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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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…)

The quick pricing overview:

There are specific 3 price changes for listing on eBay Motors.

• $40 insertion fee is being lowered in half to $20.
• $50 Final Value Fee is going up to $100 (this is only for listings that end successfully on eBay ie: someone clicks Buy It Now, or a successful Auction).
• $5-$10 Reserve fee is being fixed at $7
• If one of those 4 listings ends successfully there will be a $125 Final Value Fee.
• Also, everyone seller will receive the first 4 listings per year for free (rolling 12 months).

All other fees are staying the same for now.

My thoughts?

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Oh how the acronyms flow from software/website companies, however, none seems to flow more today than SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Question: What exactly is search engine optimization?

Answer: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” search results for targeted keywords. SEO can also target different kinds of searches, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

First, I want to address the “snake oil” salesmen boasting to be SEO experts and guaranteeing page ranking and traffic results. ecarlist sees these claims everyday in un-solicited emails and from our clients that have (more…)