And if it doesn't work better, well ... then, I suck and try again.
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Uncle Joe's Make Over Diary
- Thread starter joe.pistell
- Start date
And if it doesn't work better, well ... then, I suck and try again.
- Apr 7, 2009
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Unrelated to the UsedCarKing.com makeover, but, interesting research anyways...
My son and I have been trying to break into Google PPC image ads and working the Google Merchant Store too.
Screenshots below and my findings at bottom.
Example of Google image ads and Google merchant ALMOST in our space.
I have found that Google slowly builds out the reach of the image ads & merchant center on a marketplace by marketplace basis. Google has to have ALL of the product attributes (aka features) of all of the manuf'ers all line up so they can be cross shopped.
We've taken our inventory export feed and uploaded it to our google merchant store:
Tied our merchant store to our PPC account and... NOTHING >:-/
I have found that Google slowly builds out the reach of the image ads & merchant center on a marketplace by marketplace basis. Google has to have ALL of the product attributes (aka features) of all of the manuf'ers all line up so they can be cross shopped.
Google uses 3rd parties to establish and manage these attributes, our vertical is yet to be discovered. I've had talks with the VP of a big player in this space, we deep dived our products, traced it all back to the source and they couldn't make any money on us, so they've shelved us.
We are very close to this being a NEW opportunity for all of us. I see all the connections needed, There is one company that can pull this all together and make this happen... if only they had me on their consultants payroll, they'd see the light!
p.s. why am I not surprised that the boys at eBiz are hard at work in this space? (see Audi of MV above) WTG!
My son and I have been trying to break into Google PPC image ads and working the Google Merchant Store too.
Screenshots below and my findings at bottom.
Example of Google image ads and Google merchant ALMOST in our space.
I have found that Google slowly builds out the reach of the image ads & merchant center on a marketplace by marketplace basis. Google has to have ALL of the product attributes (aka features) of all of the manuf'ers all line up so they can be cross shopped.
We've taken our inventory export feed and uploaded it to our google merchant store:
Tied our merchant store to our PPC account and... NOTHING >:-/
I have found that Google slowly builds out the reach of the image ads & merchant center on a marketplace by marketplace basis. Google has to have ALL of the product attributes (aka features) of all of the manuf'ers all line up so they can be cross shopped.
Google uses 3rd parties to establish and manage these attributes, our vertical is yet to be discovered. I've had talks with the VP of a big player in this space, we deep dived our products, traced it all back to the source and they couldn't make any money on us, so they've shelved us.
We are very close to this being a NEW opportunity for all of us. I see all the connections needed, There is one company that can pull this all together and make this happen... if only they had me on their consultants payroll, they'd see the light!
p.s. why am I not surprised that the boys at eBiz are hard at work in this space? (see Audi of MV above) WTG!
Last edited:
- Apr 7, 2009
- 5,087
- 2,504
- Awards
- 10
- First Name
- Joe
- Apr 7, 2009
- 5,087
- 2,504
- Awards
- 10
- First Name
- Joe
Dear Diary... It's crunch time.
Time to close the doors, turn off the phones and bring all my research and thoughts into a single focused push to commit to a new layout.
Goals: Simplify the home page. Move complexity off into the 2nd tier pages. Create a content method to accompany each 2nd tier & 3rd tier page
2nd tier: Home >> SUV --or-- Home >> Acura
3rd tier: Home >> SUV>> Ford --or-- Home >> SUV >> By Payment
One of the great failures of my site (and most other dealer sites) is the overwhelming SEO strength of the home page vs 2nd and 3rd tier pages. Research and logic tells me that more organic SEO traffic should be coming to pages that highlight segments or makes or models. PPC ads will be pointed to these pages too. Corporate product images (logos/car pics) need to greet the visitors to reinforce the search request. Inventory table (w/pics) need to be intuitively displayed with simple search tools. Content needs to carry an internal linking plan to help google understand what on all the pages.
To help me, I will be using best practices from other industries AND from OUR best players. After Tier2 and Tier 3 are roughed out and refined, then on to the VDPs!
Time to close the doors, turn off the phones and bring all my research and thoughts into a single focused push to commit to a new layout.
Goals: Simplify the home page. Move complexity off into the 2nd tier pages. Create a content method to accompany each 2nd tier & 3rd tier page
2nd tier: Home >> SUV --or-- Home >> Acura
3rd tier: Home >> SUV>> Ford --or-- Home >> SUV >> By Payment
One of the great failures of my site (and most other dealer sites) is the overwhelming SEO strength of the home page vs 2nd and 3rd tier pages. Research and logic tells me that more organic SEO traffic should be coming to pages that highlight segments or makes or models. PPC ads will be pointed to these pages too. Corporate product images (logos/car pics) need to greet the visitors to reinforce the search request. Inventory table (w/pics) need to be intuitively displayed with simple search tools. Content needs to carry an internal linking plan to help google understand what on all the pages.
To help me, I will be using best practices from other industries AND from OUR best players. After Tier2 and Tier 3 are roughed out and refined, then on to the VDPs!
Last edited:
- May 1, 2005
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Let's rock Joe!
KISS always works. You got it!
Remember - 1 highlighted call to action per page with less defined secondary call to actions.
KISS always works. You got it!
Remember - 1 highlighted call to action per page with less defined secondary call to actions.
- Apr 7, 2009
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- 2,504
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- 10
- First Name
- Joe
Asking for help!
I am cruising for ideas. Can anyone think of an industry like ours so I can shop it?
Classified listing presentation. Catalog or ecommerce. Lots of competition.
Real Estate = yes
Pool Sales = no.
Lawyers = no.
TV/electronics sales = kinda
Furniture = no (untouched by the internet beast!)
thoughts?
I am cruising for ideas. Can anyone think of an industry like ours so I can shop it?
Classified listing presentation. Catalog or ecommerce. Lots of competition.
Real Estate = yes
Pool Sales = no.
Lawyers = no.
TV/electronics sales = kinda
Furniture = no (untouched by the internet beast!)
thoughts?
I agree that Real Estate is a match, but even better might be a subset: Apartment Rentals. I say this because while buying a car is a big decision, buying a house is a huge decision. Renting an apartment may be a more similar process to buying a car. Both entail a fair amount of research but neither are a "forever" decision.
One of the coolest classified sites I've seen is HotPads.com.
Oh and Joe. Furniture? Can you say IKEA? Say it with me IKEA. I know it's hard to pronounce, it's so foreign. How 'bout Crate and Barrel? Just messin with you! Great work on the site. 
- Apr 7, 2009
- 5,087
- 2,504
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- 10
- First Name
- Joe
oooo... HotPads.com has some creative tools to engage shopper loyalty. "My HotPads" is smart! I'll integrate that into my shopper organizer tool bar (seen at PriceGrabber.com - Smart Shopping Anytime, Anywhere)
Answers and Resources is super smart too! hmmm.....
Good find Ed!!
- Apr 7, 2009
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Jeff K's post on KMX's EasyShop has some legs here! I really like this along with Ed B's Hotpads.com/answers find.
FYI:
http://forum.dealerrefresh.com/f43/carmax-easyshop-future-car-buying-1727-2.html#post13795
FYI:
http://forum.dealerrefresh.com/f43/carmax-easyshop-future-car-buying-1727-2.html#post13795
✨ AI Highlights
Joe Pistell documents his website makeover project for Used Car King, aiming to double lead counts without increased ad spend by improving conversion rates and engagement metrics through user surveys, site redesigns, and new features like chat and wizard tools. The thread reveals his philosophy of optimizing for overall user satisfaction rather than fixating solely on conversion ratios, and showcases his collaborative development approach with custom builders at HomeNet. Key insight: sustainable lead growth requires understanding what shoppers actually want (discovered through direct feedback) and iteratively improving the user experience rather than simply driving more traffic.
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