Ignore your Manufacturer website(s)? Why??

[yagoparamo]

Let me clarify. I wasn't talking about the site itself, but rather the url that you suggested using. I believe Toyota stores are only allowed to use their approved dba url. using other urls that do not direct back to the approved site could be a compliance issue.

Rules like these, are just one of the many reasons that OEM's like to work with select partners. It is easier to hold those vendors accountable, and it is also easier to instruct them on guidelines.

You are correct that they can't use some weird domain, but they can use their--most of the time--original name for example MikeMarcusToyota.com and then a Geo located name like TototaOfSnohomich.com (both fictitious names).

Both sites still need to be approved by Toyota.

 

[ddavis]

The bigger problem is that there are hundreds of base OEM sites with little or no dealer content which are extremely weak. Perhaps these dealerships that are waiting for the "internet shopping for cars" era to pass? My experience is that when a vendor points out this weakness and sells the dealership on a new website and $2,000 a month, that expense drives a DP or GM to focus on content and support the new vendor in a way the OEM vendor never experienced. The result will be one more dealer talking about how bad the OEM websites are and how their "internet sales more than doubled after we switched!"

This is truly shocking idea. Actually marketing your products might make a significant difference? It is usually ignored by most dealerships because there is a lot of work involved.

 

[yagoparamo]

Yago, the generalizations you make about templates are misleading and unfair. I'm sure your products are good enough to stand on their own merits without twisting reality about OEM sites. Cobalt does have an official Cadillac template, but Cadillac dealers are not required to use that template; it's an easy solution for a dealer who wants an image consistent with the brand.

I don't see where I'm misleading an unfair about what an OEM package is; it is a fact that if you sign for the entry level OEM website you will have very little customization in any area. Your website will look and have what every single other website in that package has nationwide. You SEO package will be standard to what that OEM agreement is.

I don't see that as a ad thing either, many markets with little competition don't need much more than that. Some dealers are fine selling 50 cars a month and keeping their expenses low.

There are several reasons why a package is OEM sponsored:

1) OEM wants to control content, looks, etc (Lexus).
2) OEM has a for-profit company that makes money selling you "sponsored stuff" (Ford Direct)
3) OEM wants to offer dealers in rural areas a guide/plan (Chevy)

Most readers here would heavily modify any base template they chose, which is completely possible with Cobalt.

But then it will not cost the basic fee. So if you are going to pay for an advanced and customized package that now has nothing to do with the OEM program you may as well chose the best fit from the beginning and not because it was recommended by a guy at OEM that has never sold a car in an Internet department.

The bigger problem is that there are hundreds of base OEM sites with little or no dealer content which are extremely weak. Perhaps these dealerships that are waiting for the "internet shopping for cars" era to pass? My experience is that when a vendor points out this weakness and sells the dealership on a new website and $2,000 a month, that expense drives a DP or GM to focus on content and support the new vendor in a way the OEM vendor never experienced. The result will be one more dealer talking about how bad the OEM websites are and how their "internet sales more than doubled after we switched!"

I think that dealers have an expectation of the OEM site that is not aligned with reality. They think that because it is OEM sponsored that the site will have the latest media, ads, material, SEO magic, and stuff that the OEM has. Reality is that it doesn't because you just bought the website with less guts that has ever been created. The OEM site for little money is just a way to get in the door and then sell you the more expensive package.

I'll leave you with this question:

If you look at most manufacturer's top 10 selling dealers in the US, how many have the OEM website as their main site?

 

[emilymoore]

If you look at most manufacturer's top 10 selling dealers in the US, how many have the OEM website as their main site?

To me, it's not a matter of whether or not the Manufacturer site is the main site. It is more about making sure that every site that has our name on it, including the OEM site, looks the best that it can and gives the customer a positive impression of our company.

 

[jssimonton]

I don't see where I'm misleading an unfair about what an OEM package is; it is a fact that if you sign for the entry level OEM website you will have very little customization in any area. Your website will look and have what every single other website in that package has nationwide. You SEO package will be standard to what that OEM agreement is.

Yago, that is specifically the misleading information to which I was referring. Specifically with GM/Cobalt sites, the "OEM package" has a few requirements on lead routing and some elements, but the site itself can be modified extensively. This requires effort, and perhaps that is why it is not common. The generic templated on-site SEO is just that, a lame template which is only done on the home page. However, the on-site SEO for each page is customizable by the dealer (or by Cobalt for a fee).

There are many reasons to use a different web-site provider than the official OEM site, but the "website identical to your competition" line is simply not accurate with GM/Cobalt sites.

 

[yagoparamo]

Yago, that is specifically the misleading information to which I was referring. Specifically with GM/Cobalt sites, the "OEM package" has a few requirements on lead routing and some elements, but the site itself can be modified extensively. This requires effort, and perhaps that is why it is not common. The generic templated on-site SEO is just that, a lame template which is only done on the home page. However, the on-site SEO for each page is customizable by the dealer (or by Cobalt for a fee).

There are many reasons to use a different web-site provider than the official OEM site, but the "website identical to your competition" line is simply not accurate with GM/Cobalt sites.

Exactly, if you want to go away from the base site you need to pay, therefore the OEM package is nothing by a way to get in the door. Therefore just use whoever you may want to use from the beginning based on their own merits (system, SEO, display, tools, etc) and not just because the OEM made a deal to get money back from that web provider.

I do disagree though that these websites are not identical. The SEO plans are identical unless you come up with something different, at that point it not a website plan but yours.

 

[jssimonton]

Since I realize that my exchange with Yago is simply offering him a platform to add different intentionally misleading commentary, I shall return to the original post.

While huge dealers don't find a website to be a significant line item, many dealerships find a $2,000 a month website to be a luxury which doesn't perform significantly better (enough to justify the additional expense) than a properly modified OEM website which can be done (at least in the GM/Cobalt world) for FREE.

For dealers with a good reason to have a non-OEM site (like a dealership group with a desire to have a consistent brand image among stores) there is still no reason to not update the OEM site. It's free, it's where customers from a dealer search on the OEM site wind up, and it's one more good opportunity to market the dealership. There's no need to upgrade from the base site (in fact, I'm not sure there ever is) but update the content and get what you can out of it. Many dealers who try to bury their OEM site do so out of spite, and that's not a good business approach.

 

[yagoparamo]

Since I realize that my exchange with Yago is simply offering him a platform to add different intentionally misleading commentary, I shall return to the original post.

While huge dealers don't find a website to be a significant line item, many dealerships find a $2,000 a month website to be a luxury which doesn't perform significantly better (enough to justify the additional expense) than a properly modified OEM website which can be done (at least in the GM/Cobalt world) for FREE.

For dealers with a good reason to have a non-OEM site (like a dealership group with a desire to have a consistent brand image among stores) there is still no reason to not update the OEM site. It's free, it's where customers from a dealer search on the OEM site wind up, and it's one more good opportunity to market the dealership. There's no need to upgrade from the base site (in fact, I'm not sure there ever is) but update the content and get what you can out of it. Many dealers who try to bury their OEM site do so out of spite, and that's not a good business approach.

I guess that if I don't think that the OEM website program offers dealers the best customization solution and most advanced SEO options I must be just intentionally misleading the dealers. Makes sense. Got it.

 

[ddavis]

To me, it's not a matter of whether or not the Manufacturer site is the main site. It is more about making sure that every site that has our name on it, including the OEM site, looks the best that it can and gives the customer a positive impression of our company.

I'm sure that is the intention of the manufacturers. Outside of communities like DealerRefresh, you are not going to find too many Internet Directors that are going to do anything with their sites, anyway.

I spend a lot of time looking at dealer websites and looking at their positioning on third party sites. Yago is correct: If you look at most manufacturer's top 10 selling dealers in the US, how many have the OEM website as their main sites? There is no reason for me to call on these people. Most of the large groups are going to tell you what site you can use and often control what you can do with it.

The vast majority of "Internet Directors" are either lazy, don't care, or don't know any better and are content in their ignorance. This is your competition.

 

[yagoparamo]

I'm sure that is the intention of the manufacturers. Outside of communities like DealerRefresh, you are not going to find too many Internet Directors that are going to do anything with their sites, anyway.

I spend a lot of time looking at dealer websites and looking at their positioning on third party sites. Yago is correct: If you look at most manufacturer's top 10 selling dealers in the US, how many have the OEM website as their main sites? There is no reason for me to call on these people. Most of the large groups are going to tell you what site you can use and often control what you can do with it.

The vast majority of "Internet Directors" are either lazy, don't care, or don't know any better and are content in their ignorance. This is your competition.

So the question is:

Should you keep your OEM site basic since it is set up already to do well/OK in your OEM searches and fine tune a second site that is build from the beginning with broad market SEO in mind

OR

Should you fine tune your OEM site to the max.


I think you should have 2 and JSSI thinks you should fine tune just one.

I believe in my position because the OEM site focuses on OEM searches (Lexus even hinders used car searches for non-Lexus used cars). Fine tuning something that was created to be a focused site will never yield the same results as a fully custom site for non-branded searches from the beginning.

So my strategy would be as I stated before to keep the OEM site for what it is and as cheap as possible then customize a site for a broader market search.

BTY-- you don't have to spend $2000 for a good site as it is suggested here http://forum.dealerrefresh.com/f43/ignore-your-manufacturer-website-s-why-2856-2.html#post25736. I still understand JSSI's position and the reality that for some dealers having 2 sites is not economically feasible.