Do other blogs and websites link to your dealership page? If not, it may be a goal worth pursuing. Winning backlinks from other, reputable websites can be a boon to your digital marketing strategy, casting your dealership website as an authoritative resource and even boosting your SEO rankings.
And yet, getting backlinks isn’t always easy. There are definitely right ways and wrong ways to pursue this goal. In this post, we’ll offer some general strategies for building a backlink profile for your used car dealership website—the right way.
The Benefits of Backlinks
First, though, let’s briefly review some of the benefits. Why is it so important that other people link back to your dealership website or blog?
- First and foremost, it helps with your rankings. Google has been clear: Backlinks are an important SEO signal. That’s because a backlink is a vote of confidence that your content is valuable.
- Similarly, backlinks help your content to appear more trustworthy and authoritative. When readers see that other industry experts hold your content in high esteem, they’re sure to do likewise.
- Finally, backlinks add to the prestige of your dealership; they make you into a thought leader and industry authority.
Right Ways and Wrong Ways to Get Links
Those are three basic reasons why links matter—but what’s the right way to pursue them? Generally speaking, link building efforts can be divided into two categories—black hat and white hat. When we talk about black hat link building, we’re basically talking about attempts to purchase backlinks—a short cut that’s frowned on by Google, and can actually incur SEO penalties. Thus, we recommend avoiding it.
The alternative is white hat link building—actually earning links by producing good content and forging meaningful relationship. This is the method that Google approves, and it’s the one we endorse.
Link Building for Your Used Car Dealership
But what are some specific white hat link building strategies you can implement for your used car dealership?
- First and foremost, create content that people will actually want to link to. Focus on substantive, real-world info—for instance, tips about purchasing cars, about taking care of cars, about financing cars, about driving safely, etc.
- Vary your content. Blog posts are essential, but videos and even infographics can be useful in accruing links, too.
- Make sure that at least some of your content is evergreen—that is, not tied to current trends or news. Guides, how-tos, and glossaries all work well here.
- Share your content on social media and connect with industry influencers who might “amplify” your reach.
- Work with an automotive marketing company that can help you formulate a robust content strategy—one that has link building as a top priority.
Backlinks can be valuable assets, but they’re not always easy to come by. Use these tips to get started—and for additional help, reach out to the used car marketing experts at Get My Auto!