SEO not as quick as you may think
Posted by admin in Search Engine Optimization on July 9th, 2010
There are so many companies out there now pushing how they can get your site ranked high and practically overnight. Don’t fall for the hype. It sounds good but it simply isn’t true. Your not going to get your companies seo performance to be magical within days or even weeks.
Auto dealers should think about SEO as a long term strategic solution that will take time and effort by both the dealership and their web solutions provider.
Google provides a lot of insight on the Google Webmaster Blog but there is no silver bullet.
Most importantly dealers should listen to Google directly, not the company trying to sell you on their products or services. In a recent post from Google regarding Link building they stated:
“It’s important to clarify that any legitimate link building strategy is a long-term effort. There are those who advocate for short-lived, often spammy methods, but these are not advisable if you care for your site’s reputation. Buying PageRank-passing links or randomly exchanging links are the worst ways of attempting to gather links and they’re likely to have no positive impact on your site’s performance over time. If your site’s visibility in the Google index is important to you it’s best to avoid them. ”
I believe Google is speaking out directly about the companies that are soliciting you about overnight results and #1 placement. In the article, Google touches on Social Media and its role in link building for SEO purposes. Again while its no silver bullet it is a piece of the pie and by having a company like Fresh Input help with your strategic puzzle your certain to see results.
Social Media Revolution #2
Posted by admin in Social Media on May 16th, 2010
The recently updated version of the popular ‘Social Media Revolution’ video on YouTube
HTML5 vs Flash
Posted by admin in Web Design on May 16th, 2010
I was recently reading over the letter from Steve Job on Apple’s website regarding the fued between Apple and Adobe over flash support on Apple’s mobile devices. Luckily for our clients, Fresh Input sites are coded based on web standards (of which Apple is a part of) such as HTML5. Honestly though I’d never call it HTML5 since it is more of a combination of coding technologies. What this means to you, Fresh Input website’s look and perform great on the iPhone, iPad, Google Android and BlackBerry touch. No flash, no worries and you get the benefit of your sight being SEO friendly. See below for a small snippet of what Apple had to say about Flash and mobile devices. Read the full article afterward to get a better understanding of Apple’s perspective as to why they don’t utilize flash on their mobile devices. Google’s Android doesn’t utilize flash as well, so why no fuss there?
“Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers. For example, many Flash websites rely on “rollovers”, which pop up menus or other elements when the mouse arrow hovers over a specific spot. Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface doesn’t use a mouse, and there is no concept of a rollover. Most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices. If developers need to rewrite their Flash websites, why not use modern technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript?
Even if iPhones, iPods and iPads ran Flash, it would not solve the problem that most Flash websites need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices.”
The Facebook Revolution for Car Dealers
Posted by admin in Automotive, Social Media on February 16th, 2010
As we move forward more and more people are spending more and more time on Facebook. What originally started out as a college project for college students has quickly taken over the world! I mean that literally. Now Facebook encompasses not only college kids, but young teens, adults & now businesses looking to find a way to connect with their customers.
Think about what Facebook meant to you 2 years ago, 1 year ago, 6 months ago? Now look at how often you find yourself in front of Facebook today. It would appear that we are driving ourselves more and more to use social media websites such as Facebook because more often than not, our friends are spending more and more time their.
This would appear to be causing a perpetual cycle of ‘lets be involved & lets be heard’. As businesses begin to jump into the mix, we are essentially turning Facebook into our virtual reality. As people spend more time in this virtual reality, auto dealers need to find a way to connect with customers and build relationships, partnerships and/or friendships.
I really don’t think this is all that different from what auto dealers were doing before the digital revolution. I mean think about it, auto dealers are always naming the store after their own name. Why, because dealers believe that people are more likely to shop with them due to their previous history and the ability of that dealer to network himself with customers, building a strong reputation.
Now, I don’t believe finding fans on Facebook or followers on Twitter is going to be all that much different. Dealers will need to have someone in the store help build that online reputation and establish that social status just as they do in the real world. The difference hear will be how quickly a dealers social status goes up or down. If a dealer messes up big time, it will be heard loud and clear very quickly. The same thing is true with positive news.
The speed at which things move on the internet has been dubbed ‘viral’ and auto dealers should get to know this term and how powerful it can be. Car dealerships should not fear this term, nor the social media revolution, but should embrace it, take advantage of it and harness the speed and power with which they now can market themselves.
Fresh Input is an automotive web solutions company that has fully integrated social media solutions for your auto dealership and your dealership website. Find out how we are changing the game and keeping your dealership Fresh!
How Auto Dealers Can Utilize Twitter
Posted by admin in Social Media on January 30th, 2010
Figuring out how to best utilize Twitter from a business stand point can be challenging. For auto dealers taking on this challenge should be a part of their online strategy. Think of it as a challenge and not a road block. Twitter looks simple enough, but the big question I always get is “What do I do with Twitter?”.
Here are a few things to help get you started.
- Communication – this is probably the most obvious use for Twitter for any business but as a dealer you can utilize this communication tool to help answer customer questions or address concerns a customer may have. This can include all your departments sales, service & parts.
- Research – By participating in the conversation and engaging people thru Twitter you can get answers to questions you may have or even learn something you never knew you were looking for!
- Support – Just check companies like Ford out on Twitter. Ford has taken great initiative here. Just ask Scott Monty, who is in charge of Ford’s Social Media strategy. He answers questions from customers & dealers quite often. You can ask questions or even provide answers. With this open format for communication the gloves are off! Scott can be found at www.twitter.com/ScottMonty
- Marketing – This is a great opportunity to get your marketing message out to your followers. Don’t over do it here, but if you’ve got something that will entice your following, your message could reach much more than your following in a matter of minutes.
- Engagement – By having your dealership engage with the customers or even vendors thru Twitter, your store is providing a human element to the online aspect of shopping.
With the explosion of social media over the last few years it has never been more paramount than right now for dealers to be concerned about their reputation.
Your online reputation is accessible by anyone with an internet connection, may last for years to come and will be a factor in the customers decision making process when they go to purchase a vehicle. Social media is changing the rules of the marketing game and how people will perceive your company when they go to purchase. Making sure your dealership is a part of the conversation and not ‘The Conversation’ will help set your store a part from the competition.