There are many dealerships that take on all their own automotive SEO work and get perfectly fine rankings.

But other dealerships might not have the time or the resources to take on search engine optimization all by themselves.

In this situation, rather than just meander along or let your competitors get the SEO leg up over you, the best course of action is to hire an automotive SEO firm that can take over your strategy and provide you with the results you need to start seeing more customers on your sales floor.

But how do you choose the right automotive SEO firm for you?

Choosing a firm is sort of like buying a new car. Here’s how:

1. Do research beforehand.

You probably love it when a customer shows up in your showroom and it is obvious that they have already done their research about you and your vehicles.

They know what vehicles they want to see, what colors they are looking for, what features they want, and how much they are willing to pay.

You can be exactly the same kind of client when it comes time for you to find an automotive SEO firm. Before choose a single firm and deciding to work with them, have you researched them?

Looked for reviews? Read their blog and determined whether or not they are knowledgeable about their industry?

Before asking a single question of them, have you already done a little research to make sure that they are actually a viable option, meaning that they have the services that you need and the experience you expect?

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2. Don’t be pulled in by a fancy exterior.

A nice website is great, but having a beautiful website doesn’t necessarily make a SEO firm any better than their competitors.

The same goes for your vehicles, of course. Every brand strives to have the most attractive vehicles on the market, but buyers should be just as concerned with what is under the hood as they are with how the vehicle looks.

If you want to find a company that can really help you with all of your automotive SEO needs, you will go behind simply the appearance of their website.

Many unscrupulous companies will rely on the fact that having a nice website masks their inability to bring you the results you need.

Just as you would never purchase a car based solely on its appearance, never high an automotive SEO firm based just on the appearance of their website.

 

3. Be wary of a company that is too big.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when looking for a company to optimize your website is choosing one based solely on its size.

Just as you would not buy a huge SUV when you actually need a more economical sedan, look for a company that meets the needs of your website and your dealership.

Bigger is not always better. In fact, in many ways, bigger is going to be much worse for your dealership.

A company that has hundreds of employees often means that you are going to be stuck off in some corner, working with a junior account manager who is not really going to be able to give you the time or attention that your company needs.

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Instead, choose one that is able to give you the individual attention you deserve.

 

4. Understand what you need.

While you probably do have customer who show up on your lot without any idea of what they need in a vehicle, these are probably the most frustrating customers that you deal with.

If you are not very familiar with SEO, you might not understand how to find out what you need.

Even just a cursory understanding of SEO can help you make sure you are engaging with the right company.

Just as you would not want a customer to come to your dealership looking to buy a truck when you do not even sell trucks, you do not want to waste your time with companies that do not offer what you need. Before approaching firms, make sure you have clear goals in mind.

What do you want to achieve?

How is this firm going to help you achieve those goals?

A goal as simple as increase our rankings and get on the first page of Google is often enough to help you start engaging with SEO firms and eliminating the ones that don’t offer the services you need.

 

5. Test drive the firm.

Very few firms are going to be willing to offer their services to you for free.

That would be akin to a customer asking you to give them the car for free and if they like it, then they’ll pay you for it.

A test drive in this sense would be like asking for proof that they have helped other companies, other dealerships, increase their rankings and improve their profits.

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You would probably never let a customer buy a car without a test drive first.

Don’t hire a company until you have had an opportunity to sit and talk about their experience and what they have done to help other dealerships in the past.

Ask about their failures, just as much as their successes.

You want to see how they handle adversity just as much as you want to know how they handle success.

Only then can you decide whether or not this firm is going to be the right option for you.