Introduction
In today's digital age, having an effective website is crucial for car dealerships to reach customers and drive sales. An optimized dealer website allows you to showcase inventory, enable online reservations, build trust through reviews, and provide a seamless sales process. With more buyers starting their search for vehicles online, your website acts as a virtual storefront and salesperson.
Leveraging the right solutions when building your site makes all the difference. Unicorn Platform offers an intuitive website builder tailored specifically for auto dealerships. With customizable templates, inventory integrations, and built-in sales tools, Unicorn Platform empowers dealers to create stunning, high-converting websites with ease. The drag-and-drop editor, extensive template library, and auto-responsive design ensure dealers with no coding skills can build professional sites quickly.
This article will explore tips and best practices for optimizing your car dealer website. By following these recommendations, you can boost traffic, leads, and sales through your online presence.
Designing an Appealing Layout
A clean, uncluttered layout helps customers easily find what they need on your site. Consider these design elements:
- Keep ample white space and avoid clutter. Use minimalism to highlight key content.
- Make navigation intuitive with dropdown menus for makes and models.
- Feature large, eye-catching images of vehicles on the homepage.
- Use compelling calls-to-action like "Shop Now" to guide visitors.
- Optimize site speed by minimizing large files and enabling caching. Unicorn Platform offers built-in CDN and optimization.
Choosing the Right Colors
Color schemes should align with branding while enhancing readability:
- Use bold, high-contrast colors that reinforce your dealership’s identity.
- Avoid overly bright or distracting colors that detract focus.
- Follow brand style guides for the manufacturers you carry.
- Neutral palettes feel refined yet let vehicle images pop.
- Unicorn Platform offers professionally designed color palette templates to choose from, making it easy to find an appealing look.
Implementing Effective Visuals
Quality images grab attention while conveying your offerings:
- Display high-resolution photos of vehicles, test drives, etc.
- Use integrated image sliders to showcase inventory attractively. Unicorn Platform provides gorgeous slider widgets out of the box.
- Add custom graphics like badges or icons where appropriate.
- Keep images optimized for fast load times on all devices. Unicorn Platform handles image optimization automatically.
- Leverage Unicorn Platform’s extensive image libraries and editing tools to create stunning visuals with no design expertise needed.
Crafting Compelling Content
Succinct, benefit-focused content engages visitors:
- Use clear headings and text with strong calls-to-action. Unicorn Platform's editor simplifies adding stylized headers.
- Share unique offerings like custom builds or financing deals.
- Provide detailed vehicle descriptions highlighting selling points.
- Include dynamic content like specials, blog posts, and events. Unicorn Platform makes it easy to showcase blogs, announcements, etc.
- Unicorn Platform has built-in SEO tools and content integration to help you optimize pages.
Showcasing Inventory
Feature your inventory prominently with robust filtering and sorting capabilities:
- Allow easy exploration with search and filtering tools. Unicorn Platform offers customizable vehicle search widgets.
- Link inventory to full description pages with multiple photos. The page builder lets you design detailed, media-rich model pages.
- Enable dynamic inventory feeds from your dealer management software like Dealertrack. Unicorn Platform seamlessly integrates inventory via API.
- Allow side-by-side vehicle comparisons to aid decisions. Comparison matrix widgets can be added in just a few clicks.
- Let Unicorn Platform automatically sync your real-time inventory by connecting to your DMS with no coding needed.
Search and Filter Options
Refine the browsing experience with versatile filtering:
- Add dropdowns to filter by make, model, type, price, etc. Unicorn Platform has pre-made filters to add instantly.
- Include a search bar to quickly find specific vehicles. Smart search recognizes typos and guesses makes/models.
- Allow sorting by criteria like price, mileage, etc. Sorting can be enabled on any custom content lists.
- Unicorn Platform has customizable search and filter widgets that can be set up in minutes without any development work.
Vehicle Description Pages
Detailed descriptions pages close the sale:
- Use tabs or accordions for overview, specs, features, etc. Easily build multi-section description pages.
- Embed a photo gallery with color and interior options. Media widgets make galleries a breeze.
- Add pricing, special offers, and call-to-action buttons. Pricing and promo widgets available out of the box.
- Link to financing calculators and the service department. Embed external tools effortlessly.
- Unicorn Platform enables completely custom vehicle pages tailored to your brand with no coding required.
Dynamic Inventory Feeds
Automatically sync your real-time inventory:
- Pull inventory directly from your Dealer Management Software like Dealertrack or Dominion.
- Instantly update vehicle details, photos, pricing online.
- Ensure accuracy by linking with leading DMS platforms.
- Reduce manual work by leveraging Unicorn Platform's integration capabilities.
Offering a User-Friendly Sales Process
Provide an exceptional online sales experience:
- Allow vehicle reservations or deposits directly on your site. Unicorn Platform seamlessly integrates with solutions like DealerFire reservation system.
- Embed online credit applications and payment calculators.
- Offer transparent, upfront pricing whenever possible.
- Highlight current incentives, specials, and financing promotions. Promotions widgets make deals visually pop.
- Unicorn Platform connects with popular CRM and sales platforms like DealerSocket.
Online Deposits and Reservations
Make reserving vehicles seamless:
- Collect customer information and deposits.
- Notify customers when reserved vehicles are in stock.
- Streamline paperwork by pre-filling reservation forms.
- Unicorn Platform integrates leading reservation platforms like DealerFire to enable frictionless reservations.
Digital Financing Tools
Enable instant pre-approval and estimates:
- Embed online credit applications for fast decisions.
- Add monthly payment calculators by specific vehicle.
- Show current financing rates and promotions. Promos widget lets you highlight offers.
- Unicorn Platform connects to lenders and calculator tools like CreditIQ auto finance.
Transparent Pricing
Build trust by being upfront with pricing:
- Show pricing directly on listings whenever possible. Unicorn Platform makes displaying real-time pricing easy.
- Provide accurate quotes including all fees online.
- Emphasize competitive, no-haggle pricing.
- Unicorn Platform displays dynamic pricing widgets pulled from inventory feeds.
Building Trust with Customers
Strengthen relationships by showcasing your reputation:
- Highlight your dealership’s heritage, awards, and certifications.
- Introduce your team through staff bios and contact info. Unicorn Platform offers built-in team/staff sections.
- Display curated customer testimonials and reviews from sites like DealerRater.
- Promote community events and involvement. Events widgets help showcase community connections.
- Unicorn Platform integrates reviews and dealer info to build credibility.
Dealership Information
Share your story and achievements:
- Convey your dealership’s history and backstory.
- Showcase manufacturer certifications and awards earned like Ford’s President’s Award.
- Link to positive press mentions and reviews.
- Unicorn Platform displays custom dealership sections to highlight achievements.
Meet the Staff
Put a face to your brand:
- Introduce staff through bios, photos, and contact info.
- Group employees by department for easy access.
- Highlight veteran technicians and award-winning staff like your 5-time Salesperson of the Year.
- Unicorn Platform integrates staff directory plugins to easily manage profiles.
Reviews and Testimonials
Display social proof and trust markers:
- Curate and showcase genuine customer reviews from sites like DealerRater.
- Add customer quotes and stories.
- Prominently display positive ratings and review site badges. Configurable review widgets make embedding easy.
- Unicorn Platform seamlessly integrates reviews through widgets to establish credibility.
Optimizing for Conversions
Employ tools to drive high-intent actions:
- Use click-to-call buttons for instant contact. Unicorn Platform offers pre-made click-to-call widgets.
- Place email signup forms strategically yet unobtrusively.
- Make scheduling test drives and service easy. Embedded appointment tools provided.
- Continuously test and refine based on analytics. Built-in analytics help optimize.
- Unicorn Platform provides built-in conversion optimization features tailored for dealerships.
Click-to-Call Buttons
Enable instant conversations:
- Add clickable phone links near inventory listings.
- Track number of clicks to gauge interest.
- Unicorn Platform integrates call tracking.
Email Signup Forms
Collect customer information passively:
- Offer lead magnets like coupon codes or car buying guides in exchange for emails.
- Send tailored alerts, inventory updates, etc.
- Place opt-in forms strategically yet unobtrusively. Popups, slide-ins, banners and more available.
- Unicorn Platform enables popups, slide-ins, and embedded forms, making collecting emails easy.
Scheduling Appointments
Make booking simple for customers:
- Allow scheduling test drives or service visits online through Setmore integration.
- Send confirmations and reminders automatically.
- Unicorn Platform connects to popular scheduling tools like Setmore to enable seamless appointment booking.
Conclusion
An optimized dealer website allows you to reach more customers, build trust, and drive sales online. Focus on showcasing inventory, providing a seamless sales process, and highlighting your reputation. Unicorn Platform makes achieving these goals easy with specialized templates, integrations, and built-in conversion tools tailored for dealerships. By following the recommendations in this guide, you can get more from your website and stay competitive in the digital landscape. Explore how Unicorn Platform can help you create a high-performing dealership website that consumers will love.
