Grow Your Leads with a Great-Quality Website
In today’s digital-first age, we’ve come to expect customers to start their shopping journey with online browsing before contacting a dealership.
The internet allows them to search across multiple websites and third-party listings to check out the units they're considering and determine which dealership is likely to offer the best prices and experience. With 87% of shoppers conducting an online search as their very first step, you can be confident that the great majority of your potential customers will see your website before they see your brick-and-mortar dealership.
Your website is a crucial piece of your sales strategy because it provides the very first impression that shoppers form of your dealership. And with so many prospects spending most, if not all, of the buying process online, your website may be the only impression they have to go off of, which means it may be your one opportunity to convert a lead into a customer. The biggest turnoff for website visitors is a platform that isn’t well-designed一it doesn’t scale well to different screen sizes, the pages take too long to load, the navigation is overly complicated or visitors are unable to find important information such as pricing, finance options and online lead forms. While in previous years, it was enough for businesses simply to have a website, now websites need to offer a high-quality shopping experience.
Your Website Quality MATTERS
Recently, Dealer Spike was featured on NATDA.org, where we shared tips to make your online dealership stand out, and now we want to narrow the scope down to your website. When online shoppers click on your online showroom (and by this, we mean your website), they are searching for information一usually pertaining to a new or used unit that they would like to buy. To capture a lead’s interest and encourage them to stay on your platform, your website needs to make it clear that you offer exactly what they need. A fantastic way to accomplish this is to share vivid, good-quality images of your units, brands and parts on your home page. Any specials or promos you’re currently running should also appear here in highly visible fonts and colors to inform customers that they can also save on the products they want to buy.
Intuitive Navigation
Shoppers are more likely to remain on your website when they can progress quickly through the shopping cycle with little hindrance. Hence, your website content should provide a swift, easy navigation that guides your shoppers to the information they’re searching for with minimal clicks. Intuitive navigation一which allows visitors to move naturally around your site without having to put much thought into the next step一is simple, straightforward and clean. To achieve this type of navigation, narrow down your main website menu to the most important selections (for example, Pre-Owned Units, New Units, PG&A, Service and About Us) and employ clear calls to action on appropriate webpages. These can include Schedule an Appointment, Contact Us and Get a Quote.
Set Yourself Apart
Now that you have shown your customers that your dealership offers what they need, you must convince them that your business is better than the competition’s一and now that they’ve found your website, they don’t need to keep searching. What sets your dealership apart from others? How is your service superior to the next guy’s? Set yourself apart by sharing your dealership’s value on your “About Us” or "History" page. Be transparent in your company values. Share any distinguishments, such as awards and recognitions.
In particular, set yourself apart by clearly communicating your expertise. You’re already the expert when customers walk into your dealership, so make sure your website makes this clear as well. Sharing local news articles about your shop is a great way to boost your credibility. Even if you don’t have such articles that you can link, you can still share your extensive knowledge through educational blogs that visitors can read right on your website. In fact, this will keep them on your website longer! In fact, your overall website copy should be less focused on sales and more centered around informative answers to your shoppers’ main questions. Because in the end, that’s what makes a sale! Proving your expertise builds trust with your prospects and helps them realize that your dealership is the perfect option to make a quality purchase.
Ultimately, the combined effect of your website design and content is what will convince shoppers to invest their time in your business and decide to come visit your dealership in person. Satisfied website visitors will take the initiative to fill out an online form or come visit your dealership because they were pleased with the experience they had on your website and want to continue their relationship with you. Making it obvious to online browsers that your dealership is a great match for their needs gives you an automatic and highly competitive edge.
To learn more about using the right website features to impress your shoppers, connect with Dealer Spike today.