7 Tips You Need for Designing a New Auto Shop Website

Did you know that people form an opinion about your website (and therefore, your business) within just 50 milliseconds? This staggering statistic means that your website needs to grab a visitor's attention almost faster than you can blink. 

Think about your own internet browsing habits for a moment. If you click on a website and you can't immediately find what you're looking for, you leave, right?

Your potential customers will do the same thing if your website doesn't give them what they need. 

While no two visitors are the same, there are some website design best practices you should follow to appeal to more people and get more customers in the door. 

Keep reading to learn about the 7 things your auto shop website should have. 

1. Mobile-Friendly Design

In this day and age, smartphones are more popular than ever. People are using their phones to search for things while they're on the go instead of waiting until they get home in front of their computer. 

So, that means that having a mobile-friendly design for your website is no longer an option; it's a necessity. 

Not only will a mobile-friendly design look great no matter which device someone uses to access it, but it will also give your business more credibility. 

In fact, 57% of people say that they won't recommend a business if it has a poorly designed mobile site.

When creating your new auto shop website, whether you're doing it yourself or hiring someone to do it for you, prioritize a mobile-friendly design. Otherwise, you put yourself at risk of losing out on business. 

2. High-Quality Photos

Like we mentioned above, your website's first impression is everything. Using high-quality photos on your website is an easy way to make a great first impression on visitors. 

So, where do you get great photos? You have a few options. 

You can look online for stock photos that are free to use or available for purchase. This is a great option if you need pictures quickly to get your site up and running. There are plenty of stock photo resources that you can reference. 

Another option is to take your own photos. This gives your website a more personal touch because you can feature your shop. This way, when a customer comes to your auto shop after visiting your website, they are already familiar with it. 

If you or one of your employees knows how to use a DSLR camera, take a few shots for your site. If you don't know anything about taking photos, consider hiring a photographer to take photos for you. 

And keep in mind, as an auto shop, one of the best ways you can showcase your skills is by featuring high-quality before and after pictures on your website. 

3. Optimized Content

You can have the best content on your website, but if your site doesn't show up in search engine listings, it doesn't do you any good. 

That's where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in to play. When you use SEO best practices when writing content for your website, it will make it easier for search engines like Google to display your site for relevant search terms. 

For example, if you specialize in Mustang restorations, write about that on your website, either in a blog or on one of your other pages.

Then, when someone does an online search about Mustang restorations, your website is more likely to be in the results. 

4. Services

When people are looking for an auto shop to get their car repaired, they want to quickly find the exact services they need. 

This is why it's important for you to list your services on your website. You can either list them right on your homepage or include a Services link in your site's navigation, so it's easy to find. 

This can link to a more in-depth review of your services, so potential customers can see right away how you can help them. 

5. Social Media Links

If your business isn't on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, then you're missing out on customers, plain and simple. 

Include a link to your social media profiles in the header of your website so visitors can easily click to your pages and learn more about the work you do. 

Unsure of what to do on social media? We recommend using Facebook to interact with your followers and list any special offers you might be running, as a start.

Social media can be a powerful tool for your business if you know how to use it!

6. Testimonials

One of the best ways to advertise your business is to let your customers do the talking for you. Many times, before deciding on which auto repair shop to use, potential customers will read through reviews from past customers. 

Incorporate these reviews into your website so that they're easy to find. You can either add new reviews manually as they come in or use a plugin that will automatically pull in Google reviews for you. 

This will give prospective customers a good idea of what they can expect when they choose your team to work on their car. 

7. Clear Call-to-Action

What is the number one thing you want visitors to do before they leave your website? Do you want them to make an appointment? Call your shop? Fill out a form?

Once you've determined what action you want them to take, make it as easy as possible for them to do it. 

For example, if you want them to make an appointment, include a button at the top of your website that says something like, "Make an appointment today."

Including clear calls-to-action throughout your site can help you influence customers and bring more work in the doors.

Leave Your Website to the Experts

Now that you have a better understanding of the things your auto shop website needs, why not let a team of experts handle it for you?

Here at Auto Shop Digital, we specialize in web design for shops like yours and we know what works and what doesn't. Check out our affordable pricing options and start growing your auto shop today!