Website Maintenance and ROI Tracking

[nge]

Hey everyone,

 

I was recently having a conversation over lunch with a college buddy of mine who has a PhD in computer science and owns a web development company we were casually talking about business etc and started discussing websites and ROI. This got me thinking about my shops site and how efficient we are in tracking the ROI. We currently use Autoshop solutions (were with them before he started the web company but plan on switching) and pay about $190 a month in web maintenance fees with includes updates, hosting and a portal to login to track views etc but it made me start wondering if I really knew the true ROI of my website. Every month I look at the numbers and the reports and see bounce rate, time per page etc but never really have sat to think what that really means and if my website is serving its purpose (to capture the attention of and bring in new customers). On top of that we have our adwords budget and all in all I feel like we are just throwing money out there hoping it will stick and assuming that the site is making us money.

 

So my question is how is everyone else tracking the ROI of their website?

 

Also, if you don't mind my asking, what is the typical amount (or rough estimate) you pay monthly for web maintenance (if you have it) and do you feel like you are getting your money's worth from your hosting company? My buddy has offered me an opportunity to come into his business (I have a background in IT as well) and to offer some insight in capturing some business from the automotive industry but I just wanted to get a feel for the problems which you guys are facing today to see if I am the only one with these questions and issues or if this could be an industry issue worth pursuing.

 

Thanks!

[mspecperformance]

We use Kukui which has a comprehensive dashboard showing us several metrics including number of visitors, number of opt ins via the call tracking number on our website, what landing page they were on when they opted in, etc. It is nearly impossible to get pin point accuracy as to where people are actually opting to use your services considering someone can go to your google+ reviews, then your website, and finally opt in to call you from yelp. In those cases what really got them to call. I guess you can chalk it up to the last point of contact which was yelp in this case BUT you can't know what the importance of your google reviews or website was as well.

 

Either way I believe we chart our ROI pretty well with Kukui.

[MINI4U]

We do not although we could look at the Google Analytics. We do not pay anything.

[flacvabeach]

Kukui provides a lot of metrics about how and what your website is doing. I had an opportunity to have dinner with the head guy at Kukui and I came away very impressed with his enthusiasm and knowledge of the science of web marketing. Former tech and shop owner and Demandforce employee who got out before they went corporate.

[flacvabeach]

Not directly on topic, but there is a Chrome extension that is called Open SEO stats. It tells you in a little tool bar widget what the page rank or authority is for the page you are on. Page rank is important. If you drill down in the tool it give you some pretty neat SEO metrics about the page, but if you really get interested and dig too far, they want money. It takes time and effort to even get ranked initially. Craigslist is a 5 as is Carfax. Facebook is a 9. Identifix is a 4. My page is a two which is where most businesses seem to stall. Kind of fun to look at your competitors' pages and see where they are and go nonny nonny booboo if they are lower than you. If you have had your page maintained by a pro for some time and you are unranked, it might be a topic for your next meeting with them.

[JustTheBest]

All good info and comments. I've been doing web for a long time... longer than I want to think about. Every time I set up a business owner with a bunch of stats to watch, they all told me the same thing. "Way too much information and I don't have time to figure it all out".

 

Keep it simple. You can have a phone number that is tracked AND sends recordings of every call to your email address. Better than seeing who is calling, you get to HEAR what is being said. So many times auto repair shop phones are being answered as if it's a distraction.

 

IT'S YOUR BUSINESS! Make it work and talk the customer in.

 

Hope this help!

Matthew Lee

"The Car Count Fixer"

[Alex]

Great topic! I manage a few sites like this one and mostly use Google Analytics and Quantcast for insights. I think that there are a few things that are important for every shop website and I think it needs to be looked at it more locally than across the internet when making edits. I've been working with websites for over 10 years and manage not only this community but a few others as well. The difference is that the geography of the audience is broad, of course targeted, but broad. So you adjust top level page titles and content accordingly for who you are targeting. When you own a local business website that is targeting a few towns, counties, etc., in the serviceable area... you really need to have a website built around that. I see way to may auto shop websites that are beautiful but not optimized for their local service area. You don't need many clicks, you need conversions to jobs.

 

This means targeting with page titles and content for the areas that you service and the services that you perform. Think about what people are going to look for on google. That's where you want to be, in the top 3 results. Just a tip really, because you can look at clicks all day long and if it's not someone clicking in your area, it's not going to bring in business.

 

GeoTargeting ads are also a great way to bring in business and see a good ROI as well as Facebook and Twitter (local) social marketing, build your followers.

 

Also, think about the domain names you have, and try to secure the main area you are servicing..example: www.mytownautorepair.com and build a secondary site that links to your main site, but don't just redirect because its doesn't get picked up in searches. You'll have an additional "silent salesman" working for you. Today, just about anyone can build a basic website easily with the online tools available from sites like godaddy and wix. It really depends on how far you want to go with it. For more customized sites, you need a web developer.

 

Lastly, business listings are very important as they come up on top of the search engine results. Make sure that your business is up to date. Think about business listings on sites like Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, Facebook, Better Business Bureau, Angie's List, Merchant Circle, LinkedIn, YP.com.

[MINI4U]

Repair Shop Websites has been pestering us for awhile. They remind us we are not mobile friendly etc.etc. Their prices are reasonable but I have not heard anything on this forum. Anyone look into or use this company?

[Trealubit]

Call rail is a great addition to check how many actually calls your shop and records it.

 

With call rail you get a bunch of numbers which then you can imbed in your sites or yel page, facebook and tracks it.

 

Lets you know where calls are coming from and if your advisor is converting them call to appointments.

[Hands On]

On 9/11/2015 at 7:19 AM, mspecperformance said:

We use Kukui which has a comprehensive dashboard showing us several metrics including number of visitors, number of opt ins via the call tracking number on our website, what landing page they were on when they opted in, etc. It is nearly impossible to get pin point accuracy as to where people are actually opting to use your services considering someone can go to your google+ reviews, then your website, and finally opt in to call you from yelp. In those cases what really got them to call. I guess you can chalk it up to the last point of contact which was yelp in this case BUT you can't know what the importance of your google reviews or website was as well.

 

Either way I believe we chart our ROI pretty well with Kukui.

It has been a while, are you still with them?  I shut off my google adwords last month and have not seen a difference other then a drop in phone price shoppers.