Using your bodyshop website to attract customers

Human nature seems to compel policyholders to carry out an internet search to find more information on the bodyshop that their insurer is sending them to. Tom Hadfield suggests the content that will reassure those customers and attract new ones.

If you look at your webstats, your companyname is likely to be the top search term that drove visitors to your site as they check out where their car is being sent for repair.
Your website will also get visits from people who have clicked a link to your website from places such as Twitter, on-line directories and from search engines for generic terms such as 'accident repairs in Port Melbourne'.

And yet many bodyshop websites are little more than a brochure. Many seem to exist simply to give the bodyshop an internet presence (which is a good thing by the way), with content that is very technical, full of trade jargon and hasn't been updated in a long time. They don't tell the customer what the business can do for them, or keep the customer on the site for any time. Worst of all they don't encourage the customer to make contact.

Having done the hard work of attracting people to your website, you want them to make the final step – to contact you, to buy more from you. You want your website to give you a return on your investment. You need to see your website as a revenue generator, rather than a marketing cost.

Content ideas
Here are just a few ideas as to how you can enrich the content on your website to help you sell to your visitors and encourage them to spend more time on your site and even re-visit you.

Product portfolio
Your website should contain detail on all the automotive services you can carry out for a customer. That way the visitor who is on your site because their insurer has send them to you, will be aware that you can also repair their scuffed alloy wheel, service their air conditioning, replace their tyres or carry out that full valet they've been meaning to have done.

If you offer mechanical or custom services and parking sensors then let them know.

To help the search engines each product should have its own page, with a decent amount of content which will interest the visitor, including prices wherever possible which will help you make the sale.

Keywords
The content on your website should include keywords that retail customer may be looking for. Phrases like 'car body repairs', 'accident repairs, 'smash repairs,' 'wheel alignment' and 'alloy wheel refurbishment' are searched for every month by customers looking to find a business that specialises in those services. You maybe wish to consider employing a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) specialist to help you put these phrases in the right places to improve your chances of being found.

Place names
Surprisingly , not many bodyshops include the names of the cities and towns that they service on their website. Sure, they include the name of the town in which they're located as part of an address but rarely do I see surrounding towns listed.

Testimonials
Customer testimonials on your website will work for you in three ways:

• They provide endorsement of your great your service is
• They offer you an opportunity to use keywords – quite often a customer will have used the word 'smash repair' or accident
• They offer you an opportunity to include manufacturer and town/city names e.g. Mr H Smith, Holden Barina driver, Port Melbourne

You should make sure that testimonials are included throughout your site.


Manufacturer approvals
Try searching for yourself, for (manufacturer name) approved bodyshop in (town) and see if you come up. If you aren't listed then it's up to you to promote the fact that you are the manufacturer approved shop in your town. You can do this by having a page for each approval, listing the benefits to them of using you and the types of vehicles you repair. If you don't do it, your non-approved competitor just might.

Other approvals
If you have achieved QA or you are a member of any repair network, insurer approved, take a page to tell customers about it. It can act as a strong, independent endorsement of your quality to a first time visitor.

Imagery and design
Including professional photography on your website will strengthen its visual appeal but it must be combined with an uncluttered, attractive overall design.

Consider good quality pictures of your premises and workshops and well as vehicles before, during and after the repair process. Photographs of staff will add a human touch, but my advice would be to focus more on pictures of the benefits that the customer will receive from using you (e.g. a flawless repair or a gleaming wheel).

Videos
If you want to increase the length of time people spend on your website – as well as offering something many of your competitors don't – consider including videos on your pages. I you don't want to spend money creating your own, there are generic videos available on Youtube along with the code to enable you to include it on your site.

Social media links
If you're a Facebook and Twitter user, make sure your website links to these places to enable the visitor to find out more about you.

Other links
Although you don't really want people to leave your website, they will eventually. You can appear helpful by directing them to useful sites where they can learn more about your approvals/accreditations. And if you use certain products and brands that are know to consumers, including links to their websites this will resonate strongly with our visitors.

News pages
By having a regularly updated news section with individual pages for each news item, your content appears fresh and relevant and you provide yourself another opportunity to use your keywords on your site. You news items can be about your bodyshop, vehicle related or industry related, they all count.

Embedded maps
On your 'Contact Us' page, embed either a Google or Bing map to help people find you. Also offer a 'Directions' link, part populated with your own postcode to enable them to see how close to them your repair shop is.

Engaging people
As well as making your website interesting and attractive, it's ultimate goal should be to encourage people to engage with your business.

Contact details
Often people will just be looking for your telephone number – make sure it is visible. Ideally make it large and available on every page.

Feedback/enquiries
make sure it is easy for people to leave feedback or enquire about your services/prices buy having a simple form for them to complete. Ensure the enquiries are collected and dealt with in a timely manner.

Quick quotes
If you offer a visitor an opportunity to request a quote by providing some details you can use these details to capture the sale in a follow-up phone call. There are a couple of sophisticated commercial systems available that can do the job for you at a cost or you can create a basic  form yourself to collect the information.

A version of this article first appeared the the Auto Body Professional Magazine.