Things are changing online. Fast. Strategies to get found on Google that worked for years are no longer moving the needle. If you own a garage shop, local car dealership, auto logistics, or other auto service, you need to take note and adjust your strategy to get to the top of the rankings.
Some strategies still work, but AI is evolving search so you need to structure your approach to evolve as well. Here’s what you need to know.
First, let’s start with the fundamentals.
Google Business Profile
If you haven’t filled out your Google Business Profile (GBP), do it now. Seriously. Don’t wait. Google uses this to showcase your business in the maps and local searches. Reviews tied to your Google Business Profile are also a ranking signal and can boost your website traffic.
GBP can also work against you. If you have incomplete information, Google might downgrade you. Surprisingly, a large number of businesses never fully fill out the most important details like NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number).
If you’ve already claimed your spot, it’s time for a review.
Steps to Optimize Your Google Business Profile for Auto Services
Either way, make sure you have fully filled out the information and maximized your opportunity by:
- Filling out each section of your profile with detailed information, including hours you’re open
- Adding high-quality photos to show your location and business
- Listing products and services that you provide
- Setting up messaging so customers can reach out easily
- Selecting the right category for your business
Using the Right Keywords
When you’re developing your GBP, make sure you write an engaging description. It’s the first thing people will see when your business shows up on search. Sprinkle in some of the keywords for your business. Examples might include:
- Local auto dealers: Car deals near me, used cars, certified pre-owner, best car deals
- Garage shops: auto repairs, brake repair, auto body shop, oil change
- Auto movers: car transport, car movers, auto logistics, auto transport quote
- Tire shops: tier sales, best tire prices, discount tires, wheel alignment
It’s also a good idea to include your city name and anything you specialize in — but think about the way people search for businesses like yours.
Managing Reviews
You should also make sure you are soliciting and responding to reviews. Reviews lead to your star level and you want 4- or 5-star reviews. Google prioritizes recency, so you’ll always want to get customers to add new reviews. Responding to reviews shows you’re paying attention to what your customers say and makes a good impression.
Online reviews — whether they’re on Google, your website, or other platforms — are huge. Optimizing your business listings and making sure you have a steady stream of 5-star reviews is critical. This helps with search engines, but it also gives potential customers confidence in doing business with you.
Getting customers to provide reviews, managing reviews and listing across multiple sites, and responding to comments in a timely manner can be challenging. A local marketing platform and small business marketing tools can help you manage it all in one place to simplify things.
Content Creation
Fresh content on your website matters still. A lot. But it’s changed. Google says your content needs to be helpful — not just a sales pitch — and demonstrate E-E-A-T.
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. You need to keep this in mind whenever you create content, especially for anything that falls into the category of Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics, such as blog posts that talk about safety, finances, health, or well-being.
Make sure you can demonstrate this principle on all of your pages and post and highlight expert opinions. With the incredible amounts of AI-generated content being dumped online these days, providing professional advice and expert guidance goes a long way to setting you apart — and pleasing the search overlords.
While you can certainly leverage AI tools to help you develop content strategies, such as small business marketing platforms and local marketing tools, don’t use AI to write your content. While Google hasn’t banned AI content, it’s certainly not prioritizing it in search results.
Social Media
Social media still plays a big role in your local marketing as well. Engaging with people on social can expand your reach and drive traffic back to your website. This, in turn, can help improve your search engine results. Facebook (Meta), Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn are still working well for businesses that leverage small business marketing tools.
In 2024, Google expanded its partnership with Reddit and started featuring Reddit in search results. It’s now common to see Reddit posts show up near the top of the page of search results. So, you’ll need to consider adding Reddit to your mix if you want to maximize your exposure.
Reddit can be tricky though. A lot of content can show up and it’s not always accurate. For example, if people are searching for whether your business is legitimate, it might surface complaints. You have to manage these comments by offering positive content. Actively participate in relevant discussions to mitigate any negatives that might surface.
AI Summaries
Of course, the biggest change over the past year is artificial intelligence. It seems like it’s impacting nearly every business in one way or another.
Google’s started showing AI overviews. They claim these AI summaries reach more than a billion users every month. These typically show up at the top of the page before any of the organic results. It’s important to get noticed in AI summaries if you want to dominate search for your category.
Focus your efforts on providing well-structured answers to the kinds of questions users ask and doing it better than your competitors. You’ll have to do more than just duplicate the kind of content that’s online already. You want a unique take on something, tied to an expert opinion.
Here are some of the types of searches you might want to create content to answer questions:
Local Auto Dealers
- What are the best times to buy a car from a local dealer?
- How do local dealerships compare to online-only car sellers?
- What financing options are available at local auto dealers?
- What should I check before buying a used car from a local dealer?
Garage Shops
- How do I choose the best garage shop for regular car maintenance?
- What certifications or credentials should a garage mechanic have?
- How much will a repair (brakes, oil change, transmission) cost in [CITY NAME]?
Auto Movers
- How long does it take to transport a car to another state?
- How do I prepare my car for long-distance auto transportation?
- How much does it cost to ship a car across the U.S.?
Tire Shops
- How do I know when I need new tires?
- What are the warning signs my tires need replacement?
- How much do new tires cost?
- Can I buy used tires for my car?
In looking at this list, you can see it’s a bit different from the blog posts or website pages you may have produced in the past. This type of content answers very specific questions and offers you an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and knowledge. This helps you get shown on AI summaries, demonstrate E-E-A-T, and build your brand reputation.
Brand Reputation
Brand reputation is a big part of getting found on Google. Although keywords are still important, they are less important than building a solid brand. Trusted, recognized brands have a huge advantage online and offline as well.
For many companies, brand reputation is the biggest differentiator — especially for businesses that sell similar products or services. Why choose one tire shop over another when they sell the same brands? Why trust my car to one local mechanic versus another?
While price certainly plays a big part in customer selection, rarely will people choose a business they don’t trust. 65% of consumers say the quality of your products or services is more important than what they cost.
The Technical Stuff
There are also a bunch of technical things you need to do that impact how Google sees your website. Things like:
- Site structure
- Design
- Load speed
- Interactions
- Accessibility
- Security
Google has fancy names for it like Core Web Vitals, Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). What these add up to really is whether visitors to your website have what Google values as a good experience.
If your website hasn’t had a technical SEO review for a while, it’s a good idea to take another look at it and make sure you’re meeting current standards.
Paid Ads
Online advertising can drive clicks and bring your business. On Google, they’ll show up at the top of the page ahead of everything. But, they only work when you choose the right keywords and manage your bids. And, when you stop paying, they stop working. Poof! They’re gone.
So, paid ads should be part of your marketing mix but developing long-term and lasting strategies to boost your search engine performance is key to building your brand and your business.
Want to learn more and see how you can put these strategies into place? Attend a Surefire Local demo and see how we’ve helped businesses like yours automate search, text, social, paid ads, and content to grow revenue by up to 79%.