Dallas, Texas November 11, 2009 (reprint from official John Eagle press release)

The John Eagle Dealerships are pleased to introduce an all-new, fully integrated automotive shopping website at JohnEagle.com.

John Eagle, President and Chief Executive Officer of the John Eagle Dealerships said, “With more than 80% of car buyers starting their internet shopping experience online we wanted to make sure that our customers had real-time access to the latest and greatest information about each of our amazing products in real time.  We’re excited to bring more than 2,500 high quality vehicles into one website for customers to consider.”

The brand new website integrates virtual inventory from each of John Eagle’s 15 franchises and multiple locations to deliver quick-loading, visually appealing information that will help customers to make better purchase decisions.  The virtual showroom delivers a wide range of multimedia that includes, among other items, video displays for used inventory and 360 degree interior and exterior views for new inventory.

Rene’ Isip, Chief Operating Officer of John Eagle Dealerships and Dealer Principal of a Toyota and Honda dealership said, “Our goal is to be leaders in 21st Century Marketing and this website is focused on extending the positive experiences that our customers have at our dealerships into an online environment.  This website takes us to the next level by allowing customers to compare new and used vehicles from all of our makes and models and each of our locations.  At the end of the day it will help us reach more customers, secure more market share and sell more vehicles.”

The new website delivers access to credit applications and service appointments as well as details about store locations and contact phone numbers.  Customers will be able to take advantage of cutting-edge capabilities to quickly and intuitively submit leads and search inventory by body style, make, model, color, year, mpg and desired price range.

Len Critcher, President and CEO of eCarList, said, “The automotive marketing landscape is rapidly evolving.  John Eagle Dealerships are setting the benchmark for customer-centric online solutions.  We are honored to work with this group to provide our suite of integrated solutions and assist in growing their online presence.”
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DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Carfax and eCarList have teamed up to help dealers more effectively market their online inventory.

Dealers using eCarList’s inventory management software can obtain Carfax information and make it available with their vehicles listed online. Used car shoppers get the information they need up front to make faster buying decisions.

“Our intent is to create a seamless user experience for online car shoppers,” said Len Critcher, eCarList’s CEO. “The Carfax brand is recognized throughout our industry and further reinforces the credibility of online data we provide. Forward-thinking dealers understand that the added value of the eCarList inventory management program helps generate sales and improve the online customer experience at the same time.”

Previous independent studies prove that cars sell faster and for more money when Carfax Reports are included with online listings. Subscribing dealers can purchase Carfax Reports directly from the eCarList platform. Online shoppers see vehicle history highlights like Carfax 1-Owner and reported accidents within the vehicle listing and get the full Carfax Report for free.

“Having Carfax Vehicle History Reports available through eCarList enhances the Park Place brand and helps us improve our customers’ experience,” said Frank Sobyak, director of Internet Business Development at Park Place Dealerships in Dallas, Texas. “Using these powerful tools we can easily identify the cars our customers want and reassure them that they’re getting only the highest-quality vehicles. Every vehicle we list on our site has a free Carfax Report to build customer confidence and support our fine reputation.”
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I’m not here to preach one way or another about dealership microsites because if used correctly they can be very effective.  I’d rather tell you a story and let you decide for yourself on how best to apply them to your dealership (if at all).

I had a dealer in New York call me about two weeks ago inquiring into our dealer websites and SEO.  The first words out of his mouth were, “can you build me a bunch of microsites”?  My regretful response, “why”, led him into a 5 minute seminar on microsites helping with SEO, creating additional SEO rankings and hundreds of back-links to his website.   He also shared his theory on how automotive shoppers “hate dealers”, and that by taking the dealer’s brand away from a microsite makes the customer feel more comfortable to fill out a lead form.

My experience with microsites started in 2004 when I started an online marketing agency providing SEM/SEO services to Retail Automotive.  We were one of the first (if not the first) companies to market Search to car dealers.  Our core product was in-fact a microsite….we called it an “SEO sub-site”.  The SEO sub-site was born out of necessity because our first client’s website provider refused us access to the backend of the website where we needed upload our SEO code and content.  The client wanted SEO and we offered SEO.  Their website provider did not.  So we developed a work-around…

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What is SERM?  Sounds like a bad case of the flu, but it’s actually a serious and rapidly growing segment of Search Engine Marketing.  SERM stands for Search Engine Reputation Management, and any company who struggles with negative PR online should get to know it well.

North Texas Nissan runs a very successful operation and uses ecarlist for Inventory Management and recently a premium website with SEM and SEO.   

Let’s just say the old management didn’t focus heavily on customer service.   North Texas Nissan suffers from serious negative online public relations just like many other dealers and companies online who may or may not be aware of it.

A Google search for “North Texas Nissan” brings up first page results for RipoffReport.com and Complaints.com that were posted by consumers (or bashing competitors)  from years ago during the previous management.

Many brand name companies suffer this same fate - Pay Pal, Bosley Medical, and countless dealers are losing an unforeseen amount of business from negative postings that appear in the search results.  And the worst part is that it’s near impossible to get these negative postings removed since they are protected under the 1st Amendment.

SERM is the process of achieving additional rankings for certain keywords in efforts to push down any negative PR websites “below the fold” or to the 2nd or 3rd page of the search results - or at least out of the way of it interfering.

As ecarlist strives to bring our dealers cutting edge online technology,  we are proud to launch a SERM program for North Texas Nissan and will be posting the results soon.

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Planet, the global leader in IT hosting, today announced the addition of ecarlist (www.ecarlist.com) to its dedicated hosting platform. Headquartered in Dallas, the company provides hundreds of automobile dealers in the United States and Canada with critical data for inventory management, pricing analytics, search engine optimization, marketing and Web site design.

According to J.D. Power & Associates, an industry research firm, approximately 75 percent of all car shoppers use the Internet when evaluating car purchases.

“Technology and the Internet have created a monumental shift in pairing buyers and sellers for automobile purchases,” said Len Critcher, Chief Executive Officer of ecarlist. “Dealers are facing new challenges to ensure their inventories are current, and their sites always up and running, particularly in today’s difficult environment. The services we provide enable them to take full control of their online marketing and be more competitive, backed by the critical data required to make strategic marketing decisions for their businesses. Our SaaS (Software as a Service) solution means customers count on us to have this information available around the clock, and that’s why we switched to The Planet. The company’s corporate stability and reputation, its reliability and scalability gave us the confidence to make the change.”

“We hear time and again from customers that they select The Planet for our world-class data centers and enterprise-quality network,” said Steve Kahan, vice president of marketing and product management for The Planet. “With the broadest complement of products and services in the industry, we offer customers the power to choose the precise solutions and services for their IT infrastructures.” (more…)

DALLAS, Nov 17, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE)

Terrence Gordon has been named vice president — Search and Media at ecarlist, one of the auto industry’s fastest growing marketing and inventory management companies for the nation’s more than 70,000 franchised and independent car dealers.

The former president of Nobis Interactive in Los Angeles, Gordon will oversee the launch of ecarlist’s new full-service online marketing division catering exclusively to the retail automotive industry, according to Len Critcher, the company’s CEO.

“We have established ourselves as a leading provider of online inventory-management software and website design for mid- to large-sized dealership groups and ecarlist is excited about the opportunity to extend our product offerings with our new Search and Media division,” Critcher said. “With Gordon on our team, ecarlist will be able to provide the most cost effective, measurable, and integrated marketing campaigns available.

“The auto industry is in desperate need of pure SEM/SEO solutions that provide visibility and accountability for dealers. We not only have the absolute best inventory-management software and SEO-friendly websites I’ve seen in the industry, but our holistic and transparent approach makes it easy to develop marketing solutions that perfectly fit dealer needs. The talent within ecarlist is unmatched, and I have no doubt our company will soon dominate this industry.”

Critcher noted that ecarlist continues to experience record growth through the industry’s current “down times”, adding that its clients will benefit from the integration of ecarlist software, website products and online marketing programs.

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ecarlist CEO Reveals Keys to Online Car Sales Success

Thursday September 25, 8:00 am ET

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Len Critcher, chief executive officer of ecarlist, a dealership software company, will talk about how he founded one of the first Internet-based dealerships – eCarLink.com – at the fifth annual Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition held October 6-8 in Grapevine, Texas.Critcher will outline the strategies that enabled him to grow his dealership with online marketing and limited resources into a business with more than $50 million in annual vehicle sales. In 2003, Forbes featured Critcher as one of the first individuals to build a completely online dealership.

View Press Release: Click Here

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