Tracking website visits.

[DogbertBH]

The debate has come up a LOT at our stores lately about whether people visiting our website (unique visitors) are coming because of our SEO or just because they've found us through another means.

When we source a customer, I believe that mydealer.com is NOT a valid source. They got there SOMEHOW.

Whether they found us through Google, our newspaper ad, or a radio or TV ad, everyone lands at the same site.

Does anyone here change up the domain people go to so you can see the effect on your ads? ASKmydealer.com, mydealerCAN.com, mydealerDIFFERENCE.com... As you would with a toll free tracking number.

If so, are you using landing pages? Redirects?? I'm really curious about the best way to track the results.

-Bobby Harris

 

[parushing]

If so, are you using landing pages? Redirects?? I'm really curious about the best way to track the results.

Two Options

1 - Set up "tracking" domains with redirects to pass the referrer.

2 - Create medium based landing pages that will refer traffic to your main site,
on its own domain.

Perfect world you would have landing pages on its own domain that matches the
source. For example if you ran an ad with used cars under 10K you would advertise
mydealerunder10k.com ad have a compelling call to action and units displayed there
with referral links to other areas of your website. But that can and will cause
tracking problems if not set up properly.

From watching live stats from a couple dealers I work with who use and only advertise
a "Group" url the referrers are less than 3% to their main properties.

 

[Alex Snyder]

Paul is taking the tougher route, but probably the more true route. No matter how good your site host is, they might have a particular area of their analytics slightly screwy. One easy way to see if you're getting close to the right numbers is to install 1 or 2 extra analytics packages on your site: Google is a good free one, and the other decent ones typically cost some money.

If you've got the analytics, you can really gauge what is going on, but you usually have to dig deep. Just sticking to one big overview report is not deep enough.

Your site host should already have a referrer report that shows whether a visitor is coming from a search engine and which search engine....at a minimum. Some will even tell you what they searched for to find you. If you are using SEM with your site host, then they should be able to also show you how many customers are coming from paid search and how many are coming from organic search.

The best way to track results is to rely on the analytics and don't make your customers jump through hoops just so you can track things. That means - don't change your domain or phone number - that's expirimentation that isn't necessary.

 

[DogbertBH]

If you are using SEM with your site host, then they should be able to also show you how many customers are coming from paid search and how many are coming from organic search.

What about the other options? Someone who directly types in my domain name without having done a search because they came from the newspaper.

Someone who types in my domain because they saw it on TV.
Or heard it on the radio.
Or saw it on a billboard.

I would never know unless the salesperson sourced properly (which they don't).

-Bobby

 

[Alex Snyder]

I would never know unless the salesperson sourced properly (which they don't).

Yep, that's the biggest problem we all face. Let's say we did find a way to get salespeople to actually interview a customer properly, the customer doesn't even know what got them in the door half the time.

If you're running a TV ad, radio spots, a newspaper ad, advertising on Cars.com, and doing Paid Search....and the dealership has a decent location that people pass in their normal driving routes. There could be a huge combination of things that got the customer in the door.

I talked to a customer who submitted a lead through Cars.com, worked with our Internet department for weeks, told me how much he liked the TV ads, but then said he just happened to be driving by and wanted to take a look at the car - then met a good salesperson and bought the car. How would you source that customer? Was it the combination of the Internet Department's work and the TV ad that got him think "oh yeah, there's Checkered Flag, let me stop by since I'm in the neighborhood", or was it truly a "location" thing that got him in the door? In this case you could make the argument that there was no point in having the Internet Department because he would have stopped by anyway......but what was the point of the TV ad too?

That's the long answer. The real answer is that anytime you have to count on a multitude of human factors, things will never be perfect.

 

[DogbertBH]

I think they all have merit if they're all mentioned.

Alex, your example is obviously the extreme. But LOCATION isn't really a source, right?

If someone decides to stop at a dealer because they're in the area of your dealer, they either saw a manufacturer's ad about the car (assuming a new car), were referred to the car by a friend, saw it in traffic then went to google. SOMETHING.

If you've been in your location for more than 2 years and they've driven through that area more than once and DIDN'T stop in - what made them do it today...

In your example, the internet department did what they were supposed to do (JUST short of making an appointment), the TV ad reinforced the dealership's name to the customer, doing its job. The salesperson did their job by getting the customer to buy then and there.

 

[Alex Snyder]

Alex, your example is obviously the extreme. But LOCATION isn't really a source, right?

My example isn't that extreme. It happens quite often, and was the same issue even before this whole Internet thing existed - it was just more accepted before because we didn't have analytics back then.

Location is a HUGE source! I can't think of a better way to brand and advertise than to put your physical presence in someone's face. Step outside of the auto industry for a minute and think of the last time you knew something existed because you drove by it. Maybe you didn't buy something at that place, but you know where it is and might think of it when you're in the market for something that place might offer.

7-11 doesn't have to "advertise" in the traditional sense - their locations do that for them. When was the last time you saw a Starbucks ad?

Why are the most successful dealer principles more interested in real estate than what happens in the car industry?

 

[DogbertBH]

I'm not saying location isn't important.

If you decide you want to buy a Mazda, you're most likely going to find the nearest Mazda dealer to you. It's been there for 15 years, you KNOW where it is, but you never went in to buy something until now.

SOMETHING prompted you to go in that day. Something made you choose that brand or that model.

You may even buy from someone 15 miles away because of price. Location didn't help the dealer that got the sale. Even though there is a Mazda dealer 1 mile away.

 

[Alex Snyder]

You're right. The dealership is not the reason someone decides to buy a Mazda. But if you're looking for the reason why a customer decided to visit your dealership, that decision was probably made on other factors. We're essentially saying the same thing.

 

[Jason Walter]

I have to agree with Alex...

In todays market with so many sources that affect a customer decision to visit your website, you have to realize that your statistics will not be perfect. We use Omniture as well as Google Analytics and Conversion code to track our visitors. We also create custom landing pages and phone numbers to help drill down the results. While this does take some time to do, we feel as though it is well worth it to manage what is working and what is not.

Lastly we also try and do manager exit meeting/thank you for theri purchase where we ask them what brought them into the dealership. If they say internet we then drill down further to find out what site. If we miss the interview then our Customer Service Mangager asks them during her sold follow up call. Once again, sounds like alot of work but in the end is worth it. Even with all that we are still not perfect!

Keep trying till you find a process that works for you and your dealership!