Guide to Local SEO for Auto Repair Shops

A large online presence is super important for all auto shop owners and franchisees. That is especially true for auto repair businesses that rely on local customers. 

Did you know? 46% of all Google searches come from people who are looking to find local services in their area. You open the door to all of these potential customers when you improve your search visibility on Google. 

Local search engine optimization (SEO) taps into this local demographic and makes sure your business can be found by the right customers when they search for relevant auto repair or services in their city or neighborhood. Ranking ahead of your competitor is really crucial if you want to get more customers walking through your door. 

Edge's local marketing platform is a solution for businesses like yours in the auto services industry. It has tools and tactics to help you deliver an exceptional customer experience to drive growth.

Local SEO basics for auto repair businesses

You need to know the basics before you drive into your local SEO strategy. Here are the things that drive an impact and get you found..

Claim and setup your Google My Business profile

A Google My Business profile is the first place to start for Local SEO. It will help you appear on the Google search rankings when people search for auto repair shops near them. 

Get started by making a profile on Google My Business. You can then make a listing. Then, add information about your business, like your contact info (phone, website) and business hours. This will help you appear in local search websites and Google Maps. 

Encourage Google reviews from customers

Positive online reviews can help a customer decide if your auto repair business is the right choice. As a plus, Google will notice if your customer satisfaction is high and boost your ranking. And, if you do get a negative review, respond quickly. It shows accountability and professionalism. Edge's automated customer review software can automate this process, allowing you to collect a wealth of reviews via email and SMS without manually asking every customer.

Get your website up to speed

If people visit your website and don't find it easy to use, they won't stick around for long. 

Make sure you optimize your website so that it is fast and responsive. It should be easy to navigate both on desktop and mobile devices. That means including titles and pages that match what people are searching for. Many modern website builders like Wix, Squarespace and Godaddy deliver this out of the box. 

Finding relevant keywords for auto repair franchise brands

You need to know which target keywords to choose before you start creating content. By keywords, we really just mean the search terms that people are searching for when looking for local businesses online.

Say your car repair business is based in Austin, Texas. Potential customers might search for location-specific keywords like “Auto repair Austin,” “Austin car repair,” or “emergency engine repair in Austin.”

Including phrases like this in your site content means Google can match users with your site when they look for businesses in their area.

You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner and Semrush to find relevant keywords. Just be sure not to include any phrases in your content that aren't related to your business. Google classifies this as keyword stuffing, and it will penalize you for it. 

Creating valuable content for auto repair businesses

A content marketing strategy is important for local SEO and digital marketing in general. It builds trust with your audience and brings in qualified traffic. It also improves your search engine visibility because it offers lots of opportunities for you to include keywords that help people find your site. 

There are hundreds of ways to create relevant content. Here are a few options:

• Create instructional blog posts that show people how to fix basic common car troubles 
• Write up client success stories showing the positive impact your business is having 
• Tell people about any upcoming events you will be attending 
• Set up an email marketing newsletter where you show any insights or deals you're offering 

Also, don't forget social media profiles. They are a great way to build a connection with your customers and get people talking about your business. 

You can make social media posts about customer success stories and local events or even just post with links to your website content. This will help you build a community and build customer loyalty. 

Edge’s Franchise & Service Brand Growth platform can help you retain loyal customers and motivate employees to propel your future growth. It will help you find new ways to scale and improve. 

Other local SEO quick tips

Here are three more quick tips for local SEO.

• Keep tabs on website performance: Once you start getting into the details of local SEO, it's important to check your performance and make improvements. Look for things like your bounce rate and conversion rate. Tools like Google Analytics can help you learn more about your SEO efforts.
• Don't forget link building: Google will see your website as trustworthy when other sites link to yours. You can start by contacting local business listings. These business directories will provide a link to your site, helping customers find you and making your business look more reputable.
  
• Study the competition: Always check what your competition is doing if you are in doubt about where to start. You can find content ideas, website design tips and much more simply by checking what business owners in your local area are doing. 

Discover new local SEO practices for your auto repair business with Edge

Remember that Local SEO isn't just about making sure people can find your business. It's also about delivering a great experience online. This leads to satisfied customers, helps people find you through online search and gets more customers walking through your door. 

Ready to grow your auto repair brand? Get a demo with Edge today to discover powerful tools that can grow your online presence.