.png?width=32&height=32&name=facebook%20(5).png){kind=small}
.png?width=32&height=32&name=linkedin%20(5).png){kind=small}
Google says US drivers’ search for parts on the rise
Enter a primary keyword such as “cambelt” into a keyword analysis tool, and you’ll be amazed by how many lucrative search opportunities there are for vehicle dealerships.
Not only are people looking for advice on how to replace a cambelt, they also want to know what the average cost to replace a cambelt is, where they can buy a cambelt, when to change a cambelt, whether they should have the water pump replaced at the same time as a cambelt, plus thousands of other variations of those queries.
Suffice to say, vehicle dealerships are spoiled for opportunities in online search. But, just how much of the search market do phrases like “cambelt” have?
“Nearly 25 per cent of all automotive searches are parts, services, and maintenance related” – Think with Google
Google provides an interesting statistic, which is that today, nearly 25 per cent of all automotive searches are parts, services, and maintenance related. Which means that today, aftersales is just as big a market as vehicle sales.
The reason? According to Think with Google, people aren’t buying new cars as frequently as they used to, and as vehicles get older, people don’t plan for their maintenance. This increases the need for reactive maintenance, and in their haste, people turn to Google for help, which provides dealerships with a huge opportunity.
“Digital influences nearly 60% of vehicle purchases at the dealership” – Deloitte Digital Influence Survey, 2016
This lucrative opportunity ties in with Think with Google’s additional research findings, which include that 60 per cent of people are influenced into a new or used vehicle purchase through digital channels, such as websites, forums, and social media platforms.
Regardless of the online opportunities available to dealerships, however, taking them by the scruff of the neck and making them work for a business isn’t as simple as 1-2-3.
For example, in partnership with DOM360, Gettel Hyundai of Sarasota used the Google AdWords Call Extensions function on their car maintenance ads, which resulted in a 16 per cent increase in phone calls and a 4 per cent increase in clickthrough’s to their website. However, the process to get those results (and to perfect them) required significant trial and error, not to mention a relatively large monetary investment before results were optimal.
Sources: Think with Google.
