WordPress is a great platform for any website, but especially for dealership websites that are more likely to need routine maintenance and changes to their content in order to stay up to date with new releases from their brands.
It is also one of the easiest platforms to implement automotive SEO on, but there are still many questions that those who are new to SEO and to the platform might have.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions revolving around WordPress and automotive SEO:
1. Is WordPress optimized as soon as I set up my website?
WordPress advertises itself as being a great resource for those who want low-maintenance SEO (though there really is no such thing), but does that mean that your website will already be optimized when you set it up?
The short answer is no.
WordPress will provide you with a wide variety of tools, however, that make it very easy for you to optimize your dealership’s website once you have starts setting it up.
2. If I install a SEO plugin, will I still need to hire a SEO consultant?
A SEO plugin is a great place to start, especially because it can tell you if your content meets the minimum requirements for being optimized (does it use the keyword enough times, without being stuffed, does it have the right meta data, etc.), but it is not a replacement for a skilled and experienced SEO professional.
Only a skilled professional can really help you harness the tools that WordPress has and create a website that ranks quickly and highly.
3. What SEO plugin should I use?
There are a variety of SEO plugins on the market, with Yoast probably being the most popular, because of how easy it is to install and use.
This is one of the plugins that will evaluate your content before you post it to make sure that it has all of the most necessary elements.
When choosing a plugin, make sure that it is compatible with any other tech you might have on your website, that it has adequate support, and that there are actually other websites who are using it, too.
4. How do I choose a host for my website?
Many dealerships will choose a local hosting company for their website, so they can deal with a person who is local and therefore can quickly solve any problems that the dealership’s website might have.
If this is not an option for you, however, you might want to look into national or even international hosts.
When evaluating a host, look at how they support plugins, what their back and restore options are like, what their reputation is online, and whether or not they are an affiliate (you do not want to host with an affiliate).
5. Is it bad to use a free theme?
While it is not necessarily bad to use a free theme, it is not as good as having a custom website built for your dealership.
Why?
Because free WordPress themes are, well, free.
This means that anyone can use them and that millions of people are using them.
You do not want a website that looks like millions of other websites.
You do not want a website that looks generic in any way.
Many free themes also come with issues like plugin compatibility and infrequent updates to security. Using a free theme can actually harm your SEO if it does not adhere to Google’s guidelines.
6. Where should I install WordPress?
If you are working with a digital marketing company or a website building firm, they will tell you where you should install your WordPress in order to make sure it has the best positioning for search engine optimization.
7. Do I need a blog?
Even a small dealership that deals only with a single brand should have a blog, and this is why WordPress is such a good option.
They started out as a blogging platform and evolved into one of the most popular website platforms.
It will be easy to start a blog, to add posts, to add tags to that post, etc.
8. Can WordPress actually be bad for my automotive SEO?
There are a few ways that your WordPress site can actually harm SEO.
For example, if you install a brand new theme and it uses HTML, which repopulates your H1 tags on many different occasions across your page, your webpages might suddenly look like they are keyword stuffed.
The technology can be confusing, which is why it is vitally important for you to work with someone who both understands WordPress and who understands SEO, if you are going to be combining the two.
9. Are there widgets that will automatically improve my SEO?
There are a lot of widgets that claim that they can automatically improve your search engine optimization, often by republishing duplicate content into the sidebars of your pages.
The truth is that while some widgets might help, it is difficult to find them among the sea of widgets that claim to help that actually do nothing or, even worse, hurt your SEO.
10. How do I find someone who can help me?
One of the biggest benefits of using WordPress is the huge user base that results in an active forum, with both people asking for help and thousands of people offering help.
More directed help, however, can be found from an automotive SEO consultant who would understand how to use this tool to get your ranked.
