Top Ten Mistakes Collision Repair Shops Make Online Part 2 of 2
In my last blog I covered the first 5 mistakes that collision repair shops make online. You can review those by clicking HERE. Now we’ll cover mistakes 6-10. Check these out…
6. Using images, content and logos you don’t have the right to use- Are you breaking the law? You could be if you are using images you don’t have the right to use. You could be if you are using unauthorized OEM or insurance company logos. You could be if you have copied content from someone else’s website. We see it all the time. I wrote a blog that covers this topic in much more detail, click HERE to read it. Be aware of trademark and copyright laws and make sure you aren’t putting yourself in legal jeopardy.
7. Writing content for the wrong audience-When a person finds you online they need their car fixed. How are they greeted by your website? They assume you fix cars. They assume you have the proper training and equipment. Your visitors don’t care about your fancy spray booth, paint mixing room or the latest laser bench system. They don’t know what ADAS is. They have no idea about spot or inverter welders. They simply don’t care and their eyes will glaze over reading about it. And yet we constantly see shops highlighting all these things, almost exclusively, on their websites and social media accounts. Instead, these shops should write with the audience in mind. They don’t spend much time on a body shop website so you should grab their attention quickly and direct them to do something you want them to do… bring you their car to fix. Tell them how you’ll handle the claims process for them. Tell them how you’ll set up rental car arrangements. Let them know how you’ll communicate with them throughout the repair process. That’s winning content for a website. For social media we’ve covered the kinds of things you should be posting in Part 1 of this blog.
8. Not enlisting the expertise of an SEO specialist- Too often we see shops throw a website up and online and call it good. They don’t know what they don’t know about optimizing the website. You can build your own website for free but if it doesn’t bring you cars to fix what is the point? This is not like the movie Field of Dreams. Just because you build it doesn’t mean people are going to come to it. You need a true search engine optimization (SEO) specialist to use their expertise to help your website rank for the terms the public actually use to find the services you provide. No one can ethically promise you page one or position one rankings, but we have seen far too many shop websites that are invisible online because they don’t rank in the top 3 pages of a search. Website developers are a dime a dozen, true SEO specialists are rare. Being experts in SEO was a founding principle of Optima Automotive.
9. Not paying attention to your online business reputation– Reviews play an important online role for a business. Reviews have an impact, either positive or negative, in several ways. One important factor is that positive reviews are considered by Google in their algorithms for determining ranking. The more positive reviews you have the better your site should rank. That tip comes directly from Google themselves. They don’t usually give out tips like that so when they do we really must pay attention.
Another important factor is that people pay attention to the stars. If you have 4.7 stars and your biggest competitor has 3.9 the public is more likely to choose you to fix their car. If there are 3 star reviews or worse for your business out there, and you leave these hanging with no response from you, you could lose business. Burying your head in the sand doesn’t make these go away or any less harmful to your business reputation. They need to be addressed, responded to professionally and non-defensively. Positive reviews should be acknowledged as well, thanking people for taking the time to leave the review.
10. Not being online at all- It’s hard to believe but there are still shops out there that don’t have a website. These shops are at least two decades behind the times and they are conspicuous by their absence. It makes people wonder what else you may not be keeping up with, right or wrong. OEM’s and insurers look at shop websites to see what they are putting out there for the public. You need an online presence period, and not just a Facebook page. A shop’s website is the hub around which everything else online revolves. Optima Automotive is always excited to have the opportunity to build a shop’s first website. We know we will do it right and get them current, get them noticed and, ultimately, get them cars to fix.
That’s A Wrap
This two part blog covered the top 10 mistakes we see shops make online daily. This is not an exhaustive list but these are the most damaging and negatively impactful on a business. What area do you need to address with your online presence? Optima Automotive is here for you. Just reach out to us HERE.
