Google Adwords Update -Slow Pages Will Hurt You

This week Google announced that they will be making a change to their quality score algorithm. If you are not running your own adwords campaign then call your ad agency and ask them to review and recommend changes to improve load times. Most auto dealers use a template designed to load quickly and are fine, but it never hurts to check.

Here is the full release from Google for your reading pleasure.

PS. Don't forget to celebrate International Day of Awesomeness (maybe with an Awesome special on detailing?)

Pagerank: Why are Dealerships Wasting Their Time?

Every other day I hear from a dealership who wants to use PPC to raise their Page Rank and each time I wonder where they are getting the idea that this is a valid use of their time. To this day I can only guess that they found a blog post or two (or three dozen) touting the need to raise page rank to get more traffic. While that is fine and dandy if your dream of growing up to be Andy Beal or Darren Rowse or even Jason Falls this isn't going to work for you.

Why?

Well first off your PPC campaign will not raise your page rank. Page Rank is a vote, and each link to your site counts as a vote. Think of this as voting for your homecoming queen in high school. PPC campaigns by their very nature do not add links to your site, so they don't weigh in on the vote. Page Rank is a great way to measure a bloggers success, or how "trustworthy" a site is. However, it is link based and updated maybe 4 times a year so for your purposes it isn't very relevant.

The second reason this is a waste of your time is because you have a brick and mortar store with actual inventory. You have a reputation not only online but in your communities where it really counts. People are going to buy cars from you because you have a great website that is easy to navigate, a clean show room, helpful sales staff and great prices. The average person wouldn't know a page rank if it bit them in the ankle, and even if they did, the customer would absolutely rather buy their new car from the guy offering 3 free oil changes then the pr 6 website. Guaranteed.

As an aside if you know where people are getting the idea that dealerships should be worried about page rank please let me know in the comments! :)

Speak Your Mind At NADA

NADA is just days away and the excitement is building! Everyone I have talked to in the past few days is really excited about what will and won't be discussed/presented this year. So in the spirit of lighthearted NADA fun I offer this advice from my grammy (who probably "borrowed" it from some famous person) "Speak your mind even if your voice shakes". What does this have to do with NADA and your dealership?

Ask questions
Demand results
Don't fall for the hype, get documented proof
If there is something you want ask for it
Demand better delivery
Demand better, more personalized service
Demand solutions that fit your needs, don't bend to your providers mold
and most of all Talk, talk, talk, talk to your vendors and get to know them not only as represenatives of the companies but as people.

Now, go have fun and report back on all the cool things you see.