If you don’t know how your website is performing, how do you know you’re getting the best results from your marketing dollars and efforts? The old saying, “You can’t measure what you can’t see,” certainly applies to your website’s performance.
Here are three things that you need to monitor in order to ensure that your website is operating at peak performance:
• Search Engine Terms. Knowing what words, terms and phrases your prospects and customers type in when they search for tires or wheels is critical to driving more traffic to your website and sales to your dealership. For example common keywords could include “Goodyear tires Milwaukee Wisconsin” and “tire rotation Davenport Iowa.” Rankings for the most relevant keywords determine your organic search results. By knowing the demand for your primary keywords, you not only uncover the terms and phrases to target with search engine optimization (SEO), but you also learn more about your prospects and customers and what they’re searching for online. If you have a Google AdWords account, be sure to take advantage of the free tool “Keyword Planner,” since it provides estimates of the monthly search volume for any keyword. For more information visit http://bit.ly/16epzje.
• Referral Sites. How did a buyer get to your website? Most likely they did not type in your Web address. Rather, they came to you through what is known as a referral site, including search engines like Google*, Bing, and Yahoo; social sites; or a website that has added a hyperlink to your site. Checking to see where your traffic comes from will provide you with valuable insight on where you should focus your marketing dollars and efforts.
• Top Ranking Pages. What sections of your website drew the most attention? Was it the tire fitment guide; service videos; services offered; about us and directions to your store; or a particular brand of tire? As a site manager, you should know which pages are performing best and which aren’t. By measuring and tracking your top ranking pages, you’ll be able to make decisions on how to optimize site pages for better results — which pages need more content; which pages need a call to action; and which pages need a rewrite of content in order to gain more valuable traffic to your website as a whole.
Monitoring these analytics will allow you to strengthen your website’s content and proactively update your website keywords and phrases to drive more sales. As a dealer, you know your customers and what they are looking for; make sure your website becomes their favorite place to go when they look for tires, wheels and service.
*Google no longer provides analytics on keywords
Nate Lehmann is ARI’s sales manager, automotive tire and wheel. ARI creates award-winning software solutions that help more than 2,100 independent tire and wheel dealers spanning over 3,400 locations Sell More Stuff!– online and in-store. Nate can be reached at [email protected] or 218-740-1407.
