Auto dealer websites need to have a separate, mobile version of their site, plain and simple. Here’s why:
- Over 73 million people were mobile web users in 2009, a number that is expected to almost double by 2013.
- According to a study by Neilson, mobile Internet usage is increasing by 30% each year.
- Google has a separate search engine index for mobile content. Since there are far less mobile sites online, your mobile site will rank higher and easier than your traditional dealership website. Google rewards older sites, so the sooner your dealership gets online with a mobile site, the better.
- A recent study by Chitika, a search-based online advertising network, found that “users on mobile devices are 45% more likely [than PC users] to enter a local query than users on non-mobile devices.”
- One out of five Americans is on the mobile web on a daily basis.
Car dealership websites aren’t designed to be viewed on a mobile screen. They are too big, the links your customers are most likely looking for aren’t in plain view, and many dealership sites will take too long to load.
Mobile users are typically looking for something in particular (searching), not browsing like they often do when using a computer (surfing). The focus needs to be on getting your dealership customers the information they are looking for, as quickly as possible, which means the information shown to your customer has to be different if they are visiting from a mobile site than when on a computer.
If your auto dealer website provider doesn’t provide your dealership with a mobile version of your site, find out why. You could be missing out on valuable local leads and an opportunity to give your customers a positive online experience, regardless of how they visit your website.
