• Strong negative reviews and low star ratings on Google Maps.
• Significantly higher stars on Google Maps for a competing dealer.
• A top five position for a complaint on aggressive websites like RipOffReport.com
• Targeted microsite attacking the dealers name like ww.abcdealersucks.com

Based on real life observations and data I have collected on multiple websites, I am convinced dealers should observe and take action for what appears on Page One for a search on their name. The degree of urgency will most likely depend on a dealer’s past experience with negative posts, employee attacks or aggressive competitors.

With that said, is just one element of their overall digital marketing strategy. Its beauty is that it clearly demonstrates the impact of digital marketing strategies, Automotive SEO and PPC, used to gain visibility for a car dealer’s name. Dealers will have to determine if their revised POD Score™ merits action.  

What POD Scores Are Not Intended To Accomplish

• POD Score™ is not to be used to measure Page One results on random keywords. It is designed to measure the Page One results for a search on a business name.

• The POD Score™ (Page One Defense) is not designed to measure the exact financial impact of owning Page One.

• It is not a measure of the financial impact of PPC bidding or not bidding on a dealer name when no competing Adwords campaign are present.

• Most importantly, it is not meant to imply a measurement as to the net value of click traffic generated by PPC Ads vs. organic listings that show on Page One for a dealer’s name.

POD Score™ Formula

The revised formula is an acknowledgment that when a consumer types in a dealer's name, there can be a number of things that can negatively or positively impact a dealer. The revised POD Score™ measures the dealer's awareness of these attacks and their efforts and actions to stop brand leakage and attacks. There are three scoring elements in the revised formula, which are outlined in this document.

PPC Scoring Elements

In regards to PPC Ads, adding a scoring element can be tricky because budgets and schedule impact what is seen on Page One on any given moment. The dealer is in control of calculating their POD Score™ and that includes the scoring element for PPC. Dealers can easily ask what keywords they are purchasing in Adwords.

For purposes of POD Score™, if a competitor's ad or OEM ad is running at the top of organic search results for a dealer's name, and if the dealer does not purchase their own name in Adwords as a defense, ten points will be taken off their score (-15). If a dealer recognizes their name is being targeted, and runs a competitive ad for their name, they will be rewarded five points (+15).

In the example above, Circle BMW get 15 points for creating a PPC campaign to mitigate the brand leakage created by BMW USA. If they did not create a PPC campaign, many leads would be siphoned off to BMW USA.

If there are no competitor PPC ads running for a search on a dealer’s name then there is no “top of page” attack and no POD need to direct funds at an Adwords campaign. That money can be spent to increase control of organic listings on Page One. Some Adwords experts have stated that buying a dealers name when no attack is present is great for lead generation. However, for the purpose of POD Score there is no reward.

Google Maps Elements

In regards to Google Maps, we firmly believe that dealers should edit and verify their own Google Maps listing. If the dealer's Google Maps listing shows unverified, it can have incorrect data, phone numbers and website addresses. This is not a desirable event and an unverified listing will result in 10 points taken off their score (-10).

Reviews are an important element in Google Maps and highly visible when a consumer searches for a car dealer's name. Bad reviews can be a disruptive event and can derail a consumer who was intending on doing business with the dealer. Dealers should be defending their name by asking customers to post positive reviews. If a dealer ignores this element of Google Maps, most likely only negative reviews will show.

Dealers should have dozens of positive reviews posted directly on Google Maps. If a car dealer has at least five positive reviews directly posted into Google Maps and their average is over 3 stars in Google, they can add 15 points to their POD Score™ (+15). If a dealer has less than five positive reviews, or an average Google score under 3 stars, they will subtract 15 points (-15).

In the example above, Brickell Honda has numerous Google positive reviews so their scoring for the Map component of POD Score would be +15 points.

Dealers With Cities In Their Name

For some dealers, their dealership name includes a city like "Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills.” A search can trigger Google Maps to show multiple dealerships if a consumer types "Mercedes-Benz Beverly Hills" and leaves out the word "of.”

In this case, dealers should be aware of the relative scores presented if other Mercedes-Benz dealers appear. A dealer who has significantly less reviews and stars than their direct competitors, they are inviting the consumer to click and compare.

We understand that for some dealers, Google may not show all their ratings on third party websites. In any case, dealers should be balancing where reviews are placed and since Google controls the maps listing, posting directly to Google must be part of your Internet Reputation Management strategy and the POD Score™ reflects that need.

Organic Search Listings

Members of the automotive community suggested that all organic listings do not have the same click through rates and thus should not be viewed equally for scoring. Additional feedback included that all organic listings are not shown above the fold so unless consumers scroll through the page, some listings may not influence customers at all.

It is our conviction that all listings on Page One are important but we agree that weighting is needed to reflect the energy needed to control the most important listing positions.

Negative Review Sites

For example, a RipOffReport.com or ConsumerAffairs.com listing in position 3 (shown previously for Bay Ridge Nissan) will be a more disruptive event than in position 10. This is simply because for many browsers, the listings in positions 6-10 need the user to scroll down to see them. However, on my new Mac workstation, I can see all 10 without scrolling for most searches.

The work needed to push this listing off Page One from position 3 will also require more work than if in position 10. For POD scoring, a direct negative post, like RipOffReport.com or ConsumerAffairs.com, with the dealership name in the title that appears in the first five listing is considered disruptive event and will result in a deduction of 10 points (-10).

If the review is in positions 6-10, deduct five points (-5). This can include direct attacks like www.abcbmwsucks.com which we have seen many times. So when a dealer calculates their scores for organic listings that they have full control of, they will be weighted as follows:

• Position 1 - 15 pts
• Position 2 - 15 pts
• Position 3 - 10 pts
• Position 4 - 10 pts
• Position 5 - 10 pts
• Position 6 - 5 pts
• Position 7 - 5 pts
• Position 8 - 5 pts
• Position 9 - 5 pts
• Position10 - 5 pts

Total points awarded for a dealer owning all 10 organic listings on Page One is 75 points. In order to achieve a POD Score™ of 100 or higher, a dealer must gain points from their Google Maps positive reviews or their PPC defense strategy. To clarify what counts for POD Score™ points in the organic listings we have created this table:

We would like to clearly state that third party lead collection websites or advertising websites are a vital part of the automotive community and provide valuable services to car dealers. We however, do not feel that they should be appearing on Google Page One for a search on a dealers name.

POD Score™ Point Scoring Summarized

How to Get to 100 Points

A dealer that owned all 10 organic listings, had no one attacking them using Adwords, and had good reviews would receive a score Maps (15) + Pos1-5(60) + Pos6-10(25) = 100. A dealer can also get to 100 points by defending their name with Adwords, if attacked by someone using Adwords, and not have all the organic listings under their control.

The following pages list a few examples of how the new POD Score is calculated on car dealers that are local to our office where Adwords campaigns would be expected to show.

Red Bank Volvo POD Score

Red Bank Volvo has a POD Score of 10 because of the following three section scores:

1. Adwords - A competitor is running a Google Adwords campaign on their name and they are not running a campaign the two days we tested this local dealer. (-15)
2. Maps - They do not have five positive reviews on their Google Maps listing and the last two reviews at the top of the list were damaging. (-15)
3. Organic - They control only positions 1, 2 and 3 in the organic listings.

Gold Coast Cadillac POD Score

Gold Coast Cadillac has a POD Score of 40 because of the following three section scores:

1. Adwords - Multiple competitors are running a Google Adwords campaign on their name and they are running a defensive campaign at the top of search listings . (+15)
2. Maps - They do not have a three star average rating on their reviews on their Google Maps listing and they have only 1 direct Google review. (-15)
3. Organic - They control only positions 1, 2 and 4 in the organic listings. (+40)

Readers often associate me with Automotive SEO and my passionate appeal for dealers to understand the power of content publishing, microsites, and link building.   I have been blessed to serve the industry and have been rewarded by encouragement from dealers across the country.

Along the way, some have concluded from my teaching style that I am not an advocate for third party lead collectors and third party automotive advertising websites.   In fact, that characterization could not be farther from the truth. 

All digital marketing products should be evaluated by dealers on their own merits based on the estimated Return on Investment (ROI) to the dealership.  Dealers that I work with have done their best to track and measure the benefits of third party leads and advertising and have found them to work efficiently.   

I am often asked to lend assistance in determining which lead source and platforms dealers should invest in and what I have found is that dealers results in each market can vary so one vendor may not be a universal solution nationwide.

Automotive SEO Pioneers

The best third party lead collection models are the ultimate testimony to the power of Automotive Search Engine Optimization (SEO).   I tip my hat to the websites that appear on Google Page One for broad popular searches like “used cars,” “cars for sale,” “sell my car,” and “cheap used cars.”   I’m building sites to join the superstar ranks but those that had the foresight years ago to build sites are being rewarded today.

Many of the most powerful lead collection websites today are successful because they built their business on the basic foundations of SEO: good content, strong data structures, and strong inbound linking strategies.  Many of these websites have great designs that appeal to consumers and in the end provide value to dealers.  Automotive Advertising as we know it would not be as evolved as it is today without these early pioneers.

Other less powerful but visible sites cast a negative shadow on the industry as they are poorly designed, filled with Google Adsense ads, and step over the line of using a car dealers name to promote their competitors cars.

The good and bad websites exist because they all are making model based on the fact the most car dealers do not engage in digital marketing strategies that are based on SEO. 

With that said, if car dealers find that purchasing third party leads have a strong ROI, why would they stop that channel when they add local Automotive SEO strategies to their budgets?  The answer is they don’t.  I don’t encourage them to do so because any strategy that is add to their bottom line is a good one.

Third Party Lead Collectors

I advocate that car dealers should establish a budget for content publishing to allow them to show on Page One for the local search phrases that are attainable with a minimal investment. I have encouraged larger dealer groups to hire and train internal fulltime content writers. The additional content on their websites will improve their local search visibility and can also be leveraged on their blogs, press releases, and social media sites. 

 Content as a service will be in demand in 2011. I’ll be there to offer it to dealers to help them achieve greater local search visibility.

In essence, my philosophy is to empower dealers to create locally owned digital marketing assets that can appear on Page One for localized search phrases.  In general, the industry has not trained, encouraged, or mentored content writing as a skill set needed at the dealership level.  That must change.

When I encourage dealers to push third party lead collectors off Google Page One for a search on their dealership name or for local searches that they can control, it should not be assumed that third parties are not important to a dealer’s larger success. In fact, third party sources will always be a pathway for dealers to attain leads for broad phrases that dealers will never get directly.

Third Party lead collection websites and advertising platforms function in similar ways as Google Adwords.  Dealers use Adwords to appear at the top of search results for broad phrases that they cannot expect to achieve organically.    A Chevrolet dealer in Chicago may choose to purchase the phrase “2010 Chevrolet Silverado” since he does not expect his local website to be on Page One for that national search phrase.

In a similar way, third party lead generation and advertising websites like www.usedcars.com, www.automotive.com, www.edmunds.com, and www.mototrend.com appear on Google Page One for broad searches without the need for Adwords because of their outstanding Automotive SEO scorecard and brand awareness.

The best third party automotive websites are candidates for the Automotive SEO Hall of Fame.  That gives me an idea for an award J.

Jumping To A Wrong Conclusion

With that perspective, you can see how local Automotive SEO strategies and third party lead collectors can work together to benefit a dealership overall success.  Localized SEO strategies will attract a cross-section of ready to buy consumers and lead collectors will capture an additional segment that tend to use broad search phrases.

Encouraging dealers to test and evaluate the best sources for third party leads may seem to some readers as a change in position for me.  Reflecting on the potential causes of that ill formed conclusion, it would seem that my passionate appeal for car dealers to wake up and be more active in their digital marketing success has been translated as an attack on third parties.   This is not true.

I have encouraged dealers to be content publishers to achieve a degree of independence from third parties.  I want dealers to cultivate content to achieve visibility for popular local search phrases.   Today most car dealers are doing little in terms on content publishing, yet they complain about diminishing direct consumer leads.

Dealers are getting pushed off of Google Page One for common searches on their brand name, city and the cars that they sell.  This is not because third-party lead collectors or advertising platforms are mean-spirited; they are just taking advantage of a business opportunity that was open because of dealer inaction to participate in the search-marketing world. 

Without direct knowledge, dealers have left their OEM brand and local PMA wide open for third parties to redirect and collect leads. I have been educating dealers on the website platforms that will best support local search dominance and the tools and services they need to capture broadly searching consumers.  The empowering of dealers in their digital marketing efforts is not implying they can do it alone.

The Best Third Party Leads Are Organic PPC

Because of the size, reputation and traffic generated by popular automotive content-rich websites, like Edmunds.com, third party websites appear for broad searches using year, make and model keywords.  Without the use of a targeted microsite, appearing on Page One for a search on “2010 Acura TL” would not be feasible for a dealer because it lacks a localized keyword to narrow down the search query. 

However, third party websites do appear on Page One for broad searches and provide consumers with valuable resources which often result in a lead capture.   These leads might be captured by a dealer’s Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign or they may not.  My point is why not utilize and test both sources, and if both have a strong ROI, invest in both.

The Petri Dish of Leads

What has frustrated car dealers in the past is how these leads are packaged and sold.  What dealers perceive as higher quality lead sources  (i.e. Edmunds.com) are comingled with what dealers consider lower quality sources (i.e. Yakez.com).  There are a handful of large lead consolidation companies that purchase leads from the Automotive SEO giants and resell them to dealers.

I can’t speak about all lead consolidators, but at this past NADA Convention I sat on a panel sponsored by Dealix.  I was asked to represent leads sources generated by direct lead forms on a dealers website. 

As part of the panel, which included David Kain, I learned about the Dealix Quality Pledge.  This program gives dealers the power to get credit for any leads that are confirmed to be of poor quality (bad phone number, wrong contact name, or unreachable contact).

This type of program represents a positive change in the third party lead provider industry.  Companies like Dealix want to align their interests with dealers and properly channel consumer leads to the dealer who can make the most out of them.  

In this type of model, I find it hard to come up with a reason not to test and invest in third party leads. I have come to this conclusion because the leads are not likely captured by local SEO and can be accretive to sales with a money back guarantee.   Let me state it clearly: I like that model!

Automotive Digital Marketing Strategies Need Balance

Successful dealers across the country are fine-tuning their digital advertising investments and attempting to measure ROI.  Dealers who are forward thinking are already planning their digital marketing budgets for 2011.

In the future with an ADF 2.0 specification and better CRM integration, dealers will get closer to measuring that ROI.  This will clear the air on what digital marketing strategies and partners deliver the best return on investment.

Until then, I am convinced that dealers need to test and invest in:

•  Google Adwords
•  Automotive SEO Strategies
• Third Party Lead Providers
•  Third Party Inventory Advertising Platforms

I will continue to be an advocate for dealers, encouraging them to pick the low hanging fruit that can be garnered with a reasonable effort using powerful local SEO strategies. 

However, dealers can not feasibility create their on national and regional automotive advertising network.  This is where dealers need assistance and the choices they have are triple what they had just two years ago.

Automotive SEO investments being made today establish a bright future for cars dealers.  In conjunction with this strategy, dealers must rely on third party sources that have the monopoly on Paid Search and Organic search real estate. 

That’s the reality we live in, and I’m Paschionate about that.

POD stands for Page One Defense and the score can range from Zero to 100.  A car dealer's POD Score is a direct reflection of their awareness of the importance to protect their brand from parasites and poachers.

The most frequent search phrase that brings a consumer to a car dealer website is a search on their dealership name.  If a dealer is also buying their name in Google Adwords, it will also be the number one search phrase that drives paid clicks to a dealers website.

With this in mind, we are raising awareness of what is happening on the search engines when you search for a car dealership name. Creating the POD Scoring system will raise the awareness of car dealers that their brand name is under attack. 

It is our opinion that the ideal score is a perfect 100 but many car dealers in the United States have a POD Scores of 40 or below.

How Is The POD Score Calculated?

POD Scores give dealers 10 points for each organic listing that they control on Page One for an exact search on their dealership name.  If a dealer controls all 10 of the organic listings on Page One, they receive a 100 point score.

The definition of "control" is simple; do you have the ability to control the content on the listing that shows on Page One for your dealership name.  Some of the dealers can control that appear on Page One include:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Blogs
• Microsites
• Press Releases
• Videos

Some of the things that dealers cannot control on Page One include:

• Lead collectors
• Review websites
• Business Directories
• Complaint websites
• Better Business Bureau
• National Automotive Websites

Why is a POD Score of 100 Important

A POD Score of 100 means that third party lead collectors are not diverting your customers into their data capturing devices.  It means that disgruntled employees, customers and competitors will have a harder time abusing review websites to hurt your brand.  It means that customers who are driven to the web by your radio, TV and print advertising investments are not diverted from your website.

A POD Score of 100 will yield MORE direct leads.  There will be more discussion and a few videos created on how dealers can achieve a score of 80, 90, or 100 points.  Anything less than a score of 70 means that your brand is being drained of its equity and you have made it easy for this to occur.

Brian Pasch, CEO of PCG Digital Marketing, announced that the company will be expanding the scope of the PCG Automotive Website Awards (AWA).  Starting with their 2010 Awards Program in October, PCG will add coveted industry awards in a total of three categories: Search, Design, and Technology.

The new award categories are a result of the industry’s response to the popular Automotive Search Marketing Awards (ASMA) which will continue under the AWA “search” category.   The ASMA awards are the standard for recognizing website platforms that excel in organic search.

In the Automotive Website Design category, awards will be given for three classifications of automotive website platforms: dealership websites, manufacturer websites and third party automotive advertising websites.

In the Automotive Website Technology category website platforms will be evaluated on innovative core technology that stands above their peers. In the past year the automotive industry has witnessed numerous technological advancements in car dealer websites.  Mobile integration, geo-targeted marketing, chat, CRM, and advances in search advertising all will be considered.

The awards will be presented at an invitation only industry breakfast sponsored by PCG Digital Marketing in Las Vegas on October 12, 2010 at 8:00 am.  The award presentation was selected to coincide with the start of the 9^th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition which attracts automotive website companies to Las Vegas each year.

Members of the press and automotive industry who would like to attend the 2010 PCG Automotive Website Awards presentation should contact Carrie Hemphill at 732.450.8200, ext 2.

About the ASMA Awards

Started in 2008, the ASMA Awards are designed to provide car dealers with an independent view of website platform technology as it relates to organic search marketing.   The report assists car dealerships in evaluating new website platforms. The ASMA awards also recognize the best platforms that allow consumers and car dealers to connect on the Internet.   The 2010 ASMA study book will be over 150 pages this year and review 45 website providers.  The report will be the industry’s reference guide for the best in automotive website technology.

Submit Website Design Candidates

Members of the Automotive Industry are encouraged to submit their recommendations for the three awards that fall under Automotive Website Design (AWD) this year.    Automotive website companies are asked to limit their submissions to four car dealership websites.

Recommendations must be received by September 20^th and can be submitted online at http://www.asmaawards.org/automotive-website-design-awards/

Contact PCG Digital Marketing

Carrie Hemphill

Media Contact

PCG Digital Marketing

Carrie.hemphill@pcgdigitalmarketing.com

732-450-8200 ext 2

I would like to invite all car dealers and vendors that serve car dealers to add your business to www.CarDealerWiki.org a new project that I have started.  There is no cost to add your dealership or company to CarDealerWiki.  On the flip side,  adding your company information to the websites has many benefits.

As CarDealerWiki.org  increases in popularity,  it will provide car dealers with additional Google Page One assets that will protect the dealers most important search phrase; their dealership name.  As more car dealers participate in the website, it will become an important digital asset for car dealers who want to keep Google Page One filled with brand enhancing assets they control.

CarDealerWiki.org requires your account to be approved before you post.  Please complete the user profile with accurate information about what dealership or company you work for.  I am trying to keep spammers off the site and grow the content with real dealership data.  This will also keep the website content quality high.

Once you create your dealership profile page, you can also create optimize Wiki pages for service, parts, used cars all identified with your brand and town.  I have provided a few examples of car dealerships that are taking their opportunity in CarDealerWiki seriously.

When you create any page on the website, I am recommending your write 400-700 words on each page as a target.  You can upload photos, YouTube Videos, DealerRater reviews, and if you are in the Automotive Advertising Network, you can load live inventory.  The site has the ability to input RSS feeds so you can also add the latest posts from your car dealership or personal blog. 

Toyota of Wallingford

Toyota of Wallingford has taken their CarDealerWiki profile page to another level by creating content pages for the models they sell as well as integrating a YouTube video.  You will see that he created sub-pages for specific Toyota Brands with a geo-target of New Haven. Take a look at the page and the powerful URL it created: http://cardealerwiki.org/Toyota_Camry_New_Haven

Lexus of Portland

Lexus of Portland created a page at  http://cardealerwiki.org/Lexus_Of_Portland and added their streaming DealerRater.com reviews.  This is a cool way to keep your CarDealerWiki page updated with the latest reviews.  The great things about CarDealerWiki is that these reviews appear to Google as text on the page.  This helps to fill out the Wiki page with real content.

Marlboro Nissan Example

Marlboro Nissan created a CarDealerWiki page on this URL:  http://cardealerwiki.org/Marlboro_Nissan. Notice that the URL in the Wiki is your dealership name which is great for SEO purposes.  When you visit their page,  you can see that they created sub-pages for each model Nissan used cars that they sell, here is one page example: http://cardealerwiki.org/Used_Nissan_Altima_Marlboro . 

Notice that the URL is "Used Nissan Altima Marlboro" and this is important to call out because you want sub-pages on CarDealerWiki to be geo-targeted.  The review process will not allow one dealer to create a Wiki page called "Used Nissan Altima".   What this means is that members of CarDealerWiki can create geo-targeted pages for user cars, sales, parts and service.  The key is to add good content on these pages.

Capital Ford Lincoln in Canada

Canadian car dealers are also welcome to join CarDealerWiki and Capital Ford Lincoln in Regina has done a great job building out their car dealer profile page.  They have added a block of car dealer testimonial from YouTube.  They have also started to create pages for the cars that they sell, so take a look at their creativity: http://cardealerwiki.org/Capital_Ford_Lincoln

Why You Should Get Started

Since this is my personal project, I have been involved with building links and relevance for this site.    This means in the coming months this will grow to a high PageRank website. The links that are part of these profile pages ARE even now being picked up by Yahoo and Google.   This means CarDealerWiki.org will be great for Google Page One Management as well as building powerful links to internal pages on your website.

So visit www.CarDealerWiki.org today and create an account.  In the upper right-hand corner, there is a login hyperlink.  Click that and request an account.  It will normally be approved with 24 hours.  When you register check your junk email folder since your password, which is emailed to you, normally ends up there. 

Once your account has been approved, please watch the tutorial video on the home page to show you how to use CarDealerWiki's dealer profile template.  It will save you time with the syntax of creating an attractive profile page.  I hope to see you join and experience the benefits of membership!

CarDealerWiki Video Tutorial

Today the Automotive SEO Study kicks off.  Over 100 car dealers from the United States and Canada will depart for a 16-week adventure.  In the past two weeks, interested dealers have been attending webinars and packing their digital luggage for the trip.  The packing process was well defined so that they had the necessary digital garments to endure the voyage.

Part of that pre-travel process was to prepare their travel documents so that they would know where they started.  We asked all members to print PDF snapshots of their Google Analytics, Webmaster Tools, Google Page One Rankings (GPOM), Google Places Analytics for their current website.  Members created a free Google Docs account so that they could load the historical snapshots for safe keeping and later review.

No Digital Accountability

It was sobering to witness the disruption that these requests created. Many members of the study worked at dealerships that never produced or viewed these types of reports.  For some, the accountability was never setup so they start the study with zero history.  I am pleased to say that the passionate members of the study have persevered.  They are ready for travel; clothing and documents in hand.

It prompted me to share with readers what I documents they should load into Google Docs for their own dealership.  By creating this discipline, dealers will be able to see their growth or decline in key digital marketing metrics.   

Some readers may be thinking that I'm forgetting that Google Analytics or embedded analytics from your website vendor can show any historical range so there is no need to print static reports and upload them in Google Docs.  They would be correct except that shit happens.  A number of members commented that once they changed website vendors, historical data was lost.   No one had the foresight to print historical reports before the cut-over.

We also had a few members who had unfortunate issues that wiped our historical data or analytics accounts that were owned and controlled by people that were now hostile to the dealership.  My conclusion was to suggest a process that would avoid this pain and empower the dealer. 

Every month, I suggest that dealers create a PDF report and in some cases, capture a screen to a JPG photo file, of important statistical data and load it into a free Google Docs account and ALSO print a paper copy and place them in a tabbed three ring binder.  That may seem old-school until someone deletes you digital files.

What You Should Be Storing

The reports that you should print or screen capture are listed below.  If you don't know how to capture what is on your screen to a file, there are many free utilities on the market.  One of the nicest is called Jing from Techsmith. ( http://www.techsmith.com/jing/ ).  Screen captures are needed because Webmaster Tools and Google Places do not yet have a print to PDF function for their summary data.

The monthly reports you should print and collect are:

• Google Analytics (last 120 days)
• Google Webmaster Tools Dashboard Screen
• Google Webmaster Tools Link Report
• Google Places Analytics Screens (You may need 2 screen shots)
• Google Page One search results for a search on your exact dealership name
• Website Grader Report
• Google Adwords Campaign Report
• Website Vendor Analytics and Lead Reports

Each one of these reports has some important data which can help assess the overall health of your dealership digital marketing strategies.  This article is not designed to go over the data that is critical on these reports but an encouragement to start this type of monthly log.

If you are serious about improving the traffic, leads and sales for your dealership website you need these reports.  I hope to continue this education process in future articles as well as at the DrivingSales Executive Summit in Las Vegas on October 18-20th.  I hope to see you there.