Aftermarket May 2022

I t has become increasingly crucial for garages to be visible on the major search engines, I.E. Google, Yahoo and Bing as clients are now mainly using the internet for their services. The fact is search engines have become the number one source for customers when they look for assistance. Garages provide a wide range of services such as vehicle maintenance, servicing, transmission repair, A/C repair, just to mention a few. By deliberately designing the webpage for each of these services, grouped with modifiers, the garage can get listed on the search engines for each of those various keyword combinations. This is the essence of search engine optimisation (SEO). Optimise Once your website is developed for each of your core services, you need to optimise your garage website from an SEO perspective so that the search engines recognise what the website is about. It is not enough to add inbound links with your websites, such as association links and directory listings. Proximity matters Customers are searching for the best repairer near them, and they want to get their car fixed quickly. Mobile search has blown up, so local SEO has become crucial for effectiveness. Make sure you get your website on the first page of Google results for greater visibility. After all, who looks beyond the first page of search results? Blog posting You need to create content that informs and engages the audience, drives website traffic and increases awareness. Blog posting can do all 18 AFTERMARKET MAY 2022 BUSINESS www.aftermarketonline.net MARKETING BASICS: SEO AND SOCIAL MEDIA SERVICES This month’s marketing tip from Natalia Guath looks at how SEO and social media will help boost your business BY Natalia Guath, M.D, Garage Marketer three. For each new blog post on your website, you get yet another indexed page that may be found in search engine results and bring traffic to your website. If you promote blog posts on social media, you can grow your audience, thereby creating more leads. Social media marketing Gone are the days when garage customers walk in, talk to technicians, and make a deal. In this digital world, everything, including car repair, begins online. They explore the internet for information about the repair options, cost, quality, and proximity. Consumers carry out this research on the internet and explore blog posts along with your social media presence. Using effective social media strategies without a garage marketing skillset can be challenging. It’s not