Reputation management has grown in importance for car dealers (along with everyone else) since the birth of the Internet. A single customer with a bad experience and a computer can seriously damage a dealer's reputation. This damage is often easy to create (as simple as going to one of the many websites online that allow users to leave reviews and ratings for car dealers) but can take significantly more effort to correct.
Because of the trust search engines have in these sites, the desire to provide searchers with useful information, and any optimization efforts the rating site owner has done, these reviews can often appear just below a dealer's own website in a search for their name. If the dealer's site is weak, it is possible for the review to actually rank higher. This can be a nightmare for general managers.
A two-point strategy needs to be undertaken to combat the negative review.
Point One - Good Business
The first involves contacting the customer with the issue and trying to turn their experience into a positive one. Some dealers seem to want to skip this, and go right to the second endeavor (where we push the review down in the SERPs), but this is a mistake.
The reason it's important to contact the customer goes beyond SEO, it's just good business. Even prior to the Internet, angry customers made more noise than happy ones. Reaching out can also identify service problems that may be affecting any number of customers. As Trevor Schauenberg, VP at GE Capital Solutions, told CFO Magazine, "We would lose business and never know why."
Ignoring the complaint will not make it go away. You can bet if the customer is ranting online about their poor experience, they're doing the same off-line. While your search consultant can help get that review off the first page, it can turn into an on-going battle that claims much of your time.
When contacting the customer make sure to be calm and listen carefully to the issues. Try not to be overly defensive, but provide them with any information they may need to know.
Business Week recently had an article on angry customers at airports, but their "Three Steps" can be applied to a dealer's customers just as easily. Often times unsatisfied customers feel trapped. Providing options can cure that feeling.
He told the passenger that he had the option to write a letter when he got home or they could walk together to the nearest customer service window where the passenger could fill out a form to get his money back. The passenger calmed down when he understood that the agent was committed to resolving the problem. If he had failed to take all three steps, the passenger might still be yelling.
If they feel like you are working with them to find a solution, they can often turn into an advocate for your business. If successful, it's fair to ask them to update their experience on the review site to reflect their new opinion. This helps with potential customers because they see that if they have a problem someone is willing to listen and help find a mutually beneficial solution.
Now you may not need your SEO consultant! But if for whatever reason, that negative review is still haunting your business online, there are ways to push the review down.
Point Two - The SERPs
Some people are more difficult than others. If there's a time when you need to do everything you can to push a negative review in search results down, use the below tips.
1. Target your name via trusted sites. Register and create profiles, using the dealership's name, on places like Digg, Myspace, Facebook, Squidoo and Flickr. Participate on these sites to ensure your profile gets noticed and begins appearing in the SERPs.
Since many car dealers are named after the owner, he or she can register themselves at sites like Naymz.com. It's likely this will begin to appear in search results.
2. Blog. Create blogs with the dealer name in the URL on Wordpress, Vox, Blogger and Blogsome.
Don't abandon your blogs. These are great tools that should be nurtured. Post specials or any news items. Make each unique to prevent duplicate content and any perception of spam. Link carefully to your website, being careful not to keyword stuff your links.
3. Videos. Submit videos (your commercials, for example) on YouTube. Use the dealership's name as the username.
Place a link to your site in the video's description on YouTube, and embed the video somewhere on your site.
4. Own your name. Register your business name in the major extensions (.com, .net, .org at least). You don't have to use them (at least no one else is) or you can place them on your blogs. You can associate a domain name with a Blogger.com blog at no charge, with Wordpress.com it's $10 a year.
Those are just a few strategies to have more positive results appear in searches for a car dealer's name, and there are others. A good SEO consultant will be able to assist you in this, and point out more resources to take advantage of online.
