As an extension of your business, your website should receive just as much attention as your physical dealership. It can be easy to think of a website as something you simply “set and forget,” however updating your website can be a significant tool for maximizing your exposure and driving more sales.

ForConstructionPros recently put together 8 common mistakes to avoid that can help fix your website woes, which we’ve summarized below:

Mistake 1: Leaving off a clear, simple call-to-action. Capturing a customers attention is the first task in keeping them on your website and looking at what you have to offer. A call-to-action drives customers where you want them to go on your website, such as your new & used inventory pages.  Not having a clear, simple call-to-action could deter a potential customer from looking further into your business and could lead away from your true business goals.

Mistake 2: Not asking for emails. Keeping in touch with a potential customer is one of the easiest ways to move them down the lead generation pipeline. Have forms available for potential customers to fill out with their email address so you can stay in touch and top of mind when they might need your services.

Mistake 3: Having too much information on your homepage. You want to make sure your customer feels reassured that they want to do business with you while not overloading them into confusion. Keep your business goals in mind when creating your website’s homepage so you can focus on what you really want the customer to take away.

Mistake 4: Not updating your website. We’ve all seen websites and gone “this looks like it was from ten years ago!” We’ve helped our dealers take their website from “oh no” to “oh wow!” with a quick refresh, resulting for some in a 100% increase in leads year over year. That’s double the potential new customers! Having an outdated website deters customers from continuing to look into your dealership because they do not see recent work and are therefore concerned with how your business is operating.

Mistake 5: Not answering questions. Purchasing various inventory from a dealership can be an expensive trip. Customers want to know that you’re there to answer their questions and assure that they’re making the right choices for their own business needs.

Mistake 6: Having a slow follow-up time for leads. Consumers are increasingly becoming accustomed to instant gratification, and that includes when waiting for businesses to respond to an inquiry. According to Altitude, 3 in 10 customers, or 31%, expect a reply to an email within an hour. Setting up a live chat feature or a form to fill out, then monitoring and replying to these regularly, will help keep your customers happy and engaged.

Mistake 7: Not optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) account. Google has started to become a verb as much as it is a noun. With 46% of all searches on Google seeking local information,  keeping up to date with the information presented on your GMB account will allow consumers to easily reach your dealership when searching for services you offer in their area. (SEO Expert)

Mistake 8: Hiding client feedback. Customers want to see positive experiences before they open their wallets for any purchase. According to BrightLocal, 91% of 18 to 34-year-olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Share positive feedback from your customers on your website to show prospects that you have quality work.

Fixing these common mistakes will take your website from just another tool to a lead generating extension of your sales department. For help bringing your website to the next level, check out our website solutions and connect with us today!