Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

A used car photographer seeking to launch a photography service business asks DealerRefresh community members what price they would pay for professional vehicle photography services, which include washing/prepping, shooting approximately 27 photos per vehicle, and uploading to inventory systems with a 24-hour turnaround. The post showcases sample photos and lists additional offerings like watermarking and liability insurance to establish credibility.

The thread discusses strategies for encouraging dealership employees to adopt Facebook as a marketing tool, addressing concerns from dealers about implementation and liability. Key insights include leveraging negative customer feedback as opportunities to demonstrate responsiveness and problem-solving, and the broader argument that social media activity is essential for modern dealerships to reach online-shopping consumers. The original poster references a detailed 4-part blog series that provides structured guidance on employee Facebook adoption and its business benefits.

A dealer explores adding a local directory of competing dealers to their website as an SEO tactic, finding that it generates citations Google uses to verify business authority and surprisingly ranks well in searches. Responses are mixed: while one participant sees potential SEO benefits through citations, others warn of relationship risks with other dealers and question whether the effort is worthwhile, with one noting you'd essentially be directing customers to competitors. The thread ends without clear consensus on whether this strategy is effective or recommended for other dealers to implement.

A GM dealership owner seeks domain name recommendations to replace their Pontiac-specific domain with one that encompasses their full brand lineup (Buick, GMC, and Cadillac), with options including Preston-GM.com, PrestonGeneralMotors.com, GMofNewCastle.com, and prestonGMcars.com. The community strongly consensus against hyphenated domains, citing customer confusion and poor branding, with prestonbuickgmc.com emerging as the clear preference. One respondent suggests purchasing the hyphenated domain as a secondary SEO microsite, though others counter that hyphenated domains should be avoided for main customer-facing sites due to real-world usability issues.

Dealers are frequently failing to answer phones during business hours, and participants debate the best phone system solutions to prevent missed calls and customer inquiries. The thread identifies poor phone routing (dead-end transfers, lack of fallback options) and unresponsive communication practices as significant revenue-killers, with consensus emerging that modern phone systems should employ SimulCall or RingNext technology to ensure calls reach available staff rather than going to voicemail. Key insight: dealers losing sales aren't necessarily in slow markets—they're simply not answering phones or responding to inquiries promptly.

Katie asks DealerRefresh members to review her friend Brian's dealership website and provide one SEO tip each. The responses reveal critical issues including duplicate page URLs, slow site speed, excessive/non-unique meta tags, poor text contrast, and missing XML sitemaps, with members providing detailed actionable guidance on fixing these problems. The key insight is that Brian's website builder (Auto Search Technologies) had handled much of the SEO poorly, but the thread demonstrates how community feedback helps identify and prioritize fixes—particularly meta tag optimization, site structure/sitemaps, and technical implementation issues that require vendor follow-up.

Automotive dealers and marketers discuss the rapid rise in iPad and mobile traffic to their websites, with participants sharing analytics data showing iPad visits rivaling iPhone traffic. A critical concern emerges around Flash compatibility—iPad users cannot view Flash content, which is prevalent on most dealer websites, making mobile optimization an urgent priority. The thread concludes that dealers need to proactively monitor mobile device analytics and rebuild Flash-heavy sites to support mobile browsers, or risk losing significant traffic and experiencing high bounce rates.

A dealer asks whether to organize three types of testimonials (video, DealerRater, written letters) across separate pages or consolidate them on one page with sections. The discussion reveals two viable approaches: either create separate pages for SEO benefits and easier updates, or use a single consolidated page with distinct sections for each type, though consensus leans toward keeping the structure simple and treating the testimonial page(s) as conversion-focused landing pages with clear calls-to-action rather than purely showcase content.

A dealer using HomeNet inventory seeks recommendations for mobile website solutions and receives several vendor suggestions including Gumiyo, Zinadoo, Wirenode, Mofuse, iVision Mobile, DealerFire, and eCartLists. The thread showcases multiple mobile platform options with varying features like RSS feed integration, HomeNet compatibility, CarFax integration, and customization capabilities. The key insight is that mobile sites have become a priority for dealers, with preferences split between customizable solutions that maintain full functionality and streamlined, simplified mobile experiences tailored to small screens.

A dealer inquires whether Ford and Hyundai are offering financial incentives for faster lead response times. While Hyundai is actively pushing dealers to improve response times and has achieved significant reductions in unreturned leads, Jason confirms there are no monetary rewards—only competitive pressure and performance tracking, though ResponseLogix offers a certification workaround by "stopping the clock" when automated quotes are generated.

A dealer seeks stock video footage of current vehicle models for marketing purposes, and the community recommends contacting manufacturers' media/newsroom sites and internal asset portals as the primary resource. Key recommendations include checking manufacturer press sites (with direct links provided for GM, Ford, Toyota, Chrysler, Honda, and VW), exploring GM Asset Central for dealers, and reviewing international manufacturer websites for additional content. The thread highlights a significant awareness gap—many dealers don't realize these free, manufacturer-provided resources exist for marketing use, potentially allowing them to create professional content without hiring specialized designers.

A dealer asks about CarFax pricing and whether the service is worth adopting despite competitive pressure from their marketing to consumers. Responses recommend calculating monthly report volume to justify an unlimited monthly subscription and suggest leveraging CarFax's "1 Owner" branding as a marketing tool through local rep partnerships and promotional events. The consensus is that while CarFax's pricing has become contentious, their strong consumer brand presence makes their service a necessary investment for most dealers pulling high report volumes.

A dealer (defcon5) posted about challenges with running Facebook promotions without risking page deletion, though the original post was deleted before others could engage with specifics. The brief replies indicate frustration with Facebook's policies and suggest some dealers are proceeding with promotions despite compliance risks, while another user inquired about a specific auto group's makeover challenge campaign and offered potential sponsorship ideas.

JoeC asks for resources to customize Spry menu bars in Dreamweaver CS5, noting that while insertion is straightforward, customization is difficult. Regal_Car_Sales responds with a practical tip about using copy-and-paste methods and directs him to Adobe's official support documentation on Menu Widgets as a starting resource. The thread provides a basic pointer to official documentation but appears to conclude without deeper solutions or discussion.

Multiple Dealer.com users report significant discrepancies between Google Analytics data and their platform's native reporting tools, with some seeing GA undercounting visitors by 30-40%. The discussion pivots to whether running multiple analytics scripts simultaneously (Google Analytics, Dealer.com, and Activengage) is causing the tracking issues and site slowdown, with experienced contributors recommending consolidating to a single analytics tool and placing tracking code in the footer to minimize performance impact.

A dealer reports a paradox: while website traffic and phone leads are increasing, form fill conversions are declining, prompting the community to explore potential causes. Respondents identify several interconnected issues—poor dealer follow-up historically damaging consumer trust, consumers increasingly preferring phone contact over forms, and the need for A/B testing form design elements like length, placement, and call-to-action messaging. The key insight is that form fill decline likely reflects both industry-wide shifts in consumer behavior (favoring direct phone contact) and dealers' reputational challenges with lead follow-up, rather than a technical website problem.

Members share that Google has added a playable Pac-Man game to its homepage, with some discovering an additional two-player mode featuring Ms. Pac-Man by clicking "Insert Coin" twice. The replies humorously acknowledge the distraction value of the easter egg, with one member joking about how it negatively impacts website bounce rates—a lighthearted jab at the irony of automotive professionals getting sidetracked from productivity.

A BMW dealership's Facebook "Like for Charity" campaign sparked discussion about using social media for community-focused marketing and brand awareness rather than direct sales. Participants highlighted various Facebook strategies including charity campaigns to build fan bases, user-generated content contests, and filtered inventory search features, with one marketing professional offering to write a guide on running Facebook promotions while complying with platform policies. The thread concluded with community members encouraging transparency in expertise sharing and suggesting that social media best practices could be documented for dealer education.

Google has expanded its Enhanced Local Listing feature to Atlanta and Washington DC, joining San Jose and Houston as available markets, with a $25 monthly cost to increase visibility in local search results. Participants note that Chicago may have also received the feature and emphasize the importance of optimizing these local pages with tracking numbers to measure performance and ROI. The key insight is that dealers should prioritize these enhanced local listings and track their effectiveness, as they reportedly drive significant traffic when properly optimized.

Elaine Harper is recruiting 14 volunteer dealerships (2 each from Honda, Subaru, BMW, Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge brands) that don't currently use live chat to participate in a two-month case study examining how import and domestic brand buyers shop and how live chat impacts their behavior. Participants will receive free access to Client~ConneXion Live Web Chat software and onsite training in exchange for their participation.

Automotive dealers debate the optimal staffing model for live chat functions, with perspectives ranging from dedicated BDC departments to specialized salespeople to outsourced solutions. Key insights include that chat conversion rates depend heavily on trained, responsive personnel (as untrained staff often underperform), and that 24/7 coverage—either through internal staff or outsourcing—is critical since website visitors chat outside business hours. The consensus emphasizes that successful chat requires genuine commitment to responsiveness and qualified staff, as the medium's effectiveness ultimately depends on who's managing it and their willingness to engage customers.

Marc McGurren seeks advice on improving his dealership's parts and service e-commerce strategy and user experience, noting that fixed-ops often receives less marketing attention than sales. Replies indicate other dealers share this interest and are exploring tools like xTime for appointment scheduling, though concerns exist around long-term vendor commitments. The thread appears to be in its early stages with limited concrete solutions or best practices shared so far.