For Auto Body Shops to have an effective website and “Online Presence” it is essential to have a web presence that promotes credibility and provides a large amount of important consumer information. The consumer information makes your site a resource instead of just a snapshot of the business. Of course am image gallery helps along with a strong testimonial section will help users that visit the site take the next step and call or visit the shop.
So here’s what Auto Body shops need for their website:
- The ability to change banners and website elements weekly/monthly to look current with the season. (shows a prospect that your active)
- Downloadable forms
- Online quote form or a “quick contact form” that can easily be filled out.
- Social Media Integration – Any company that doesn’t have at least a facebook fan page appears to be “out of touch”.
- Testimonials – Everyone knows a company wouldn’t post bad testimonials however it still means a lot for users to see this.
- Helpful Links:
- Kelly Blue Book link
- State department links to insurance and banking or consumer affairs
- State information about filing an insurance claim
- Glossary of insurance terms
- Links to various auto clubs (Audi Club, BMW Club, etc)
- Airbag solutions
- Safety Recalls
- Child Passenger Safety
- Highway Safety
- Consumer Watch
- Videos
- Insurance company’s & DRP shops
- Insurance DRP auto repair practice
- You tube videos on paint & body equipment
- Airbag info and recalls
A few additional areas that are essential for auto body shops is information regarding a consumers rights and their ability to choose their own repair shop, and the warranty information.
So Here’s the deal…….Statistics show that 9 out of 10 consumers will research a company ONLINE before deciding to call for an appointment, meet, visit or retain their services. Think about your own practices, you probably check numerous things ONLINE prior to making a decision on where to shop, what to buy, who to buy from etc… You get the picture. This will be especially true for an auto body shop that will be repairing a consumer’s care that is worth 20k-90k.
Remember your competition is one click away, a company with a poor web presence runs the risk of never getting the telephone call (or form completion) from a potential customer. Think about it, are you going to trust a company that doesn’t have a website, or has a site that appears to be build through a web builder for $200? If there are a few competitors in the area, the company with a very credible web presence is going to be weighed more heavily in a consumers mind.
With an Auto Body Shop Website designed in WordPress, you have the flexibility to make changes in-house; providing you the power to maintain your website without a web designer’s assistance. A WordPress site comes with a complete content management system or admin panel, so you can easily add/change page content, add blog posts, add articles, change pictures, up-load image gallery’s, add/remove pages, create landing pages, change advertising banners, just about anything. If you have a website that changes on a daily or weekly basis, WordPress is the perfect option to manipulate your website with out having formal html/php coding knowledge. Keep in mind, it’s important to communicate with your WordPress web designer the areas that will change and the kinds of changing content that will appear on the site. By doing this, your Auto Body Web Designer can make it easier for you to make changes and manipulate the page content.
Even if you don’t plan on making website changes in-house, if the website is built in WordPress your web designer will be able to make changes, additions, even a theme overhaul pretty easily and cost effectively.
Ask your Auto Body website designer about the option of a complete content management system.