If you are a Car Dealer and are using Local SEO to promote your dealership online, you probably already realize that Google is your most important asset. You need to realize that regardless of what your SEO service is telling you, 2011 was one of the biggest years of change for Google search and everyone was affected by theses changes in one way or another!

Where is Local Search on Google headed?

As 2011 comes to a close,  Google has released a good video where in just 6 minutes they cover the evolution of search, basically explaining the evolution of Google’s core search product from its  revolutionary PageRank algorithm to its latest movements towards real-time, local SEO, and social results. It is an interesting timeline of the major changes to Google search.

Is Your Car Dealership Ready for Local SEO in 2012?

Although the Auto Industry as a whole has been slow at adapting to the paradigm shift from traditional media to Digital media, most car dealers have acknowledged that to survive in the future they must try to better understand how Internet Marketing and traditional advertising must work in unison to create more sales.

The video recently released by Google called “The Evolution of Search” gives an overview of how far search has come over the past 15 years and gives a strong indication as to where it is headed. If you are Car Dealer trying to increase market share online you should take a few minutes and watch this interesting video.

Let’s look at 4 of the major areas discussed in the video and see how it pertains to the Auto Industry and SEO:

1.  Universal Search – Before 2007 Google searches brought up web pages in the search results and it was pretty cut and dry as to how we used SEO to get top page rankings.

Google realized that web searchers were also interested in images and videos when doing searches and drastically improved their ability to index these forms of content. Now searchers can find videos, images, news, Maps, Places, when doing certain keyword searches on Google.

Car dealers should realize that SEO should now include Image SEO, Video SEO, Blogging using Content Marketing, Timely Press Releases, and above all, all well optimized Local Business Listing.  Taking advantage of Universal Search could very well help your Dealership land multiple spots on page 1 for certain keywords.

Bottom line: Marketing managers at Car Dealerships must start looking at Video and Image marketing as well as take another hard look at how a Blog using content marketing can help them increase online exposure and drive more traffic to their dealership.

2. Mobile and Local Search - When Google realized that most searches were local they jumped in feet first and created the most powerful local search platform on the Internet.  Make no mistake about it,  Google  Places is still a work in progress and it seems every other month Google makes a major change.

Last October 2011, they made a massive Local search results change when they combined the Google Maps algorithm with the organic results algorithm making it necessary for local businesses to have a well optimized website as well as a well optimized Google business listing.

Google also decided that they wanted the local business listings to own the major Real Estate on the page 1 results by changing the way the results show. Rather than the crowded Google Map results we used to see, we now see local listings that usually extend down most of page 1. This change pushed a lot of 3rd party directories like Yellow pages, Yelp etc… off page 1 to page 2.

Google also has invested Billions of dollars into Mobile search. They own Android and are going head to head against the I Phone. They also own the largest Pay Per Click platform for text messaging. Make no mistake about it Google sees Mobile search as the future and is well on its way to being the dominant force.

Mobile search and Local search go hand in hand. The Google places business listings are mobile friendly and Google understands that most mobile searches are local. People looking for restaurants, coupons, directions to local businesses do it while on the road.

Bottom line: You absolutely must have your Car dealership listed on page 1 of the Google Places page. If you are not coming up for popular local keywords you are losing customers. Unfortunately, just claiming your local business listing is usually not enough. you need to hire a Google Places specialist because most SEO experts do not know all the secrets to Google Places.

Mobile search is growing fast. Your Dealership should have a mobile friendly website, and blog. People should be able to view your inventory on their phones. People searching for a new or used car want to avoid visiting the dealer until they have located cars they are interested in. there is no way around this. Make it easy for mobile phone users to view your stuff and they will come to your dealership in droves!

3.  Fresh and Relevant Results – Early in November 2011, Google released a major update to its search ranking algorithm and it affected somewhere around 30% – 35% of all searches. Google is now making a huge effort to decide if  a search query should return more fresher search results, as opposed to the older and more established links.

Google realized many years ago that updating its index once a month hurt their results when timely events happen. They also want searchers to find results as close to real time as possible. Let’s face it, Social media has created an instant information society and Google needs to be part of it.

They introduced Google Caffeine in 2009 and it really kicked in by 2010.

The most recent changes really hone in on  providing Freshness focusing on these 3 areas:

• Breaking news and really Hot Topics – these are usually stories that are only minutes old.
• Regularly recurring events like elections or sporting events.
• Information that is constantly updated like product and business reviews.

Google is tweaking their search algorithms and analyzing social data which gives them a good idea of what is happening right now online!

Bottom line: Google is looking for fresh and relevant content. your ability to provide that will determine where your content appears online going forward. If you are content to leave the old outdated info on your dealership website be prepared for more aggressive dealers to start moving your rankings down the page. Never before has a fresh and content rich blog been more appropriate.

By creating a content marketing blog that has video, image and content being uploaded constantly while targeting good keywords you give your dealership an opportunity to dominate the Google search results. Old stale websites are a thing of the past and you need to move now or be cast to the inner pages of the Google search results!

4.  Social SEO  using Google +1 - If you spend any time at all searching online you have probably noticed that new +1 button that keeps showing everywhere.  Although the +1 button was unveiled last June 2011, it has been a work in progress. Google wants to redefine search making it more social. Instead of relying on back links which over the years has been abused and manipulated by SEO experts, Google wants to let users decide where you should rank based on interactivity. Make no mistake about it Google +1 will be a major part of the Google Search algorithm in the not too distant future.  In a sense Google would like to see a more personal approach to search and how you use Google +1 will determine what results Google shows you when you do a search.

Bottom line: Get a +1 business page, add +1 buttons to all your content and get people to interact with you regarding the content you present.

This goes back to the notion that Fresh and relevant content is more important now than ever. If you are providing fresh and relevant content on your blog, Google will see people using the +1 button and you will receive better rankings.

Customer Reviews are another huge social signal to Google. You absolutely need to be actively seeking reviews from satisfied customers. Don’t worry about the dissatisfied customers, they will find a way to get that negative review on Google.  For every negative review you may receive, you need at least 5-7 positive ones. I find it simply amazing how many car dealers are not paying attention to what people are saying about them online.

Negative reviews online can easily cost your dealership 10% of sales and 5% 0f repair orders. If you are a 100 car a month and 1,000 ROs a month, figure that you are losing 10 deals and 50 repair orders per month. You absolutely must have a Reputation Management plan in action.

Below is the 6 minute video presented by Google – “The Evolution of Search”

Over the past 15 years Car Dealers have spent a lot of money on Automotive SEO. As Google continues to evolve as a search engine, so must Car Dealers evolve how they present content to online searchers as well as the Google spiders. Google has sent a very clear message to all local businesses and we need to pay attention.

Moving into 2012 you should take notice of these important areas of Local SEO:

• Are you using Video, Images, Press releases, and blog posts properly? Are you using Local SEO on all the Google Universal search verticals?
• Make sure your Google local listing is properly optimized for your best keywords. Does your Google Place page have 10 optimized images? Is there 5 SEO friendly videos on there? Are your Citations consistent with your Google Places page? Are you getting reviews on a regular basis? Local search is huge and your Google local listing is a powerful piece to your online marketing.
• Start paying attention to how your Dealer info displays on mobile phones. Google already displays your Google Places listing properly. How does your website look on a mobile phone. People are using mobile phones while on the road. Don’t lose a customer because they drove right by your dealership because you did not show up on their phone!
• Google is looking for fresh and relevant content. There is no better way to target more keywords and provide Google with fresh and relevant content than a blog. Content Marketing is not new but it is misunderstood and underused. With the latest Google changes that is going to change very soon. Get a jump on your competition by creating a powerful content marketing platform using a blog format.
• Do not ignore Google +1. Get the button on all your pages and create a business page. Google is serious about this and if you sit back you will find yourself way behind the curve when Google adds +1 results to its Search results.  A content marketing blog can really move you into the +1 fast lane.

Get a fast start on 2012 by understanding the direction that Automotive SEO and Google are moving. if your current SEO company is not talking about these issues, it may be time to start reconsidering why you are still paying them.  Local SEO and Content Marketing are powerful areas that cannot be ignored.

Jeffrey Taylor

Jeffrey Taylor is one of the Principals at AutoNet Media INC and has been doing SEO in the Automotive Industry for 15 years.

Now focused on Local Internet Marketing, Jeffrey works with local businesses including Doctors, Dentists, Chiropractors, as well as Automotive related businesses that want to dominate their local market.

He resides in Cave Creek Arizona and can be reached at jeff@autonetmedia.com

Please feel free to contact him if you have any questions regarding Digital Marketing and how it affects your Car Dealership.

Google shook the entire search engine consultant world to the core in 2011. With the Panda update, the Freshness update, continual tweaks to Google Places – many SEO specialists (myself included) are thinking – what’s next?

The fact is…most Google updates and changes will go unnoticed by our clients. However, occasionally it does create a change in rankings and we must always be working to react when Google changes the rules!

A Word from Jeffrey Taylor, our Search Engine Optimization  (SEO) expert!

Hi there! For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been actively doing SEO in the Automotive Industry for over 15 years. I started AutoNetUSA in 1996 and over the years have helped hundreds of Car Dealers sell more cars by providing leads and Internet training.

After 15 years of generating hundreds of thousands of leads for car dealers and helping hundreds of car dealer sales reps use Internet marketing to sell cars, I see a few major trends happening in the search engines and want to share them with you now.

Big changes are happening at Google and yes, you should be concerned!

Despite what your SEO expert may be telling you, there is trouble in Google land. For the first time ever, Google feels threatened by outside sources. They are losing eyeballs to Social media sites and are seeking ways to capture more visitors and keep searchers engaged.

Big changes at Google in 2011 and more on the way in 2012!

It seems like every morning we wake up to more changes in the Google search results. Like it or not, they make the rules. We must react as the rules change. Their biggest fear? Remaining relevant is this new fast moving Social Media era we live in now. Their second biggest fear? What if Facebook starts their own search engine.

The biggest change in the Google Search Engine rules presents a huge opportunity for you!

Google has decided that they want to be more relevant when people do searches. This means they are looking for fresh content first, before looking for older content.

Our Content Marketing platform is cutting edge for 2012 and does not include your website!

Chances are your current website does not change much, and although it makes you money it is a final destination point for prospects. As Google searches for fresh relevant content to keywords people type in, the Internet Marketers with well optimized Blogs using Content Marketing will benefit the most.

Content Marketing using a blog format is powerful and benefits you in these ways:

• Provides a cost effective way to generate keyword rich content quickly.
• Allows you to drive traffic back to your money site.
• Gives you the flexibility to change as Google changes.
• Gives you the ability to target hundreds of cities, and zip codes using content marketing.
• Your Blog receives top listing in our huge Automotive network – hundreds of back links from Automotive related websites.
• A platform to use Video and Image marketing. Google loves videos and images and often gives them page 1 rankings for very powerful keywords.

Those are just a few benefits you will receive from a Content Marketing strategy.

Is Content Marketing just another gimmick?

The key to maintaining a successful presence online is reacting to the many changes that occur. Back in 1996, I was told by many Car Dealer GMs that the Internet was just a fad and wouldn’t be around in 2 years! The vision I had in 1996 is similar to what I see now. Google is changing the rules and you need to react!

Bottom Line: Just like in the mid to late 1990s, many dealers will ignore these sweeping changes and will be forced to play catch up once again. I know from experience that there are enough Car Dealers that want to be on the cutting edge of Internet Marketing and are looking for way to increase their online presence and set the foundation for years to come.

Which category do you fall in? Let’s talk about this in more detail.

Contact Jeffrey Taylor at jeff@autonetmedia.com and set up a phone appointment to get a clear picture of why you need content marketing and how it will help you attract more customers.

A Page 1 ranking in Google Places is no longer an option! Last October 27th 2010 Google changed the entire local SEO landscape when it merged Google Maps with your website. The outcome was a completely new search results page that completely dominated most of the screen.

You see, Google knows that most searches are locally focused and they wanted to make sure they could push the other guys off to page 2.

In fact, there is a huge probability that most of the Google searches you make nowadays will result in Google Places listings,  and customers are clicking like crazy.

Google Places is Bigger than Pay Per Click and it’s Free

The fact is, more people click on organic listings than Pay per click ads. Some numbers say it is around 80% organic clicks versus 20% pay per clicks.

Where are people looking when they are on page 1 of the Google search results?

The highly regarded SEOMoz did a test to see where searchers eyeballs scan when they get to a results page.

Guess what? Most people DO NOT look at Pay Per Click! The Google Places results attract eyeballs, and you cannot ignore that fact. The heat map below shows the eyeball activity around a Google search for “pizza.”

Notice that most of the activity centers around the Local Google Places pages. People are looking at these results and clicking to find local businesses.

The fact is, your dealership relies heavily on your local community and you must focus on securing a top page 1 ranking at Google Places.

We help you do this by focusing on these important elements:

• Citations: Google determines if you are a legitimate local business by the citations it finds on the Internet. A citation is simply a mention of your NAP.  Nap stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. You see if Google sees other websites listing your NAP exactly the same throughout the Internet it raises their trust level that you are indeed who you say you are. This is why using multiple phone numbers and tracking nimbers online may be hurting your ranking. Everything in your NAP must match all over the Internet or Google loses trust in you.
• Google Places page optimization: Your Google Places page must be properly optimized. Just claiming your listing and filling in a few boxes is not enough. Sue it can get you listed but in the long run a better optimized competitor will outrank you. There is a right way to do it and a wrong way. Do it wrong and you may find yourself on page 6 of the Google results or worse yet, banned entirely from the Google Places listings.
• Your Website must be search engine friendly: When Google merged the algorithms last year it made having a well optimized website more important than ever. If your website is poorly optimized it must be upgraded or you can create a SEO friendly Blog to link to. This is also not an option!
• Reviews: Google only displays customer reviews from Google, but getting reviews from other 3rd party sites like Yelp, Superpages or Insiderpages will help increase your presence. Reviews are more important than ever because searchers want to hear what others are saying about your dealership before they decide who they will buy from. This is why Reputation Management is the new buzz for local businesses and getting a handle on what people are posting about your dealership could be the difference between more sales and lost sales.

Lets get down to business! 15 years of Automotive SEO gives us a huge advantage!

Are you tired of excuses? Tired of paying some SEO company thousands of dollars for Google Places rankings and getting no results?

Are you ready to increase your exposure on Google and get a seat at the head of the Google Places table?

Let me warn you! Our Google Places program is not cheap, nor should it be. We leave no stone unturned and use tactics that Google allows (no black hat seo here). Most Local SEO services have no clue when it comes to what Google wants now.

If you want a complete break down of how our system works fill out the form below for our Free eBook – Dominate Google Places and Sell More Cars

It’s Time to move ahead to the next chapter of Car Dealer Internet Marketing! Are You Ready For 2012?

Car Dealer Internet Marketing has evolved by leaps and bounds over the past 15 years. It is no longer just about having a company website and driving all your traffic to it.

The evolution of Google as the worlds most powerful search engine has created an online marketplace where it is now necessary to pay attention to content creation, keyword analysis, Video SEO, Social Media, Reputation Management and the list goes on! Staying ahead of your competition when it come to Internet Marketing is an arduous task!

Local SEO Sounds Simple – Target the right keywords, outrank your competition, turn searchers into buyers!

You must focus on local search engine optimization (Local SEO).

The fact is, your Dealership is local and your SEO should be also. Sure you sell cars to out of state consumers, but the brunt of your customers are coming from your local area inside your state.

Local SEO Designed For Google in 2012.
Are you Ready For Big Changes?

Moving into 2012 you have 2 choices. You can give Google what they want or ignore them at your own peril. We know, all these Google updates and changes are becoming a real pain in the ass. Well us, SEO specialists don’t like it anymore than you do.

The fact is, 2011 may very well have been the most active year for Google updates and changes that we have seen in the past 12 years, and over the years there have been some big ones!

Content Marketing

This may be the most important move you will make online this year. Google has been sending us hints for 3 years that the traditional website is losing its luster.

In 2007 they introduced Universal Search verticals, and in 2011 the Panda update sent a clear message that Google wants fresh and relevant content.

Google made it clear in 2011, no more stale content. Content Marketing is much much more than just writing articles or uploading posts. We help you conquer Google universal search using video SEO, Image SEO, and providing ongoing keyword targeted content to the search engines.

Find out more about Google Universal Search Content Marketing and SEO Friendly Micro Blog Marketing and how you will benefit from it in 2012

Local Business Listing – Google Places

Since Google released their local listings several years ago, 2011 was the year they really kicked it into high gear! A top ranking in the Google Places results for the right keywords means more traffic!

Simply claiming your Local Business Listing on Google Places is NOT enough! There are guidelines that most businesses and most SEO companies do not know about and it is costing car dealers rankings.

Google keeps changing the rules and each change they make shows us that Google Places is a very important piece to their local search puzzle. It is only going to get bigger and you need to be there!

Find out more about our Google Places Domination Package

Let’s talk about how you can stay ahead of the curve and not get caught in the catch up mode.

Contact Jeffrey Taylor at jeff@autonetmedia.com and set up a phone appointment to get a clear picture of why you need content marketing and how it will help you attract more customers.

Discover Why Every Car Dealer Should Be Using Content Marketing!

Google Changed the Rules again in 2011 and most Car Dealers have not reacted yet!

What Does Google Want From You in 2012?

With the “Panda updates” in early 2011, and the “Freshness update” in October 2011, Google sent a clear message to search engine marketers throughout the Internet Marketing world by telling us they want fresh, unique and relevant content. Google is looking for fresh content and the car dealers that can effectively serve it up will be rewarded with higher rankings.

The fact is, most Car Dealer websites get updated only several times a year and it is usually for things like coupons or inventory that Google really doesn’t consider fresh content. By creating and constantly updating a Blog with fresh articles and videos, you are targeting specific keywords with fresh content and Google will take notice and rank that content.

How Will Content Marketing Help Your Dealership?

As the way customers use the Internet continues to evolve, so must the way Car Dealers market to them also evolve. The way you market your products and services online today is much different than it was 10 years ago, and it is changing again.

The question you must ask is…are you changing with the times? Google keeps changing the rules and once again many car dealers will be left in the dust as Car Dealer Internet Marketing moves quickly towards the powerful wave of “Content Marketing”!

How Does Content Marketing Work and What Do We Do To Make It Work?

It is really quite simple. The more content Google finds on line, the more places you show up, and the more contacts you receive from car shoppers. Content Marketing is the most effective way to reach all of the Google Verticals and put your message in front of more people.

What are Google Verticals?

Without getting too technical here lets explain what Google is doing and why you need to react. You are probably very familiar with the search result pages you see on Google. Over the years Google has morphed different types of results into their standard website results. These different types of results are known as Google Verticals.

Keywords determine what the Google results page will look like. The content you provide to Google will determine if you are showing up. Remember, not every searcher types in “toyota dealer phoenix” to find a Phoenix Toyota Dealer. In fact, most searchers will type in some form of long tail keyword phrase.

A well known keyword truth…the more keyword phrases you target effectively, the more traffic your web pages will receive. Just targeting the main popular keyword phrases is not a good way to maximize traffic.

Content Management is all about trying to maximize your exposure to as many Google verticals for as many keywords as possible. Each time you can effectively grab a page one results ranking on different verticals you will increase your exposure and opportunities to do business. Content Management is the ability to target hundreds of keywords and generate hundreds of pages of content to ensure that shoppers will find you every time they search.

Types of Google Verticals to target!

1. HTML Verticals
2. Video Verticals
3. News Verticals
4. Image verticals
5. Blog Verticals
6. Discussion verticals
7. Google Maps verticals

Start using the Power of Content Marketing at your Automotive dealership!

Find out how you can start using the power of Internet Content Marketing to dominate Google in your local market for hundreds of keywords. The online move is towards fresh and relevant Content. Don’t let your dealership fall behind the curve and be forced to play catch up.

When used properly, content marketing is one of the most effective, lowest-cost ways to drive traffic and build awareness for your dealership. It is simply a matter of creating and distributing relevant content to attract, acquire, and engage your target audience. Imagine targeting all of your local markets by city and zip code with hundreds of pages and videos designed to please Google and move searchers to your website.

Contact us today and find out how to get started!

Introducing Automotive Search Engine Macro Sites

The Google Panda update in 2011 has changed the way websites are viewed by Google. It is time for the Macro Site!

2011 will long be remembered by Search Engine Optimization specialists as the year of the Panda.

Although Google makes changes to their algorithms all the time, seldom do they make a big difference in website rankings. The Google Panda updates sent a clear message that Google wants more relevant content and a continuous flow of it.

Remember these words…give Google what they want and be rewarded with higher rankings and more traffic. Ignore Google and suffer the consequences of lower rankings and less traffic.

Are you Ready to start targeting more keywords and online car shoppers using Content Marketing with Macro Sites and generating hundreds of locally focused pages for Google? Are you ready to FEED THE PANDA?

What is a Macro Site and Why Do You Need One?

Over the years you have heard a lot about using Micro Sites to target individual keywords and Niches. With over 2,300 domain names in our network, AutoNet Media knows quite a bit about Micro Sites. Unfortunately, the Google Panda updates of 2011 has made Micro sites vulnerable to websites with more and fresher content.

As we continue to transform hundreds of our Micro sites into Macro Sites, we want to share the power with you! Instead of creating a few web pages – targeting a few keywords – your Macro Site will target hundreds of relevant keywords with hundreds of pages. You will be feeding the Google Panda search engine friendly videos, images and well targeted blog posts.

It’s really quite simple! Your Macro Site is a Micro site on steroids! (Don’t tell the NFL).

How Do Macro Sites Work?

Let’s take a look at traditional advertising.  You always try to REACH as many prospects as possible by spending money using large newspaper ads, television ads and radio ads. The end goal is to REACH as many people as possible and to hit the few that are thinking about buying a car, or looking for a good deal. Very expensive and hard to target, but has worked for years.

A Macro Site takes niche marketing and REACH to a whole new level!

The more relevant keywords you target, the more traffic you receive! The best part is, car shoppers are typing these keywords into Google meaning they are engaged in research and are well targeted prospects. The fact is…people are different and type in different keyword phrases to find what they want. A Macro Site goes after more keywords.

You will be targeting hundreds of keywords including cities, counties, zip codes, makes and models, service, parts and more! You will be using powerful universal search methods that Google not only loves, but they will reward you with Page One rankings.

A Macro Site is the most powerful and cost effective means for BRANDING your Dealership!

Another reason you use traditional advertising is for Branding purposes. You want people to remember XYZ Chevrolet whenever it is time to buy a new or used car. The more you put your brand out there, the more people remember your name! A Macro Site takes BRANDING to a new level!  By targeting hundreds of keywords and producing hundreds of pages of targeted content, videos, and images people searching online will see your name over and over again.

A typical Content Marketing Macro Site campaign begins with determining what keywords your Dealership needs to target to increase traffic for that particular Dealer profit center. Not just a few keywords, but hundreds of Long Tail keywords that people are typing into Google as they search for your cars and services.

Used Cars – This  is accomplished by targeting used car shoppers by cities, counties, zip codes, makes and models.
Service – Commonly used for service coupons, specials and warranty check ups, and focuses on Geo modifiers
Finance – Compete with online car loan vendors with your own offers.
New Cars – focus on your make, models and Geo Modifiers
Social Media – A Macro Site helps you connect with the social community through charities, local affiliations, sport sponsorships etc.. Use Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus the right way.

Macro Sites are a powerful way to upload fresh and relevant content online whenever you want.  Google has made it clear that it will reward websites that have fresh content.  Each Macro Site update will be automatically distributed to Twitter and Facebook, bookmarking and Ping sites. This allows you to notify the Google spiders that you have fresh content and invites them to come to your website more often. The Google spiders love fresh content and will visit your Macro Site over and over again if it is fresh.

Main purpose of Content Marketing Macro Site:

• Dominate specific local markets for certain keywords in Organic Search Results
• Increase your chances of being displayed in one of the Google verticals on page one
• Target specific departments or services at your dealership
• Increase community awareness regarding your dealership on social networks
• Target numerous long tail keywords to increase traffic through additional Google views
• Dramatically increase the number of fresh content pages in the Google index
• Create an additional back link source to your main website

How do you get started:

• Contact AutoNet Media to discuss your goals and expectations
• Determine what domain names to acquire based on target keywords and local modifiers
• Create keyword master list and local cities, counties, and zip codes to target
• Determine content pages
• Determine update schedule – how much and how often

Based on the above criteria, we can determine what the Macro Site build will cost. The amount of content you need to achieve your desired results and how often new content is created and distributed will determine the monthly maintenance fee.

A successful and well planned Macro Site can generate thousands of new visitors per month and target keywords that your main website will never be able to reach. Many Car dealer websites are designed with so many scripts and flash presentation that search engines do not index them and terefore they are oftentimes never seen by their intended audience.

A Macro Site also allows to you to target your entire local target market by city, zip code, and brand. Your main website cannot possibly generate hundreds of content pages as quickly and easily as we can.

If you are ready to use Macro Sites to dominate Google and drive more traffic to your dealership, just contact us today and let’s talk!

Back in 1996 Arizona AutoNet created one of the first Internet Car Classifieds websites that included Arizona car dealer used cars with actual photos. It was a difficult task using the first digital camera and dealing with slow downloads and Car dealers that didn’t understand the Internet.  Our Carfinder request forms from shoppers had to be faxed to dealers because nobody had email, let alone an Internet department. In fact, back in 1996 most Car Dealers wanted nothing to do with Internet marketing!

AutoNet Media Partner and Search Engine Marketing expert Jeffrey Taylor spent most of the late 1990s traveling around the USA and gathering with Car salesmen in hotel meeting rooms teaching them the power of online Internet marketing.

“A lot has changed since the early days of Car dealer Internet marketing but one thing remains constant, the car dealers that look forward and stay on the cutting edge will always be the leaders when it comes to marketing online.” Just like back in the late 90s, some dealers will move ahead while many others will wait and see.”

Are You Ready For The Next Generation of Automotive Internet Marketing?

Fast forward 15 years and let’s look at the Automotive online  landscape. Every car dealer has a website. Most car dealers are using at least 2-3 lead provider services, and there is a lot of competition among local car dealers to grab top spots in the Google Search results. Fleet departments have morphed into Internet departments, and nearly every customer that comes in to buy a car has touched them online.

“The biggest change since 1996 with the car dealers is in the training. Back then, we were focused on teaching them the basic communication skills. Setting up and using email was the biggest need. 1n 1997 many Car Dealers did not want to invest in a computer for the Internet person or a designated Internet connection. Today, it’s all about how can we be more efficient, and how can we do it better than the other guy.”

The biggest change has been the car shoppers ability to access tons of information in minutes. They can communicate online and control the sales process. If they want blue book values on used cars they can get them, if they want a car loan online they can get that too. New car invoice prices are a few clicks away and savvy customers are printing them out and ignoring MSRP stickers.

The bottom line is… customers have more power over the buying process today than they did 15 years ago. Dealers that were reluctant to give up the power saw their market share shrink as customers drove by their dealership to the dealer in the next city or state to buy.

Where is Online Marketing for Car Dealers Headed?

The question is… where is the future of car dealer marketing online headed? Some experts say Social Media, but we have yet to see anyone actually selling cars on Facebook.  The problem is… car dealers want to sell cars and people on Facebook are socializing not buying.

Should your dealership have a Facebook Business Page?

Yes! But what you do with it will decide how it affects your bottom line. We looked at 24 Dealership Facebook pages and found that most of them were updating once every couple of months and several were trying to sell cars.  Most Dealership Facebook pages look like they have been tossed to the side. In other words, if it don’t sell cars, don’t waste time with it!

How to turn your Facebook Fan Page into a sales tool without selling!

How about turning your Dealership Facebook Page into a community events page. Sponsor Fund raisers, sponsor little league baseball teams, Pop Warner football teams etc… and post about them regularly.  Remember back when the Little League team had your name on their shirts? Put their name on your Facebook page and get people talking and sharing online.

When you take part in community events and post about them regularly,  other Facebook members share your posts and soon your posts are spreading around your community and your name is all over the Facebook local community without trying to sell cars.

Understand that way of using Facebook and you are halfway home! You must designate someone to handle these updates. Posting scores, videos, fund raisers etc… get around the community fast and soon people are visiting your page to get updates and guess what? When they need a car who will they call first?

Where is the next area of Internet Marketing that Car Dealers should be focusing right now?

Moving forward, Car Dealers must look at several areas where they can improve their online marketing efforts. First of all, Google has changed the search engine rules again by sending out a strong message that they are looking for relevant and fresh content when determining who will get top rankings for keywords.  The Google update dubbed “Panda” by search engine specialists has made it more important for Car Dealers to focus on not just having a website, but finding ways to provide fresh and relevant content for both car shoppers and the Google search spiders..

Are You Giving Google What They Want?

Remember, customers type in many different keywords to find things and your ability to target as many keywords as possible is based on your ability to create and distribute fresh content on a regular basis. Those web pages that have been lying around for years will not cut it anymore with Google.

As we continue to move towards what Google sees as the Social age online, they will continue to reward car dealers that can provide fresh content.

Is Your Dealership using Local SEO Content Marketing?

Our guess is NO, not yet.  Most Car Dealers are focused on their website and some are using micro sites to get more search engine exposure and generate more leads. Most dealers that create a dealership blog are either handling it wrong or give up on it and let it die a slow death of staleness.

Local SEO Content Marketing is all about providing the Internet with interesting and fresh content on a regular basis. Tweeting out your special deals is NOT content marketing, it’s sales pitching.

Content marketing can include regular blog posts, video production, interesting and relevant posts on social media sites like Facebook. Effective content marketing also requires a distribution platform that reaches people in your local target markets. What good is a great video or post if no one sees it or passes it along to friends?

What’s Your Dealerships (CMMS) Content Management and Marketing Strategy?

First and foremost, do you have a blog? If yes, who is responsible for maintaining it? Who is responsible for creating, uploading and distributing fresh content? Who is creating interesting topics to blog about? Are you keeping your search engine optimization local? Who is defining the keywords to target with your content?

Do you have multiple video channels? YouTube, Daily Motion etc…Who is responsible for creating quick interesting videos? (Not commercials) Are these videos optimized for the search engines? Are these videos targeting certain types of people?  How often do you create and post new videos?

Do you have multiple channels to distribute your content socially? Every time you add more content to the Internet, is it being spread through social circles?  Are you posting it on your Facebook page? Are you tweeting it? Is it being picked up by social bookmarking sites?

Does your Content Marketing have calls to action? Every piece of content you create should have a signal for the reader or viewer to take some kind of action. It could be anything from filling out a form for more info, to calling you direct, printing out a coupon etc. Do not create content without some sort of call to action.

Who is watching Google for you?

The future of online marketing is still unknown, but watching what Google is doing sure can help you see what is coming. If Google wants fresh and relevant content, give it to them and watch your search engine presence sky rocket!

If you would like to learn more about how you can add content marketing to your Dealership and do it right, contact us and pick our brains.

Just like 15 years ago, when some car dealers told us the Internet was a fad and played the wait and see card, we are focused on what we see coming and want you to benefit.

I. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU?

Personal Information. We collect personally identifiable information, such as names, mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, demographic information, and similar information in a variety of situations, including but not limited to the following: (i) when you subscribe to one of our magakines or place an order (see the section below for more information on subscriptions and orders); (ii) when you register at one of our web sites in connection with the purchase of a product, publication, or service; (iii) when you enter personal information on one of our web sites as a condition of participating in contests, promotions, or sweepstakes offered via these web sites; or (iv) when you wish to have a product or service fulfilled by a fulfillment partner who can meet the continuing needs of our customers.

Some of our sites may collect credit card and related financial information if you wish to purchase a product or subscribe to any publication or service offered via these sites. If you wish to subscribe to one of our publications or place an order for products or services online, you must generally establish a credit card account with us or our vendors. Some of our sites also may collect social security numbers from consumers if such consumers use one of our automotive-related web sites and wish to receive a quote from an automotive lender that is part of the site’s automotive lender network. In such instances, we collect social security numbers only to fulfill consumers’ requests to receive quotes or other financial offers from a lender in the site’s automotive lender network.

Information Collected Automatically. Our web sites automatically collect certain information, such as your IP address, browser type, domain name, access times and referring website address. This helps facilitate your online experience at our web sites. See Sections IV and V of this Privacy Policy for more detail on cookies, web beacons, and other information collected automatically by our web sites.

II. WHAT DO WE DO WITH COLLECTED INFORMATION?

We use the personal information you provide to allow you to make product purchases, to fulfill your requests, improve our publications, products and services, to send you promotional offers related to AutoNet Media or our business partners, and to operate our business. A user may, at any time, opt out of receiving promotional offers by mail or e-mail. How You Can Control Your Personal Information. We also use collected information to evaluate and administer our products and services, respond to any problems that may arise, such as magakine delivery failures, difficulties in navigating our sites or accessing certain features, as well as to gauge user trends to determine what products and services are most popular with users, and to put you in touch with fulfillment partners who can provide services that we cannot. We allow users of our website to send articles or links by e-mail to other parties who may be interested in them. We do not retain any e-mail addresses of either the sender or recipient of such articles or links after they are sent, and do not share “send a friend” e-mail addresses with third parties.

III. HOW DO WE SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION?

We share your personal information only as described below.

Sharing Within the AutoNet Media Family. We may share your personal information with any parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate in the AutoNet Media family. All entities within the AutoNet Media family may have access to your personal information as well as anonymous, aggregate demographic data.

AutoNet Media’s Service Providers. AutoNet Media may decide to share your personal information with companies that work on behalf of or with AutoNet Media. These companies may use your personal information to inform you about AutoNet Media’s products and services, to provide you with information about other exciting products and services, or otherwise to assist AutoNet Media in serving its customers, understanding its consumer market, or devising effective marketing strategies to reach more consumers.

Lead Purchasers. AutoNet Media may decide to share your personal information with third parties who purchase leads from AutoNet Media, such as automotive dealers and banks. Some of our web sites require users to disclose personal information as a condition of receiving quotes or offers from fulfillment partners (as described more fully below), such as automotive dealers or banks, who can provide services or products to users that AutoNet Media does not directly provide. In these instances, your personal information will be provided to third parties who compensate AutoNet Media for leads delivered to such third parties.

Participating Vendors. Some of our sites offer opportunities to make purchases online from special participating vendors. On sites with online purchase opportunities for products and merchandise, we will also give participating vendors the order information and authorization for the merchant bank. Any time you order from a participating vendor, that vendor will automatically have all the information related to the order. Participating vendors may use that information to advise you directly of other products and offerings that they provide.

Credit Card Companies; Third Party Payment Services; Third Party Promotional Sites. As in any transaction, your credit card company will have all relevant information about the name of the vendor, item(s) purchased, and date and total cost. AutoNet Media will not otherwise provide any personal data to your credit card company. In some cases, we use third party payment and transaction services to facilitate your transactions and process your orders. In such cases, we will share your personal information and credit card information with the third party payment services solely for the purpose of completing the transaction or processing your order. In some cases, we will share your personal information and credit card information with third parties who may offer you a gift or promotional offer as a result of your purchase or subscription to a AutoNet Media product or publication.

Fulfillment Partners. Some of our web sites are intended to facilitate transactions between you and a third party. To do so, we collect and share additional personal information, like credit information, so such third parties can provide the product or service you request. As our fulfillment partners may keep and use your information whether or not you purchase their products or use their services, your personal information will be subject to their privacy policies.

Other Third Parties. We may share your personal information with third parties, such as advertisers, sponsors, and other promotional and business partners, only when you have not opted out of receiving communications from third parties. If you wish to opt-out of receiving third party communications, you may exercise this right by following the opt-out procedures contained in any e-mail or written communication AutoNet Media sends to you or by following the procedures set forth in Section VII of this Privacy Policy.

Public Postings. You should be aware that if you voluntarily disclose information, personal or otherwise, online in any community area (whether through AutoNet Media’s web sites or any other service available online), that information can be collected and used by others. Accordingly, you should use caution when sharing any personal information with others in any community area (whether through AutoNet Media’s web sites or any other service available online).

Required Disclosures of Information. We reserve the right to use or disclose any information without notice or consent as needed to satisfy any law, regulation or legal request; to conduct investigations of consumer complaints or possible breaches of law; to protect the integrity of our sites and our property and assure adherence to our terms of use; to protect the safety of our visitors or others; to fulfill your requests; or to cooperate in any legal investigation or process.

Changes in Corporate Structure. In developing our business, we might sell certain assets, or the company, or parts of it, may be sold, merged or otherwise transferred. In such transactions, user information, whether personally identifiable or otherwise, may be one of the transferred assets.

IV. HOW DO WE USE COOKIES?

Your Web browser offers “cookies” which, if you allow their use, store small amounts of data on your computer when you visit a web site. Cookies do not contain any personally identifiable information about you and therefore cannot be used to identify you personally. Cookies assist us in tracking which of our features you like best, and also enable us to customize our content according to your preferences. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies by modifying your browser and our websites are viewable even if you disable the cookie function on your browser. However, if you disable cookies, some advanced and customized features or offerings on our site will not be available to you. In addition to collecting cookies, AutoNet Media may distribute, sell, and/or transfer such cookies to third parties with whom AutoNet Media has a commercial relationship. If you do not wish your cookies to be used in this manner, you can modify your browser to disable the collection of cookies.

Additionally, we use third-party companies to collect non-personally identifiable information (e.g., the pages you visit, and which links you click, which ads you see and click on, and the categories of search terms you enter) when you visit one of our web sites. Some of these third-party companies collect information when serving ads on our sites, while others collect information without showing ads on our sites. These companies may use the information outlined above (which does not include your name, address, email address or telephone number) about your visits to our sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. These companies often use a cookie or third party web beacon to collect this information. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

V. HOW DO WE USE WEB BEACONS, WEB ANALYTICS, AND OTHER BEHAVIORAL MARKETING TECHNOLOGIES?

A number of technologies exist to assess consumer behavior both on-line and off-line. AutoNet Media employs a variety of these technologies, including web beacons (see below), web analytics techniques, and other behavior marketing technologies, to assess consumer behavior and to understand how we can better serve our customers. Many of these technologies are provided to AutoNet Media via third party providers specializing in behavioral marketing and consumer behavior. In the course of using these behavioral marketing technologies, we automatically collect non-personal information from you, including but not limited to the following types of information: Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet; login, e-mail address; computer and connection information such as browser type and related browser data; content viewed; and purchase history, which may be aggregated with other information for analytic purposes.

Some of our web pages, promotional e-mail messages, and/or newsletters may contain electronic images known as web beacons, which are also called single-pixel gifs. Web beacons are not used to access your personally identifiable information, but they are a technique we use to compile aggregated statistics about the usage of our web sites and to track the number of users who have opened and acted up our promotional e-mail messages. Web beacons collect only a limited set of information including a cookie number, time and date of a page view, and a description of the page on which the web beacon resides.

VI. WHAT ABOUT THIRD PARTY ADVERTISERS?

Some of the banner ads displayed in our web sites are provided by third parties. These ads contain cookies and may also contain web beacons. Unlike cookies and web beacons used by AutoNet Media in content it controls on its web sites, cookies or web beacons received with banner ads are collected by our advertisers and we do not have access to this information. We use third parties to serve some or all of the advertisements that are placed within our sites and they may use information (not including personally identifiable information) about your visits to our sites and other sites to assist in serving advertisements to you. These companies may employ cookies, web beacons, and action tags to measure advertising effectiveness. They may share anonymous information with their clients such as date/time of the banner ad shown, the specific ad shown, the IP address, etc.

VII. HOW CAN YOU CONTROL YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

We believe that choice in how and when you are contacted is key to customer satisfaction, so we offer several ways for you to update your contact information, change your preferences, or opt out of receiving future communications.

1. If you have an online account at one of our websites, you may be able to log on and update or change your contact or account information. Check the site for further information.
2. You may unsubscribe to any of our online e-mail updates or newsletters by following the unsubscribe instructions in the body of any e-mail message.
3. If you do not wish to have your personal information shared with third parties or with other entities in the AutoNet Media family, please email us at admin@autonetmedia.com, and please include the phrase “Do Not Share Personal Information” in the subject line, and provide us with your name, and email address.
4. You also may write to us directly if you wish to: (a) update or delete your contact information; (b) ask that we not share your personal information with third parties; or (c) request that we cease sending you promotional or other information via mail or e-mail. Such written requests should be sent to AutoNet Media, PO Box 72536 Phoenix, AK 85050.
5. You may also contact us at admin@autonetmedia.com for any inquiry or request regarding our privacy policy or the handling of your personal information.

If you have opted out of receiving future e-mails from us, we will implement your opt-out request within 10 business days of receiving the opt-out request. If you have opted out of receiving future promotional materials by regular mail, we will implement your opt-out request within a commercially reasonable time.

VIII. SECURITY OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt important information, such as your credit card data, in an effort to prevent unauthorized access during transmission of your orders over the Internet. We incorporate standard industry practices suitable to the degree of sensitivity of the information involved to maintain the security of your personal information and to avoid its disclosure except as described in this policy. Your personal information may also be protected by the password you created when you registered at one of our websites where this feature is offered. The confidentiality of any password is yours to protect. You may change it anytime by following the instructions at the website where you registered. Although we use our best efforts to assure that your data remains secure when maintained by us, security during Internet transmissions or within any system cannot be assured. AutoNet Media employees are made aware of its privacy practices through periodic communications and training. We limit access to personal data only to those AutoNet Media employees or agents with a specific need to access or retrieve this information. We store data on multiple service systems, in controlled, secure environments. Remember, however, that we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information, and we are not responsible for the privacy or security practices of any third party.

IX. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

Most of our publications and web sites are intended for adults. Some web sites and publications, however, are intended for teens 13 and older but may include features or material that may be appealing to children under the age of 13. AutoNet Media is strongly committed to protecting the safety and privacy of children who visit our Web sites. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. Many of our sites include chat rooms, bulletin boards and other features that we believe are unsuitable for children under 13 and which are not necessarily monitored. We encourage all parents to talk to their kids about online safety and to monitor their children’s use of the Internet.

X. THIRD PARTIES AND LINKS

In the event that you provide personal information to any third party via any AutoNet Media web site or any offer made available to you by AutoNet Media, you understand that AutoNet Media is not responsible for such third parties’ use or misuse of your personal information. You should review the privacy and information sharing practices of such third parties. Additionally, AutoNet Media may offer links to or from web sites it controls to other sites within the AutoNet Media family as well as to sites operated by third parties. We offer links to third party sites so that you can conveniently visit our vendors and advertisers or locate other content likely to be of interest. We are not responsible for the content, practices or policies of sites operated by third parties and urge you to inquire about them before providing any personally-identifiable information.

XI. YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS

Under California Law SB 27, California residents have the right to receive, once a year, information about third parties with whom we have shared information about you or your family for their marketing purposes during the previous calendar year, and a description of the categories of personal information shared. To make such a request, please send an email to admin@autonetmedia.com and please include the phrase “California Privacy Request” in the subject line, and provide us with your name, address and email address. We will respond to you within thirty days of receiving such a request.

XII. VISITORS AND SUBSCRIBERS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

All matters relating to these sites are governed by the laws of the State of Alaska in the United States. Any information you provide in subscribing to one of our publications or registering or ordering at one of our web sites will be transferred to the United States. By visiting our sites and submitting information, you authorize this transfer, processing and use.

XIII. ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS; CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY

By using any of our sites and providing us with your information, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, you should not use or access any of our sites. Additionally, this Privacy Policy incorporates all of the terms, conditions, and provisions of the AutoNet Media Terms of Use, which are posted on our sites. If you do not agree with the AutoNet Media Terms of Use, you should not use or access any of our sites.

We will occasionally update this Privacy Policy as necessary to protect our users and to comply with a changing environment. We recommend that you check the posted Privacy Policy when you visit any of our sites to be sure you are aware of and understand our current policy. Your continued use of the respective site means you accept the updated Privacy Policy.

XIV. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please e-mail us at admin@autonetmedia.com. Please include the URL of the Web site and/or name of the publication involved in your request. Requests under California Law SB 27 should be directed to admin@autonetmedia.com and include the information noted in Your California Privacy Rights.

Or you can contact us by mail at:

AutoNet Media, Inc.
PO Box 72536
Phoenix, AK 85050

Last Update October 15, 201

More Content means more traffic. More Traffic means more sales!

If you are interested in finding out how your Dealership can benefit using Content Marketing, we need to talk! With over 15 years of Search Engine Marketing experience in the Automotive Industry, we know what Google wants and how you can get top rankings in their organic search results.

Content Marketing is not overly complicated but it does require a professional approach. Contact us today and get the jump on your competition. By the time your competition realizes what Content Marketing is, you will already be dominating Google.

One Simple Program! More Keywords! More Traffic! More Sales!

Just Fill out the form on the right to let us know you want to learn more about how using Content Marketing can give your dealership the Search Engine edge it needs!

If you would like to talk to us right away to learn more about how we can help you increase your bottom line with Automotive Content Marketing, call us at (888) 466-7341.