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The Ultimate Guide to Web Content for auto dealers

A N e B O O K B Y

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INTRODUCTIONWHY CREATE ORIGINAL WEB CONTENT?

It’s not enough to simply “have a website.”

Nor is it enough to let your website provider handle all of your web

content. Why? Many automotive website packages claim to provide

search engine optimization (SEO) for a cheap add-on cost — but

these “SEO services” are far from customized.

Often, these providers simply copy and paste the same boilerplate

text they’ve used on countless other sites and then tweak only a

few phrases here and there. The result? You could have the same

content as literally thousands of other websites — which is not only a

poor user experience, but also, ironically, terrible for your SEO.

Just as you want your store to stand out from the crowd, you want

your website (your virtual storefront) to stand out as well — both

to customers and to search engines. That’s why it’s key to create

original content on your website.

In this eBook, we’ll show you how to devise and execute a winning

web content strategy that attracts, converts, and delights both new

and returning customers. Let’s get started!

TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTION 2CONTENT STRATEGY 3KEY TYPES OF CONTENT 7CONTENT CREATION 10CONTENT PROMOTION 13CONTENT ANALYSIS 16

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CONTENT STRATEGY 101

As with any digital marketing effort, your web content strategy

should always begin with setting specific SMART goals.

What are you looking to accomplish with your content strategy?

Which methods will you use, and why? How will you know whether

you’ve achieved success?

. . . And what even is a content strategy, anyway?

WHAT IS A CONTENT STRATEGY?

Moz defines “content strategy” this way:

Content strategy concerns itself with the vision — the ins and outs of

how and why your content will be created, managed, and eventually

archived or updated.

It’s best to document your content strategy so you have a clear road

map for your content (and can make adjustments as necessary).

Include all goals, roles, processes, and resources involved.

Your web content strategy should always begin with setting SMART goals.

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Content strategy is a core element of inbound marketing,

which is the practice of attracting customers with helpful,

creative content (as opposed to interrupting them with

traditional marketing tactics like radio ads or TV commercials).

Common types of inbound marketing content include:

• Blog posts

• Landing pages

• eBooks

• Case studies

• Webinars

. . . And much, much more! The web content you create is

limited only by the time and resources you choose to invest.

WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?

Before you start creating content, you must identify your

target audience. Do this by creating buyer personas.

A buyer persona is a fictional representation of your ideal

customer, such as “Minivan Mom Molly” or “Sports Car

Salesman Steve.”

It’s fun to imagine the backstories of these personas — we

marketers are creatives, after all — but a buyer persona

should be based on real data from your customers.

A little market research into your customers’ demographics,

shopping goals, and searching and buying patterns will help

you determine how many personas you should have and

who those personas should be. Actual customer interviews

will allow you to fill in some details that your customer

relationship management (CRM) software cannot.

HOW TO CREATE A BUYER PERSONA

To create a buyer persona, we suggest you go to the source of

all sound marketing decisions: your analytics. Your web data

will show you which pages your visitors are browsing before

coming to your site, which keywords they’re using to find you,

and which pages convert the highest.

This data will shed light on both the pain points of your web

visitors (through search terms and high-ranking keywords)

and their most-valued platforms (where your referrals are

coming from).

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The next step is asking customers questions about the goals

and pain points you identified in your data.

When you’re asking customers to answer persona research

questions, make sure they understand this isn’t a sales pitch,

but rather an effort to make your business more effective.

Don’t interview only people who have had a great experience,

either. You’ll want to hear the unbiased facts so that you

can determine where and how your business can better fit

customers’ needs.

Here are some questions to ask in your persona research:

• What is your title?

• To whom do you report? Does anyone report to you?

• What tools do you use in your job?

• In what industry is your business?

• How big is your company?

• What are your biggest challenges?

• What are your short- and long-term goals?

• How do you learn about new information for your job?

• What’s your go-to social network?

• What’s your favorite industry blog or website?

• Do you shop online for work products?

• What’s your preferred method of contact?

By the end of the interview, you should have a sense of the

persona’s background, demographics, goals, challenges, and

major objections to your business proposition.

Less is more with persona research. You don’t need 12

different personas to be successful. You simply need enough

personas to ensure your strategy is focused on the right

audience.

At the end of your buyer persona research, you should know

to whom your business is talking, what you’re going to say

to them that’s actually useful, and whether your business

actually has the right resources to fulfill their needs.

This research should help you and your team understand the

choices a lead will make when faced with a new challenge, so

you can create content to fit their needs.

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WHO WILL CREATE YOUR CONTENT?

Once you know your audience, it’s time to know your

authorship — the people who will actually create your web

content.

You don’t have to identify specific people, but you should

definitely assign general roles and responsibilities for each

type of content you plan to create.

Some common web content roles to assign include:

• Creative director

• Project manager

• Writer(s)

• Designer(s)

• Editor-in-chief

• SEO specialist

• Social media marketer

Along with defining the individual responsibilities for each

person on your web content team, you should outline the

step-by-step process for creating content. Clarifying things

now will set you up for success as your content strategy (and

the people involved) inevitably change.

WHERE WILL YOUR CONTENT LIVE?

The next decision to make (if you haven’t already) is where

your content will live. In other words, which website and/or

blogging platform will you use?

Unless you’re launching or redesigning your website, you

probably already have your web platform chosen. Be sure to

fully familiarize yourself with its capabilities; if it doesn’t meet

your expectations, feel free to consider other alternatives.

Most website platforms have a blogging feature built in,

but you may consider integrating a separate blogging

platform with your website. Common blog platforms include

WordPress, Squarespace, Blogger, Tumblr, and Medium —

but your options are nearly endless. Do your research, sign

up for trials, and pick the platform that best suits your needs.

Also, consider what third-party integrations you may want. If

you plan to shoot a lot of video, look into hosting platforms

like YouTube or Vimeo and how well they sync with your

website and/or blogging platform. Same goes for other social

media and content apps.

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KEY TYPES OF WEB CONTENT

Now that you’ve established your web content goals and decided

on the basic setup and process for creating content, you can

determine which types of content you want to create.

While there are many sizes and shapes your content can take, there

are two key types of web content: blog posts and landing pages.

BLOG POSTS

Blogs have changed considerably since they first appeared on the

Internet in the mid-1990s. What began as a diary-like personal

website has evolved into a core site element that many business

use to share news and information with customers.

If you can find the time to post to your blog on a semi-regular basis,

you absolutely should. Benefits of blogging include:

• Boosting your SEO

• Building your brand awareness and authority

• Connecting with your audience on a conversational level

There are two key types of web content: blog posts and landing pages.

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Consistent posting is essential, as it not only sets clear

expectations with your readers but also sends a signal to

search engines that you’re serious about your content. By

regularly incorporating relevant keywords, you’ll see your site

slowly climb in search results.

That said, don’t post simply for the sake of posting. If you

don’t have anything unique or important to say, don’t say it —

and please don’t keyword stuff!

Bottom line: Your blog should always add value to your

readers’ lives. Whether that means posting about an

awesome sale that will help them afford their next vehicle or

sharing maintenance tips that will help their car run longer,

think about what you would want to read, and write that.

LANDING PAGES

Landing pages are the other main type of web content.

Traditionally speaking, a landing page is a webpage that

allows you to capture a lead’s information via a form in

exchange for offering them something of value.

But landing pages can be defined — and structured — in

multiple ways. The two main types of landing pages to know

are pillar pages and conversion pages.

1. PILLAR PAGES

A pillar page is a comprehensive webpage that works as a

content hub for a high-volume keyword. Along with providing

an overview of that topic, a pillar page links to a cluster of

related, detailed pages (like blog posts) under the same

overarching topic — hence the term “topic clusters.”

Why create pillar pages? Along with consolidating information

for your users, pillar pages boost SEO because they create a

logical site hierarchy (plus, Google loves backlinks).

Wikipedia is a prime example of the topic clusters strategy.

“Ford Motor Company” would be the pillar page, with on-page

links like “Ford Mustang” all supporting that general keyword.

To create a pillar page, start by identifying any high-volume,

low-competition keywords for which you want to rank.

Then, create a page under your primary domain that groups

together all related pages and blog posts.

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2. CONVERSION PAGES

The other, more conventional type of landing page is known

as a conversion page. A conversion page features a form

intended to capture users’ information in exchange for an

offer of some kind, such as a discount, eBook, or course

membership.

Converison landing pages can be formatted a variety of ways,

depending on the nature of the content. Typically, the more

valuable the offer, the longer and more detailed the page.

Your goal in creating a conversion page is, naturally, to get

as many conversions as possible. Here are seven proven

strategies to increase your form submissions:

• Write a clear, direct headline.

• Use images to illustrate your offer.

• Remove distracting elements like site navigation bars.

• Keep form fields to a minimum.

• Optimize your CTA button.

• Back your claims with social proof.

• Test and edit the page regularly.

OTHER TYPES OF CONTENT

Blog posts and landing pages are just the tip of the iceberg

when it comes to web content. Other formats include:

• eBooks

• Case studies

• Webinars

• Podcasts

• Videos

• Infographics

• Slideshares

• Quizzes

• Charts

• Graphs

. . . And much more! When it comes to creating content,

creativity is the key word. Let your imagination guide you. And

remember that one type of content can often be repurposed

into another. Along with saving you time, repurposing content

helps reinforce your points and stretch your ideas further.

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THE CONTENT CREATION PROCESS

For some people, sitting in front of a blank screen is the hardest

part of creating content. But it’s not as scary as you think!

Here are some helpful tips for writing, formatting, and optimizing

web content.

WRITING

Many of the basic writing principles that apply to print content

— creativity, simplicity, showing vs. telling, correct spelling and

grammar — apply to web content as well.

But web content is different from print content. Here are a few eye-

opening facts about the way we read content online:

• Eight out of 10 people will read your headline, while only two

out of 10 will read the page itself.

• Blog posts with an anecdote perform 300% better than those

without a story.

• Articles with 2,500+ words receive more shares and inbound

links (proving that, while readers’ attention spans are short,

brief isn’t always better!).

Here are some helpful tips for writing, formatting, and optimizing web content.

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WHAT TO WRITE TO ATTRACT SEARCH ENGINES

When writing for the web, it’s important to keep both readers

and search engines in mind. That doesn’t mean cramming

your content with keywords — in fact, as Google gets smarter

and smarter, it favors content that is more personal than

technical.

Writing for the web, like writing on paper, is all about the

audience. Ask yourself the following questions to understand

your users’ intent:

• What are they looking for?

• What motivates them?

• What’s going to help them?

• How are they going to feel at this time of year?

Instead of writing overly promotional material, explain the

value of your brand, product, or service. Remember that

search results are based on the questions users ask.

People want to find solutions to their problems on your site.

Once they’re there, they want to read good content.

Why not give them both?

WHAT TO WRITE TO ATTRACT SEARCHERS

After you determine your audience, brainstorm specific topics

that will help them most. That means performing research

to find keywords with ranking opportunities, then using that

information to add fodder to topics you want to write about.

Here are a few of our favorite sites for keyword research:

• Google Trends

• LSI Keyword Generator

• Ubersuggest

• Moz Keyword Explorer

Remember that short keywords are difficult to rank for, so

think about long-tail variations of those terms.

The most powerful thing you can do for your SEO is create

useful content that solves people’s problems. By helping your

readers out, you make it more likely for your web pages to

show up in search results.

Bottom line: Answer your customers’ questions before they

ask them. And make sure they can find your answers while

they’re searching.

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FORMATTING

Web content isn’t just about what you publish; it’s also about

how you publish it. That means the visual element of your

content is just as important as the writing itself.

Here are 15 blog formatting practices to keep users engaged:

• Write a compelling headline.

• Use headings and subheadings.

• Choose killer images.

• Constrain your column width.

• Break up your paragraphs.

• Pick the perfect font (and font size).

• Offer a “table of contents.”

• Embrace white space.

• Nix the sidebar.

• Use lists.

• Add emphasis (the right way).

• Include a block quote or two.

• Find other ways to draw attention.

• Caption your images.

• Keep it simple!

OPTIMIZING

We covered keyword research a little bit already, but it’s

definitely an important part of optimizing your web content

for search engines. Of course, you’ll want to incorporate those

keywords in all the relevant places on your page, including the

title, headings, body copy, meta description, image alt text,

and URL.

SEO isn’t all about creating new content, either. You can

actually update old content to improve SEO, since Google

rewards fresh content. Any time you publish a post, make a

note to check on it every year or so.

This is just the beginning of what you need to know about

web content SEO. To learn more, go ahead and download our

free SEO eBook. It’ll teach you all about on-page, off-page, and

local SEO tactics for your business!

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CONTENT PROMOTION TACTICS

So, you’ve written, formatted, and published your post. Now what?

It’s time to share it far and wide, of course!

Content promotion is actually a huge part of a successful web

content strategy — but it’s one many auto dealers don’t even

consider, let alone prioritize. Don’t be like them.

Get the most value out of your content by sharing it via social

media, paid promotion, and email.

SOCIAL MEDIA

When you think of sharing content on the web, chances are you

think of social media first.

Rightfully so. Social media is the Internet’s watering hole, where

people of all demographics go to socialize, discover, and even learn.

Increasingly, social media channels are considered a reputable

news source. Use that to your dealership’s advantage!

Get the most value out of your content by sharing it via social media, paid promotion, and email.

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The five most popular social media platforms in America

today, according to the Pew Research Center, are:

• Facebook

• Instagram

• YouTube

• Twitter

• Snapchat

Your business should certainly be on at least one, if not all,

of these platforms. Don’t join a social media channel only

because everyone else is — but also don’t ignore the wide

reach you would otherwise miss.

You can also consider sharing your content on other social

media platforms (like LinkedIn), but be careful of spreading

yourself too thin. Establishing a strong social media presence

takes time, and you’re better off focusing on just a few

channels that really suit your business goals.

When done well, social media marketing can actually benefit

your SEO. Although social media isn’t a direct ranking factor in

Google’s algorithm, there’s a clear correlation between social

media and SEO.

When sharing content on social media, it’s best to follow the

80/20 rule: 80% of your posts should entertain or educate

your audience, while 20% should directly promote your

business. Err on the side of fun, helpful, and human. No one

wants to see a sales pitch on Instagram!

We recommend posting each blog post once on Facebook

and LinkedIn, three or more times on Twitter, and on other

platforms as needed. Always use your best judgment, and

review your social analytics to see which posts are performing

best (and why).

All this said, we caution you against putting too many eggs

in the social media basket. As time goes on, Facebook

and other social media channels are favoring friend-to-

friend engagements and paid ads over organic posts from

businesses. We even hosted a webinar on this topic: “Organic

Social Is Dead: 5 Better Ways to Reach Leads Online.” Watch

the recording to learn why your reach on Facebook just

doesn’t go as far these days (and what to do instead).

That brings us to our next content promotion strategy. . . .

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PAID PROMOTION

If you want to reach the most people possible, you’ve got to

be putting money behind your content. It’s that simple.

Nearly every social media channel offers the option to

advertise. Again, though, only use a platform if your audience

is using it as well. Otherwise, you’re just wasting dollars!

The number-one place to advertise your content online is

Facebook (and Instagram, which Facebook owns). With more

than 2.38 billion monthly active users, hyper-specific targeting

options, and an easy-to-use Ads Manager, Facebook is our go-

to paid promotion channel. You can drive potential customers

to your site for as little as pennies per click!

To learn more about promoting your content on Facebook,

check out our Facebook advertising eBook, which is full of

practical, step-by-step advice.

Facebook isn’t the only digital advertising channel, of course.

You can also pay for reach on Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and

more. We also highly recommend Google advertising for your

evergreen landing pages.

EMAIL

Social media aside, there’s one platform that you absolutely

cannot ignore: email.

Yes, email is “old” in the world of digital marketing, but it’s as

thriving as ever. Most people check their email every day, and

they do it on all devices. Don’t miss this perfect (and free!)

outlet for sharing content with your audience.

You can set up an RSS feed to automatically send new blog

posts to subscribers as soon as they’re published (or at the

day and time of your choosing), or you can manually link to

web content in a one-off email. Whatever you do, make sure

you’re sending the right information to the right people at the

right time. Our email marketing eBook can show you how.

OTHER CONTENT PROMOTION TACTICS

While these are the “big three” content promotion strategies,

get creative with other methods. Consider influencer

outreach, user-generated content, and more. The sky’s the

limit!

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CONTENT ANALYSIS METRICS

Once you’ve published and promoted your web content, your job

isn’t done (sorry!). You still have to analyze its performance, so you

know whether to continue that strategy or move on to another.

While there are several ways to measure the success of your web

content (any of the metrics in Google Analytics can be helpful), we

focus on three primary benchmarks for success: conversion rate,

time on page, and bounce rate.

Many other metrics, like page views, can vary wildly based on your

industry, the type of page, and what other strategies you’re using.

On the other hand, these metrics are all more indicative of the

quality of the content on the page — something over which you

have much more control.

CONVERSION RATE

The first metric to measure is conversion rate. After all, the point of

most blog posts and landing pages is to get visitors to click through

to another page, right? It’s all about moving people further along

the sales funnel.

We focus on three primary benchmarks for success: conversion rate, time on page, and bounce rate.

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It’s important to note that “conversion rate” can be defined

a few different ways. In our Performance Benchmarks Report,

for landing pages with forms, conversion rate refers to the

percentage of visitors who fill out the form on that page. For

landing pages without forms and all blog posts, conversion

rate refers to the percentage of visitors who click on the call-

to-action (CTA) button on that page. We use Google Analytics,

HubSpot, and the client’s content management system (CMS)

to access these numbers.

TIME ON PAGE

The next benchmark to consider is time on page. This metric,

measured in Google Analytics, refers to how long a visitor

spent viewing that specific page. The longer the time on page,

the more engaged the visitor.

It’s a good idea to compare this metric with the visitor’s entire

time on site. If a visitor has a short time on page but a long

time on site, that’s typically still considered a quality session,

since they are clearly finding the content they’re looking for

on your site.

BOUNCE RATE

The last benchmark to analyze is bounce rate. Also measured

in Google Analytics, bounce rate refers to the percentage of

visitors who closed the page without viewing any other pages

afterward. Bounce rate, like time on page, reveals whether

the content adequately meets the needs of the audience.

In fact, a high bounce rate isn’t always a bad thing, since it

could mean that visitors found exactly what they were looking

for on your page and didn’t need to explore any further.

Again, it’s a good idea to measure this metric with the average

bounce rate of the entire website. If the bounce rate of the

specific page is lower, you can know that page contains

higher-quality content than most pages.

WHAT NEXT?

To compare your metrics against others in the auto industry

(and 9 Clouds’ clients), download our Performance Benchmarks

Report. And keep learning with our other free resources!

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THANKS FOR READING! Looking for digital success? That’s why we

made this resource.

Most dealers have a heap of useful data, too

many digital vendors and software platforms,

a few social media accounts, and hundreds

of special sales or service offers that are not

reaching their potential.

At 9 Clouds, we take your data from all of the

software you are using and put it in one place.

You have access to unified, understandable

data. Your customer’s complete digital profile

is quickly accessible. We use this information

to tell your sales reps who is ready to buy

before they fill out a form.

We can also send marketing material to

customers based on their individual data.

The person looking at the red truck gets an

email about the red truck. The person who has

serviced their car five times this year gets an

email with a trade-in offer. This personalized

marketing increases leads and sales (just

check out our case studies for proof).

So why are we just giving away our automotive

marketing secrets? Because we’re nice, and

because we believe in digital karma.

When your dealership is ready to move to the

next level of digital marketing, get in touch

with us!

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