Dealer Website: What are the Essential Features and Elements?
A good website is a powerful marketing tool for any type of business, including car dealerships. An online portal makes it easy to reach a wider audience and to convert site visitors into potential customers.
In this article, therefore, we will look at the fundamental characteristics and elements that a car dealership website must have.
Before we begin, we would like to point out that you can also use the online portal of your car showroom to sell vehicles from other European countries. In this case, you will have to re-register the vehicle in order to be able to drive it indefinitely in Europe, and in the process you will be asked for a certificate of conformity. This document can be obtained quickly and easily via our EUROCOC portal.
Offering the certificate as part of the sale of a vehicle allows you to offer a complete service to your customers and increase their satisfaction with their experience at your dealership.
What features should a dealership website have?
An effective dealership website must include some key features in order to meet customers’ needs and enhance their shopping experience.
An example of a good structure for a dealership website should include:
- Homepage: The first page visitors see when accessing the portal should be eye-catching, with images of the best-selling vehicles or the dealership itself, together with a brief introduction of the company. Here, visitors should find quick links to the most important sections of the portal, such as the vehicle catalogue, special offers, financing options and contact information.
- Catalogue: This section should offer a comprehensive and well-organised list of vehicles currently available for sale, broken down by make, model, year, body type and other features. Each vehicle should also have its own detailed page with more in-depth descriptions, technical specifications, pictures and price.
- Test Drive Booking: Here, visitors should be able to book a test drive for a specific vehicle, using an online form that collects essential information such as name, contact details and preferences for the date and time of the test drive.
- Special Offers: In this section, current promotions such as discounts and incentives should be clearly indicated in order to attract customers’ attention.
- Financing: In this section, it is good practice to provide detailed information on the financing options available, including a payment calculator, to help customers understand the potential monthly cost of purchase based on various factors such as vehicle price, interest rate and duration of financing.
- Contact Information: This section is essential to provide information on how to reach the dealer and should include address, phone number, opening hours and an online contact form for sending questions or requests for further information.
- About Us: A section that tells the story of the car dealership, its mission and introduces the team in order to help create a more personal connection with visitors.
- Services: A list of the services offered by your dealership, such as maintenance, repairs and after-sales support, to show the wide range of services you offer.
- Blog: A blog with articles on automotive topics, vehicle maintenance tips and industry news can be a great way to engage visitors and provide them with useful information.
- Reviews and Testimonials: Presenting the opinions of previous customers who were satisfied with their experience with your dealership can increase the trust and credibility of your dealership.
- Social Media Links: Integrating your site with links to your dealership’s various social profiles makes it easy to share and interact directly with your audience.
This intuitive and well-organised structure allows you to guide your dealership website visitors through the process of searching, selecting and buying a vehicle efficiently and smoothly.
3 Tips for Creating a Great Dealership Website
Let’s now look at three tips for creating a great dealership website.
1 Choose an Accurate Domain Name
For a well-optimised website, the domain name should be identical to that of your dealership in order to attract consumer attention and to help you build your brand image over time.
Here are some recommendations for choosing a domain name for your dealership website:
- Must be easy to write and type
- Try to keep the text short and simple
- Use keywords that help SEO
- Avoid numbers and hyphens
2 Take care of photographs
The quality of photos taken of your inventory plays a key role in attracting the attention of potential customers and distinguishing you from other dealerships’ online portals.
Poor-quality photographs can make your vehicles look worse than they really are, while good ones can significantly increase the perceived value.
After you have washed and cared for the car you want to include in your online catalogue, make sure you take high-quality photos of the following elements:
- Exterior from all angles
- Engine
- Tyres
- Trunk
- Interior
- Dashboard
- All seats
- Odometer
3 Write Attractive Vehicle Descriptions
Looking at the various car advertisements on different sites, you will probably notice a standardised form of writing of descriptions. Adopting a different, eye-catching writing style is, therefore, a great way to capture the attention of potential customers and to distinguish yourself from the competition.
You could, therefore, try the following tips:
- Describe the car as if you were talking on the phone.
- Use Google Keyword Planner data to optimise SEO.
- Emphasise the unique or special features of a particular vehicle
- Always proofread to ensure accuracy of information.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a well-structured and informative website is an indispensable tool for any modern-day car dealer. Indeed, it not only provides an effective channel to display vehicle inventory, but also serves as a platform to build trust and relationships with potential customers, provide after-sales services, and share industry news and advice.
By combining all these elements, a car dealership can ensure a strong and engaging online presence that attracts visitors and turns them into customers satisfied with the purchase process and the service received.
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