According to W3Techs, WordPress is the number one content management system online and responsible for powering 25% of all websites including BBC America, TechCrunch and Bloomberg. WordPress has been long thought of as just a blog publishing platform but it’s actually immensely versatile and powerful. The fact that it’s SEO-friendly, intuitive, secure and customizable makes it an excellent CMS choice for your auto dealership.
1. It’s SEO-Friendly
WordPress is written in compliant code and semantic markup which makes its framework easy to crawl. Free SEO plugins such as Yoast and All-In-One SEO makes it easy to create unique title tags and meta descriptions without having to edit html code.
The ability to easily create XML sitemaps in WordPress is another advantage. A XML sitemap enables Google to view your auto dealer website’s full structure. It automatically notifies the search engines every time you create or modify a page. WordPress also allows you to create SEO-friendly permalinks with the ability to use keywords in the url. This lets search engines and visitors know exactly what the page is about.
2. Intuitive & Easy To Use
The user interface is very intuitive and easy to use; editing content is as easy as modifying a Microsoft Word document. This means that you don’t have to spend lots of time training a new employee how to utilize the interface. He or she can get started modifying content or creating new posts immediately. The back-end is arranged in a logical manner with an intuitive navigation panel. Editing sidebars and menus is as simple as dragging and dropping content elements.
3. Flexible & Customizable
WordPress is flexible and fully customizable. Thousands of free and paid plugins are available making it easy to create the auto dealer website you’ve always wanted appearance and functionality wise. Plugins are add-ons that enable you to add features that aren’t part of the core code. Adding pricing tables, inventory, fancy sliders, parallax effects and conducting A/B testing is as simple as installing the right plugin.
4. It’s Secure
WordPress takes security very seriously and is constantly updating its software in order to prevent malware injections and attacks. Updates can be scheduled automatically in order to ensure that you’re using the latest version. In addition, you can take extra precautions to secure your car dealer website even further by staying away from untrusted plugins and themes, using a strong login password and limiting login attempts.
5. Add Multimedia With Ease
Youtube Ads Product Marketing reports that 70% of car buyers who use Youtube to research vehicles are influenced by video content. WordPress makes it easy to display multimedia such as videos and photos directly on your website. Videos can be used to tell your dealership’s story, highlight current specials and showcase specific models in your inventory. You can also embed tweets and Instagram photos in your content for a richer user experience.
6. It’s Open Source & Free
WordPress is free, open source and maintained by a large group of volunteers. Anyone can contribute to the software, add patches and create themes or plugins. The fact that it’s open source means that the source code isn’t proprietary and can be altered freely to suit your specific needs. Many hosting companies also offer one-click installation which makes getting started a breeze.
7. Schedule Posts
Adding content to your auto dealer blog on a regular basis increases search visibility and organic traffic. It’s easy to post content on a regular basis to your blog by using the WordPress “schedule” feature. This allows you to set the exact time and date of future posts. For example, if your site generally receives a surge of traffic at 2 PM you can schedule posts to go live during this time.
8. Integration With Your Favorite Platforms
Seamless integration with services like AWeber or Mailchimp makes it easy to collect email leads and send out targeted marketing offers to prospective customers interested in specific offers whether it be leasing, service or specials. WordPress also integrates with Salesforce which enables dealerships track and engage with buyers.
9. It’s Mobile-Friendly
Google is expected to move towards a “mobile-first index” which means that Google will rank sites depending on their mobile content, even for desktop searches. The majority of WordPress themes are responsive which means that no additional coding will be necessary in order to get your site mobile ready. It’s more important than ever to have a responsive auto dealer website since more than half of all Google searches are performed using a tablet or mobile device.
10. Fast Loading Speed
Your site’s speed is mainly dependant on your host but your CMS also plays a major role. WordPress makes it easy to have a fast loading site with cache plugins like W3 Total Cache. Image sizes can be reduced and compressed automatically with a plugin like WP Smush It in order to speed up your site even more.
11. Numerous Login Options
The ability to create numerous logins with different admin privileges makes it easy to have numerous employees working on your car dealer website while giving you the ability to limit their access. For example, the administrator has access to all main admin features. You could grant a content manager the ability to edit and publish posts while a contributor would be only able to submit posts.
12. Extensive Support
It’s easy to find support for any WordPress issue you may have due to its popularity and large user base. You can troubleshoot most issues by posting a question on the WordPress forums or doing a quick Google search.
Schedule a demo if you are interested in a WordPress website for your car dealership.