Cross-Quadrant Influence: Reputation & Social Media Best Practices Essential to Search Dominance
While the Dealer Digital Evaluation is divided into four distinct quadrants, each of these quadrants influences and informs the others in multiple ways. This is especially evident in the many ways that the Social Media and Reputation Management quadrants can influence the results on the first page of Google.
Review and social media sites send important ranking signals to Google and also often appear on the first page themselves (as seen in the stats above). This is a powerful opportunity to use social proof and build trust with consumers through positive reviews, but it can also negatively impact your dealership’s ROI if these listings aren’t claimed and optimized. With the limited space available in today’s Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page) display, it's critical make sure your results are as effective as possible—and Reputation Management and Social Media best practices can help.
Claim and optimize your Google My Business listing
Google will routinely serve up local Google Maps results based on a user's location, so make sure your listing is correct and consistent and optimized as required in the Reputation Management quadrant. This is an opportunity to get your business info and content (such as biographies and photos) in front of prospective customers in your area. For more information on optimizing your Google Business page, head to 3 Birds Academy and search "Google Optimization."
Grow positive reviews on multiple sites
It's no secret that reviews play a prominent role in local search results. Just do a quick search for dealerships in your area and you'll likely see top-rated listings appearing in the local three-pack (hopefully yours is one of them!).
Reviews on Google are obviously one of the most important ranking signals for these results, but don’t ignore the benefits of having an even distribution of reviews across multiple sites. These other sites send important signals and links to Google about your business, and can also back up Google's own reviews when your Cars.com, CarGurus and/or Yelp pages themselves show up in the organic results.
Post regularly on YouTube in order to increase the chances of video results
Google will now show YouTube video results for certain search results, although it’s not clear exactly what will produce these results. As long as you have a Youtube channel, you may be able to qualify, but it's a good idea to post regularly and pay attention to growing your subscriber list.
We currently check for a minimum of 1 post per month on the DDE. But of course, frequency isn't everything. You'll also want to make sure that the content you're posting is relevant and engaging. Make sure that videos are availble publicly and are accompanied by a relevent description and tags. After all, it could be one of the first sides of your company an online searcher sees — or the last.
Claim, optimize, and post on your social channels
Finally, it’s essential to post regularly on the other major social networks, including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter as the lower results for branded searches will often include the brand's social channels. These types of results help you to dominate the search page while showing a side of your dealership that customers might not see on your website. Follow the DDE criteria for optimizing and posting on these channels to present a great experience to any searcher who happens to find themselves on one of these pages.
Although there are no guarantees when it comes to Google, these best practices for dominating the first SERP are also valuable ways to communicate with your customers and provide a truly exceptional online experience. If you're already taking advantage of these recommendations, congratulations — keep it up! For more info on how to act on these opportunities, visit the 3 Birds Academy.