More Than a Keyword: Search Engine Optimization
If you’re like most people, when you see the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you probably think about keywords.
After all, that’s what SEO is most known for. However, your website’s SEO is comprised of much more than keywords.
Years ago, when digital marketing was run by different rules, brands tried to increase their organic search ranking by filling their online content with as many keywords as possible. This practice is now known as “keyword stuffing,” and search engines have evolved to recognize it as a cheap marketing shortcut, and they punish sites that use it.
We’re not implying that keywords don’t matter – quite the opposite is true. High-ranking keywords that are used in a natural way and improve the quality of content are a key part of SEO. We encourage dealers to refresh their website content regularly and include an active dealership blog to churn out new, useful information that educates their customers and improves their site’s searchability. However, we want to raise awareness that SEO requires more than just keywords.
Here are a few components of SEO that aren’t as visible as keyword usage but are incredibly important for a healthy search engine ranking:
Online Directory Management
Consider how many digital directories (Google My Business, Yelp, etc.) that your dealership’s contact information may be listed on. This could include sites that may not have crossed your mind in years. However, top of mind or not, it’s important that your dealership’s name, website, phone number and address are all correct and consistent on all listings, or else it could negatively impact your search ranking. Search engines are designed to identify reliable websites, and the existence of irregular and inconsistent directory listings could cause your site to be flagged as untrustworthy and be less likely to rank well.
We recommend doing a scan of all your online listings and updating any information that’s outdated or no longer true.
Backlink Hygiene
Backlinks are links on other websites that drive traffic back to your own site (this could be links to third-party marketplaces or an industry resource you referenced in your blog). You may have heard that the more backlinks your site has, the more popular it will be, but that strategy is conditional. Backlinks can operate as a great source for increasing website traffic if their corresponding websites are high-value and popular and include relevant information. However, if these sites are poor-quality or outdated or have been taken down entirely, those backlinks are no good and could affect your website’s authority.
If you haven’t performed a website audit in the last few months, we encourage you to look at all of your website’s backlinks and remove any links that are broken or no longer add value to your site.
Reputation Management
How your dealership is perceived affects not only your relationship with your customers but also how well your website ranks online. As a local business, your dealership needs to actively monitor your brand’s reputation online, not just in your community. Your online reputation directly impacts your SEO. Managing your dealership’s reputation on review sites like Google and Facebook business pages will help potential customers know that your business is trustworthy, which can generate more clicks and traffic. As a result, search engines will recognize that shoppers choose your website among local search results, and this can raise your search ranking so that you connect with even more shoppers.
While keyword-rich copy is (and probably always will be) the heart of SEO, it’s accompanied by many other factors that influence your website’s search ranking. These more behind-the-scenes strategies have a big impact on your website’s health, and they should not be forgotten.
The factors we listed are just three examples of how you can maintain good SEO. If you’re looking for more resources to improve your website’s search ranking, feel free to connect with Dealer Spike’s digital marketing experts today!