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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ecarlist dealer websites with custom design and features.  For examples of our work, please visit:
www.ecarlist.com

To do it well, you need good talent. Many of our creative team started their careers in video and commercial production. We look at a dealer’s website as not only an opportunity to communicate inventory, hours, and contact information - but also, as a ‘direct marketing’ piece to a captive audience. Great video integration can increase a site’s “stickiness” and create an “experience” for your user that can ultimately generate more qualified leads and deliver increased conversions.

Is your website offering high-impact video - if not… why?

Check out some of the latest videos we’ve created for ecarlist and for client’s websites: