Local businesses are the clients we love to reach out to here at V3 Media. Something else we love is getting help with regular maintenance on our vehicles. When it comes to automotive businesses (or any business really!), we try and give them the best website possible. We’re proud to have served local auto shop companies such as Auto Check Automotive by helping them build, design, and optimize their website for both desktop and mobile devices.

If you’re someone who loves to help servicing cars but can’t make head or tail of website development, then this post is for you. Here’s the lowdown on what to feature on your automotive website.

Why Though?

Because pretty much everyone is looking for the best deals online when it comes to finding reliable, honest automotive service. Owning and maintaining any vehicle is expensive, and if you don’t know enough about certain parts or upkeep, that’s a big problem. That’s why there are so many auto shops out there looking to help others.

It’s also a detriment to your auto business’s sales if you don’t have a website to begin with. Traditional marketing has its place—business cards aren’t going anywhere—but when it comes to gaining new leads, online is the way to go.

For Your Website, You Will Need:

1) Services pages – what kind of services do you offer? How are your services different from other auto shops? Do you specialize in a particular car service others don’t? Do you sell products that can’t be found anywhere else? Are there any frequently asked questions about your auto shop and services? Really think about these questions and try to see if there’s something about them that is marketable and stands out from your competition. Then create web pages out of them, conduct some keyword research, and optimize the web pages before publishing them. Don’t forget to add a list of vendors of those who helped accredit, certify, or sponsor your auto shop with links connected to their websites—sharing info is caring, after all!

2) Image galleries – having photographs of the vehicles you repair and of your physical auto shop will not only help with SEO but also it will give customers a good idea of your location and knowledge about cars. It’s also a good idea to have photos of you and your staff on the about page (or pages, depending on your auto shop’s history and size).

3) A blog – car maintenance and diagnostic advice on vehicles are considered to be “evergreen content” (content that never stops being useful even as years pass). Having a blog that helps your customers and is updated constantly is a great way to get your website indexed by Google and build proper back links.

4) Social media – if there are announcements based on your hours or your auto shop is going to be sponsoring a local event, this is all great stuff to share on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. We also suggest signing up for image-heavy social media platforms such as Instagram so you can add new photos regularly (it will help your website get new notice too!). Another really good idea for content on social media is to share any outstanding announcements or awards your auto shop may have recently won.

5) Testimonials – an auto shop cannot prosper without their customers, and testimonials can make or break a business’s success. Gather your best online testimonials from valued customers and put them on your website to encourage future customer interest. Give the less-than-satisfied customers a venue such as an e-mail form where they can vent if need be. Respond to the negative comments as professionally as you would in person should they leave a poor review on Yelp or Facebook, or on any other review website.

6) E-newsletter – what better way to promote maintenance packages and seasonal products and services than an e-newsletter? Offering special discounts on winter tires or a free diagnostic if you’re a first visiting customer are great things to add to both your website and an e-newsletter. Get people to sign up by promoting the newsletter on both your social media and website. Add a sign-up option right on the website to naturally build your e-mail list.

7) Mobile-friendly options – let’s hypothetically say a customer’s car breaks down. They don’t have your phone number on auto-dial however. Do you really think they’ll try and find the nearest desktop computer to reach your website? No. The first thing they’ll likely do is use their smartphone to find you online. Make your auto shop website mobile-friendly by adding the phone number at the top of your website’s header. Make the phone number clickable so that your customers can reach you straightaway. That way you can build trust immediately by assisting those who need vehicle repairs and fast.

Do you still need help with your auto shop website? If so, contact us at V3 Media—getting a hold of us is as easy as honking the horn on the steering wheel!