Someone asked me yesterday to do some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work on their auto repair shop website. I declined. It wasn't that I didn't want to help, but more that no amount of SEO could make the website perform. What was needed was a total rebuild of the website.

Photo by ghutchis

Bad Website DNA

Most website problems can be traced back to the site's very beginnings. The basic website design and structure is a disaster. I call it bad website DNA. Flawed from day one. The majority of poor performing websites I see are five years old, self made or built by a graphic artist who knew some HTML programming. Obviously there was no understanding of the business, user needs, auto repair marketing or repair shop website SEO.

Website Problems

Problems I have seen range from nasty programming errors which prevent search engines from indexing the website, incomprehensible website navigation which drives away users, unoptimized graphic images which take FOREVER to load... think user frustration, lack of user focused content, and no clear business objective for the auto service website.

Why No ROI

The common website owner complaint is that after five years their website has no visitors and no ROI. So instead of looking at the reason for the lack of website traffic they want to spend money to push traffic, and hopefully prospective customers, to the website. This auto repair advertising fools game is similar to pouring money into a worn out vehicle - it never ends! Don't waste your time or money on a sick website. A well designed website will naturally attract both search engines AND viewers. You shouldn't have to constantly pump SEO life support money into it.

SEO By Design

You want an auto repair shop website structure that appeals to search engines and allows your website to appear prominently when people search for auto repair shops in your local area. You want website content that communicates that your shop is the place people should be doing business with. You want a website that has tools to build relationships with long term customers. You want a website that can be easily updated without spending great amounts of money. And most importantly, you want a website that STARTS with these features and doesn't require expensive SEO reconstructive efforts.

Bottom Line

Once you have a well designed automotive repair website, both structurally and user focused, you can look at doing some auto repair website SEO. Until your website is a solid auto repair shop marketing platform, SEO is largely wasted.

Cheers,
Doug

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About the author:

Doug Fentiman is an authority on auto repair shop website marketing and founder of Robert Maxim International. Robert Maxim provides an inexpensive, easy to use website based marketing system that is designed from the ground up for automotive service and repair shops. We help shop owners build profitable businesses from lasting relationships with quality customers.