Digital Marketing for Auto Repair Shops: Why Auto Repair Technicians Need Online Marketing

Auto repair shops that rely on word-of-mouth and traditional marketing miss out on significant marketing opportunities if they don't have a website with optimized content targeting potential customers. The competition for customers is fierce, especially when several auto shops occupy the same general location. One way to get to the top of the pack is to implement a strategic digital marketing plan that targets the type of customer you want. For example, a Euro auto repair shop would target those driving BMWs, Audis, Mercedes-Benz, and other European vehicles.

Potential customers looking for a dealership alternative often start their research online – they want to see what shops are nearby, the certifications the auto technicians hold, and the experience of the auto techs and staff.​

Auto repair marketing companies like EpochWriter create a strategic digital marketing plan individualized for your auto repair shop. Inbound marketing and content marketing, types of digital marketing, work together to attract two types of customers to your shop.

Inbound marketing for auto repair shops targets potential customers looking for helpful content, such as the services your shop provides, whether you offer warranties and repair financing, and the experience and expertise your techs have. A digital marketing plan puts this content on your web pages and landing pages.

Content marketing encompasses blog posts, social media, white papers, e-books and other informative content that shows your experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. This form of digital marketing drives customer action.

A comprehensive digital marketing plan establishes your shop's experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness through website pages, blog posts, social media, email and other online channels. It uses search engine optimization (SEO) and persona targeting to reach the customers you want to attract to your shop. 

A marketing plan for auto repair shops increases online visibility for humans and search engines. A content strategist at EpochWriter can optimize the content on your existing website or create a new website to increase your online visibility. Without strong auto repair shop web marketing, you could reduce your potential customer base by 90 percent. Yes, a whopping 90 percent of people start their research for goods and services online.

Because a vehicle is usually one of the most expensive purchases a consumer purchases, and a malfunctioning vehicle is a safety factor, the consumer needs to ensure that anyone providing vehicle maintenance and repair is knowledgeable and has the expertise to maintain and repair his vehicle safely. Thus, most people searching for a new mechanic will screen reviews and websites to ensure they choose an auto repair tech they can trust.

Search engines also look for experience and expertise. The bots that crawl websites make sure your site has plenty of informative content – and the more you have, the better chance you have of ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). 

Search engine optimization (SEO) drives potential customers to your website and increases online visibility for your shop by using specific keywords, site design, and other factors. These same requirements also encourage potential customers to stay on your site and read the information they seek.

If the information is on your site, but the site is disorganized or difficult to navigate, potential customers will quickly move on to another website – and that's a lead lost.

But how does your site come to be in front of potential customers in the first place? That is what SEO does. Search engines look for specific keywords to determine if your content is relevant. Combined with other factors, search engine algorithms "rate" your site. The better the rating, the higher your site will appear on search engine results pages – and the more visitors you'll get to your site. EpochWriter creates content that first targets your customers and then targets the search engines in an attempt to get your site listed at or near the top of the results pages. However, because search engine algorithms are always changing, no auto repair marketing company can guarantee top results – we can only use our knowledge to design a site and / or write content that attracts search engine bots. 

So, does SEO actually work? Yes! It does work – when done correctly. No auto repair marketing company can guarantee getting your auto repair shop to the top of the search engine results pages – but we can use our expertise to significantly improve the chance that you'll rank on the first page of the search results. Google and other search engines keep their algorithms secret for the most part, but the experienced content strategists at EpochWriter know the basic factors they use to evaluate search engine listings, including:

• Content: EpochWriter optimizes the words, images, and pages of your website with keywords. The information posted must be high quality and meet Google's standards. The trick is to choose the proper keywords and use them naturally – gone are the days of awkward-sounding keywords littering content.
• Backlinks and Off-Page Citations: If your content shows expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, other sites will link to your pages. These are backlinks, and they play an extensive role in page rank. Off-page citations also play a significant role in showing your page's authoritativeness and trustworthiness.
• Technical SEO: Your page must provide an excellent user experience. Title tags, site structure and page loading speed play a role in technical SEO. 

​Organic search traffic often goes overlooked, which is a significant missed opportunity. As shown above, 90 percent of people looking for goods and services, including auto maintenance and repair, research their purchases online.

To help you understand the basics of SEO and why auto repair marketing companies like EpochWriter implement it to help with content marketing for auto repair shops, we'll dig into the essential factors for search engines. 

​The most significant SEO ranking factor in digital marketing for auto repair shops is content. Your website's content must contain the search term used by the person looking for an experienced and trustworthy auto repair shop.

Your web pages must contain the keywords used by searchers. For example, an auto repair shop in Cookeville might use the terms "Chevy auto repair," "Ford vehicle maintenance," "Asian car repair," or "European vehicle repair and maintenance," and so on. The trick is to know how people are searching for what they need and create content that shows you are experienced, have expertise in your field, and are authoritative and trustworthy.

Your website must also meet search engine criteria – if the search engines list it too far down in the results or not at all, potential clients won't click through to your site. Unhappy search engine Gods means no click-throughs for you. When you provide content that answers all of a searcher's questions regarding location, experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness, you also meet search engine requirements.

Of course, that is not the only thing that search engines look for when indexing your site, but most search engines keep their complete algorithms secret. It's up to experienced digital marketers to anticipate significant changes to create or update content to meet search engine requirements.

You can boost your content by adding reviews to your website and ensuring that the answers to potential clients' questions are continuously updated. 

So, if content is where it's at, why are keywords such a big deal? They tell search engines you're doing an outstanding job answering potential clients' questions. The keywords chosen for your shop have a significant impact on where your content ranks on SERPs.

Search engines use automated bots to read everything on your website. The bot picks up keywords that show you are answering questions searchers ask. Thus, the keywords must be clear in your content. For example, if someone in Cookeville is looking for an auto repair shop that repairs diesel trucks, your site must make it clear that you are a "Cookeville diesel truck specialist."

To do that, digital marketers for auto repair shops place keywords in strategic parts of your website, including title and description tags, page headings and subheadings, throughout the paragraphs on your page, and in the web page's URL.

Using keyword optimization, you can even target specific potential customers, such as those who live in Cookeville or Putnam County, those who are a certain age, or those looking for a specific repair service, such as a "Cookeville head gasket mechanic." 

Now, we will throw a monkey wrench into this theory: Plain keywords won't suffice. Your content needs to include the primary keyword plus variations of the keyword and long-tail forms of the keyword so your content covers a lot of ground for searchers.

Creating as much content as possible that targets the variations of the primary keyword significantly helps increase your online visibility. For example, you don't want just one article about replacing alternators – you want different articles targeting various keywords – and the content must be different. You can't spin one article into many – they are too similar, and search engines will kick you to the curb. 

​Your next question is most likely, "So if everyone's content is great, how do the search engines choose?" Backlinks and off-page citations are the second most important part of digital marketing for auto repair shops. Backlinks are links to your page on others' websites. When other pages, such as a car magazine or parts store, link to your pages, it shows that you know your stuff – you have experience and expertise and are authoritative and trustworthy. Search engines count the links that link to your page from others' websites. The more you have, the better the search engines like it.

Obtaining backlinks is something your internal marketing can do, as it takes a lot of time. It's not something that you can do overnight. Once your web design company or content strategist posts content, you can work on getting backlinks or ask your content strategist to help you obtain backlinks. 

​Another essential part of winning the race to a great position on search engine result pages is off-page citations. These links are usually from places that post your contact information, such as automotive directories or places that offer certifications – some post links to shops that have their certifications. Other sites that are considered off-page citations and easy for you to get include:

• Automotive directories.
• Local directories, such as your Google Business Profile.
• People who share your content on social media sites.
• The links you include on your social media profiles.
• Reviews from other sites.

You can find even more ideas to generate backlinks and off-page citations from Backlinko. 

Your website design is just as important as SEO and content. While Google looks mostly to content, whether your website is mobile-friendly is a consideration – though not as big of a consideration as it previously was. However, usability and security are still critical factors.

Your website must follow Google's guidelines. If you type "site:yoursite.com" into the Google search box, it should bring up a list of URLs. If not, your site is not indexed – and if it's not indexed, it won't appear when people search for it.

Your site should load quickly, and it should be mobile-friendly. When a site is mobile-friendly, it renders well on smaller screens, including cell phones and tablets. EpochWriter uses a blank responsive template that allows for many design options with the ability to view the site on a desktop / laptop, cell phone and tablet. 

Navigation is also essential to search engines. Your site must have a user-friendly menu so people can easily navigate your site. Search engine bots must also be able to follow the navigation structure. A sitemap can help the bots find all the pages on your website.

Internal links are also important. If search engine bots have difficulty finding a page to index, internal links – links in your content that lead to other pages on your website – can be a lifesaver. 

An auto repair shop's reputation depends on the shop's brand. However, auto repair shops can increase their reputation by showcasing factors that contribute to the overall brand, such as their techs and support staff.

Participation in the community also increases a shop's reputation and trustworthiness. Some things you should include in your digital marketing plan include:

• Community and charity events the shop is involved in. These show potential customers that the shop cares about and is involved in the community.
• Links to technical articles about vehicle repair, such as how an air conditioning system works, why shocks wear out, articles on vehicle racing, even if you don't provide performance upgrades, or tech articles on the diagnostic equipment you use. These links show that you follow the ever-changing technology required for repairing and maintaining vehicles.
• Certain outside maintenance and repair articles and guides. For example, if your auto repair shop works on only fuel-powered vehicles, you might link to articles about electric vehicles for those with both types.

Finally, create a professional LinkedIn profile and Google Business Profile for the shop. Use them to link back to your page – more backlinks! Make sure your profiles have professional photos and list your achievements. Always set up reviews on any social media sites. 

​Always remember SEO doesn't happen overnight. You must work on it constantly, even once you have a website in place. Your digital marketing specialist at EpochWriter will work with you to create a digital marketing plan that includes adding new content to your site regularly. Google and potential clients want to see new content!

Be patient – it doesn't come overnight, and those that promise fast results, insist on pay-per-click (it's not SEO), or ranking at the top of SERPs are fly-by-night firms that you don't need to work on your SEO strategy. As long as the quality and quantity of your content are better than the next shop's, you're well on your way to more online visibility.

Contact EpochWriter to discuss a digital marketing plan for new or existing websites and blogs.