Several months back we pointed out that Google released a Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide. This guide introduced the basic yet necessary components to creating an SEO-friendly website and how to adhere to Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.

Following in Google’s footsteps, MSN’s Bing has just released a similar document called Bing: New Features Relevant to Webmasters. The guide focuses heavily on the unique features of MSN’s all-new search engine, but it too discusses the basic but necessary components that webmasters and web publishers should know about SEO.

So if Google already offers an awesome free guide on SEO, why does this new guide from Bing matter? Well, Microsoft has been promoting its new search engine heavily both online and offline in an attempt to acquire greater market share from search leaders Google and Yahoo. But even more importantly, Microsoft has just entered a long anticipated search partnership with Yahoo that will bring Bing’s search technology and listings to Yahoo properties. Once the partnership is officially implemented it will significantly expand the market share of Bing over night, and it will help Bing become a serious threat to Google’s dominance in search.

With all that is currently happening at Bing, and the sweeping changes that lie ahead, it’s worth getting acquainted with Bing if you haven’t already done so. Download the guide to Bing and if you haven’t already done so, check out the SEO Starter Guide from Google.

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Microsoft’s new Bing search engine appears to be on a roll. Find more coverage here.

Microsoft has long struggled to boost the profile of its search engine, MSN/Live.com. For that reason, Microsoft decided to try something new and has just launched an all-new search engine called Bing. Bing, which had previously been code-named Kumo, is said to help consumers make “faster, more informed decisions.”

Bing is said to provide vertical search functionality for those shopping for a specific product, planning a trip, researching health related topics, or trying to find a local business. Like other search engines, Bing also enables searches to be filtered by automatically generating suggested search queries as well as by links to images, shopping, maps, news, and travel. A key feature of Bing is the ability to hover over a result and read a snippet of the website’s content, helping the user gauge just how useful the site is.

Microsoft will be carrying the Bing branding to MSN and Live.com. If nothing else this is an indication that Microsoft intends to make the Bing search engine its primary product to compete with Google. But like so many other search engines that have tried to go up against Google, Bing will need to bring something truly different to the table to ensure its success. Most importantly, results need to provide value to users and deliver on the promise to provide information and answers to users faster.

Bing has been unveiled a few days ahead of schedule to give users the chance to preview the new search engine. It’s expected that potential users will soon see the Bing logo everywhere as Microsoft is spending between $80 million and $100 million on advertising to promote its latest search product.

While some have said that Bing stands for “But-its-not-Google,” the new search engine has received plenty of positive feedback from industry observers. Despite solid reviews, Bing still faces an uphill battle. The biggest challenge is getting users to switch from Google – a product they’re already used to. That being said, Bing may deliver more of a threat to Yahoo rather than Google.

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In addition to SEO tips and trucks, search engine news can be read here at Top Dealer SEO.

You’ve likely seen sitelinks before. In Google, sitelinks are shown below the first search result to help users navigate from the SERPs to inner pages. Google decides when these sitelinks should be included with your website listing and adds them when they believe it will be more useful for users. In most cases, sitelinks are attributed to large or complex websites. Sitelinks are beneficial as they give websites the ability to show off content that may otherwise receive minimal attention.

More recently, you may be noticing some changes with how Google displays sitelinks. Sitelinks used to show only for the first search result, but have recently been expanded to show a single row of links below sites that previously did not have sitelinks. This includes website results that are not in the first position. This means that numerous websites on a results page can now benefit from sitelinks to inner pages.

As part of the sitelinks expansion, Google will include links in a one-line row, rather than the two-column sitelinks. Just like the standard two-column sitelinks, these new one-line rows are generated algorithmically based on expected benefit to users.

This is great news for plenty of car dealers and webmasters. If your website had previously been displayed without sitelinks, there’s now a greater possibility for your site to have them. This potentially means more visibility and traffic for your inner pages.

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Stay current with changes in search right here.

When Google began showing maps and local listings within search results pages, local search marketers and businesses rejoiced. Now a couple years later, Google appears to be mixing in local listings in yet another innovative way, but this time isn’t limiting such listings to geo-specific search queries.

Google is now allowing local listings, including a map and business listings, for searches that aren’t even typical local searches. For example, queries such as “attorneys” will now bring up local listings that are based on the geographic information supplied by your IP address. In many cases, the cluster of local listings for theses non-local queries can include as many as 10 business listings. These clusters are also positioned in the fourth spot and sometimes lower in the listings.

This update will no doubt be helpful for any local business, especially for car dealers. While taking the time and energy to rank for a national search term is often unnecessary due to the lack of genuine leads the added traffic will deliver, this new local search cluster may drive desired exposure regardless of having a broad or national organic ranking for  your website.

With this update, Google seems to be acknowledging that local search is a huge part of all queries. With local listings now being even more prominent within Google’s Universal Search platform, it becomes more important than ever for small or local businesses to add their listing to Google’s business directory, as well as other local search directories. Getlisted.org is a great way to start this process.

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Get insights into local search marketing here on this blog.

Search results are always in a state of flux. Algorithmic changes are constantly being introduced in order to provide searchers with more relevant content. Recently, Google introduced two new improvements to their search results pages in order to achieve the goal of delivering relevancy. These changes include longer description snippets, as well as more refined results for more specific searches.

Longer Description Snippets

Utilizing longer descriptions is a big change since most descriptions have previously been confined to around 150-200 characters. However, the update now shows longer descriptions when searchers use search queries that contain more than three words. As a result of this update, descriptions in Google may now show beyond 400 characters.

As far as the SEO implications, long descriptions will likely not have an effect on rankings per se. However, the update will help provide more content of a given page, and will provide a greater ability to entice users to click. Therefore, more of a description being shown may attract more clicks. Site owners could test this theory by comparing recent analytics data to past data and comparing the phrases that searchers have used to find your website.

Refined Results for Detailed Searches

The second change will deliver more search suggestions, or related searches, depending on the query. These suggestions will appear at the bottom of the results page. Again, Google is attempting to provide even greater relevancy for users. As such, Google is attempting to gauge searcher intent and recommend searches that users really want.

This change will likely not have a direct impact on rankings. The real impact will become evident for long-tail searches. When users type broader terms such as Detroit Chevrolet or Carson Honda, both queries yield more specific keyword recommendations at the bottom of the search result page. This may prevent users from needing to go on the second page of results as keyword refinement could be just what they need to find what they’re looking for.

While both of these improvements do not appear to have influence on rankings, they are important changes as they may affect how your website performs within the SERPs in terms of click-through rate. So while your rankings will not be affected, your website’s visibility might be.

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Look for analysis of Google updates and how they affect your business on Top Dealer SEO.

Local search marketing is vital to car dealers, and search marketers are always looking for innovative ways to reach local customers. As a result, local listings are sort of the low-hanging fruit when it comes to local SEO, but sometimes certain listings can fall through the cracks. This is where GetListed.org comes in handy.

GetListed.org is an all-new website that provides a simple solution to finding and claiming your business listings within local search engines. To use the site, and check what listings you have claimed, all you need is the name of your dealership and the zip code. After that, GetListed.org shows whether you have claimed your listing on Google Maps, Yahoo! Local, Live Search Maps, or Best of the Web Local. If it shows that you do not have a claimed listing, the site will direct you to the appropriate places to begin the claim process.

Claiming your business on these local search properties is not a difficult process, but keeping track of your listings often can be. This site is extremely useful because it aggregates the data from each of these listings in one easy place. In addition to checking whether you website has been claimed, you can also check to see how many citations or reviews your business has received. It also gives you a To Do list to suggest the necessary steps you should take to get listed in all the right places.

Despite GetListed.org’s simplicity, it has been long overdue. Checking your listings and reviews from one central location is extremely valuable, especially if you need to make sure your business information is current and correct! For any car dealership, or any business selling to local clientele, GetListed.org is worth exploring.

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Get local search marketing insights here.

It’s not often that Google tells website owners and webmasters how to improve their rankings in the search results, so when they do it’s important to listen. A few weeks back, Google released their SEO Starter Guide, which provides valuable information for those looking to improve their website’s performance within Google’s rankings. The guide provides a high level overview of search engine optimization in plain English, and can certainly help anyone understand what’s needed to make their website more accessible to Google.

The Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide covers a variety of topics, including titles and descriptions, URL structure, site navigation, content creation, and much more. The guide is beneficial not only because it’s officially supplied by Google, but also because it’s written for nearly any experience level. Inside there are helpful illustrations and dos and don’ts which help to make it a valuable resource.

For those who want to gain a little more knowledge of SEO, but don’t know where to start, the guide is definitely worth downloading.

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Check back soon for indepth automotive SEO advice and tips.

Domestic automakers have had very visible weaknesses in recent months. Falling overall auto sales have hit domestic brands especially hard, and as a result budgets are drying up fast. Faced with financial uncertainty, automakers have been forced to cut marketing budgets, while search and interactive media have been utilized to make up for more costly media choices.

General Motors, for example, has already announced widespread cuts to the media budget for 2009. Ford has also cut their budget by about 35 percent. Automakers are also veering away from sponsorships and other alternative forms of marketing, in favor of search marketing, digital video, and other forms of online media.

Search Could Ultimately Be the Solution

While the automakers themselves are dumping more of their budget into online marketing, car dealers would be wise to follow suit. In the midst of economic woes and skeptical consumers, Internet marketing departments should consider allocated marketing dollars to ROI-based marketing such as SEO and SEM.

Search marketing spending in the automotive space has increased dramatically recently, and that trend is only expected to continue. If only a small percentage of a dealer’s marketing is showing a return, it makes no sense to continue to dispose of valuable marketing dollars on methods that simply don’t work. This is especially important to consider when the National Automobile Dealers Association has predicted that hundreds of dealers will be out of business by years’ end due to the economic slowdown.

With new car purchases on the decline, automakers and their dealers are realizing the incredible value of online marketing – specifically search. With fewer new car sales, dealers have to be more flexible, promoting other profit centers such as used cars, parts, and service. Unlike other media, search provides the greatest flexibility in promoting these other profit centers, both in terms of organic and paid search. This flexibility provides not only the means to boost new car sales, but also seamlessly boosts awareness of a car dealer’s other profit centers, which are becoming increasingly important to a dealer’s success.

Opportunities for Car Dealers in the SERPs

Utilizing search to promote profit centers beyond new car inventories is the key to success these days, and there are plenty of dealers that are heading in the right direction. For example, a search for ‘body shop Costa Mesa’ delivers searchers directly to Cost Mesa Lincoln Mercury’s body shop page, without requiring the user to take additional steps from the dealer’s home page.

Likewise, regular vehicle maintenance is another profit center that many dealers are looking to promote these days. Searching for an oil change Reading PA, for example, delivers drivers directly to Savag61 Dodge’s service page on their website, making it easy for those needing maintenance to locate their facilities and/or schedule service.

While new car sales have slowed, used car sales have actually increased for many dealers as buyers are looking to save as much money as possible. This can be seen with a Used Cars Burnsville search which delivers searchers to the pre-owned page of Burnsville Toyota’s website.

With financing becoming a growing concern for dealers, many potential car buyers are eager to get information on financing a car, and determine if they even qualify for a car loan. As such, a search such as ‘Sinking Spring car loan’ is important to Savage KIA, and as such searchers can easily access their finance department straight from the SERPs.

If a dealer offers something that no other dealer offers, there’s also a huge opportunity to capitalize on what sets you apart. Richmond Ford for example offers a huge commercial truck inventory, and performing a search for Commercial Trucks Richmond sends potential commercial truck buyers directly to their specialty page, rather than a page that will simply waste their time.

Automotive Marketing Strategies Reflect Economic Constraints

With the potential for losses high among dealerships these days, taking an integrated approach when it comes to organic SEO and paid SEM can deliver exposure that will compensate for other forms of media that provide high expense and low return. Ideally, OEMs would be wise to take note of the value that search marketing can provide and align their strategy with that of their dealers; however such a move has yet to take place for many automakers. Despite this disconnect, search will continue to grow for dealers for its ability to produce leads and provide extensive local marketing coverage.

The full extent of the credit crunch’s impact on the automotive industry has yet to be seen. Many dealers across the country are expected to go out of business, and as budgets tighten, dealers have many struggles ahead. With loan delinquencies on the rise, and the availability of credit on the decline, dealerships have less room to operate. But with search marketing, the potential to drive customers to money making services aside from the dealer’s new car inventory is high, which is precisely what’s needed to help dealers keep their doors open.

The economy is a top concern for potential car buyers. As a result, traditional advertising that attempts to draw consumers to dealers isn’t enough. Marketing dollars should be allocated to outlets that speak to a driver’s needs and will help satisfy what they want, whether it’s buying a new or used car, a new vehicle accessory, or simply an oil change. Search has the ability to address each of these needs and more.

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All the latest automotive digital marketing tips can be found right here.

Google appears to be heating up the browser war by introducing the company’s own open source Web browser called Chrome. Word of the new browser first spread thanks to an early release of a comic strip that depicted the Chrome and its functionality.

One of the Google Chrome functions is powerful tabbed browsing that will allow each tab to run its own processes, improving overall speed and performance. This will require additional memory upfront, but will improve stability when opening and closing multiple tabs over time.

The Google Chrome will also be running with Webkit, which can also be found in Apple’s Safari browser and the upcoming Android mobile platform. In addition to Webkit, Google has also built its own JavaScript virtual engine called V8 that will improve the rendering of JavaScript applications. Google will also make V8 available to other browsers as well.

Of course, the Google Chrome will also have robust search features built in. The Chrome will feature an address bar, called the omnibox, which will also enable users to search using their favorite search engine. The Chrome also supports private Web browsing thanks to its Incognito mode that prevents the browser from recording any information your activity. The tabs will also be located above the address bar, rather than below such as with other browsers.

Security has also been a top priority in the development of the Google Chrome. One such security feature is the sandbox that will help stop malicious malware from getting through. In addition, a constantly updated list of phishing and malware websites will also be downloaded to the user’s computers to help warn users before visiting potentially harmful sites.

Not only is Google trying to continue its ongoing battle with Microsoft by fighting Internet Explorer’s dominance, but it will also be competing with Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s Safari browsers.

With an additional Web browser available, car dealers need to consider compatibility issues when developing their websites. Chances are that the Google Chrome will have a strong following considering that many users already using Google’s search, email, and chat products will also be curious about their new browser.

The Google Chrome should be available in beta tomorrow.

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Stay current with search engine developments right here.

Each year, SES San Jose attendees get a rare treat in the form of a party called the Google Dance hosted by Google at the company’s Mountain View headquarters. This year the party seems to be bigger, lounder, and even more outrageous than the year before, giving search marketers the opportunity to have a drink and play Guitar Hero with the Googlers themselves.

However, the Google Dance is a term not know to many marketers, and even fewer car dealers. When Google updates its index of included web pages on a monthly basis, some pages are added, while old ones that no longer exist may be removed. This indexing also may include changes to the algorithm which further changes how websites might be ranked.

Although many don’t even see evidence of this process taking place, many become frustrated when their high ranking site suddenly gets bumped lower in the rankings, or perhaps vice versa. This change in the index has become known as the Google Dance.

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