What Makes A Good Website

When looking for an auto repair shop website developer the first mistake businesses make is not defining what a “good” website is. A “good looking” website does not mean it will be a good marketing tool.

The biggest, and most common, mistake is focusing on visual “look” and ignoring the content. It is the text and photos about you on your website that answer questions people have about your business… not fancy graphics or a logo. Some of the simplest, plainest websites, with great content, generate the most new customers.

Good websites focus on answering the concerns of new customers to help them gain the confidence to phone you. Without a doubt it is the website content that makes a website the best.

First Mistake

From my experience business owners choose website providers who offer “quick and easy” websites. They don’t want to contribute the content that tells the all important story that prospective customers desire to feel confident in deciding to become a customer. Cookie cutter website that don’t really say anything personal about the business simply don’t work from an advertising and sales perspective. Business owners can’t blame the website provider if they don’t provide the information to create a good website…

Second Mistake

The second big mistake business owners make is viewing a website as a stand alone, do-it-all marketing tool. Websites must be seen as just a part of 3 key elements in overall marketing.

What You Need

To make ANY type of marketing work you need:
A – Awareness (advertising)
B – Background (your ‘who, what, where’ story on your website)
C – Credibility (reviews – what customers say about you that supports your claims)

Advertising makes people aware of you. Your website is your business “resume”. It should be the final destination of any advertising. Your customer reviews & testimonials are your “references”.

See A-B-C's of Marketing

Anyone who has done any automotive performance tuning knows that the end result depends on the “combination” of parts and not any one part in isolation… You need to view your website as just part of your marketing. A very important part that won’t work just on its own!

Tell Your Story

EVERY business needs a website that tells their story in a captivating way. It needs to make them stand out from their competitors and make people want to be a customer. No matter what type of advertising you do prospective new customers will find their way to your website. What they see there will help them decide whether or not to phone you.

Third Mistake

Another mistake is not viewing website content and SEO as SEPARATE functions. SEO is just another form of advertising. It gets your business in front of people searching for what you sell. These people are often much more serious about finding what they need. This is one of the reasons Internet marketing can be so effective (but only IF they find what they are looking for on your website)!

But SEO may not work for your business (too few customers online in your local area, too large a market area, too many competitors, etc). Like any advertising you must find what works for your business and local market. Test. Test. Test. Don’t guess. Advertising, of any type, is too expensive to keep doing something that doesn’t work!

Bottom line is creating a website that serves your prospective new customers, drive them to it with advertising, whatever works in your case, and close the sale with a great online reputation.

Work to perfect the combination that works for you.

Find a developer who is willing to work with you to get that 3 step marketing process sorted out. If you are looking for quick and easy don’t expect good results. Get involved, do your part. If you don’t your competitors will.