These days, most people use search engines to find the businesses and services they require. That means traditional media marketing isn’t enough anymore. Internet users want information fast, so are unlikely to spend time clicking through the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) to find what they want. Instead, they’re going to give their business to someone on the first page. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of making sure that someone is you.

PSD Codax develop and manufacture market leading access control systems for car wash businesses all over the world. For 25 years, we’ve been continually innovating, creating a range of premium car wash equipment from the Tunnel Master to the Auto Passport and everything in between!

In this blog, we explain why search engines are so integral to car wash visibility.

How Do I Attract Customers to My Car Wash?

The car wash market is increasingly competitive, which is why effective marketing is so important. Of course, the first step is to create a highly visual, engaging identity for your car wash, backed up by a strong brand name. Leverage in person marketing such as billboards, signs, and advertisements in local publications, as well as holding competitions, giveaways, and local fundraising events. You could also start a loyalty programme and encourage customers to refer friends and family.

Most importantly, focus on your online presence. Most people nowadays use the internet to find businesses who offer the services they need. That means it’s important to ensure your website is up to scratch, with clear call to actions, engaging information, and a clear navigation. It’s also important to be active on social media, putting out regular posts that engage your target audience.

And, of course, don’t neglect the search engines. SEO provides an opportunity to drive organic, relevant traffic to your website, and provides a host of advantages.

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Why is SEO Important for Car Wash Businesses?

Organic Search

Organic search is the primary source of website traffic, making it vital your website is optimised to attract it. Not paying enough attention to your car wash website’s Google ranking is likely to mean you’re missing out on a huge pool of potential visitors, and losing out on business as a result.

Develops Brand Reputation

Optimising your website for SEO boosts your brand reputation in various ways. Appearing higher on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) will increase your company credibility to potential customers, because it is effectively being vouched for by the Google bots. As a result, users will perceive your site to be reliable and high quality.

Moreover, if your website is performing well and providing a positive User Experience (UX), customers will think more highly of your brand. Providing accessible, informative content relating to cars and car washing will also lead users to see you as an authority on the subject.

Drives Relevant Traffic

SEO increases the amount of relevant traffic reaching your website, resulting in a lower bounce rate and better chance of conversions. Instead of the broad brush approach of paid forms of advertising that aims to get your ad seen by the greatest number of people, SEO is all about getting seen by the greatest number of interested people. That is, users who are actively searching for information on cars, car washing, or local car wash services, and therefore more likely to become customers.

Optimises Buyer Journey

Google’s intention is to provide users with the information they need as quickly and easily as possible. SEO means you are helping them achieve this aim by making ranking factors work in your favour. For that reason, optimising your site for SEO is effectively optimising your customer journey.

Someone submits a search relating to car washes, a page on your website appears on the first page of the SERPs, they click through and quickly find the information they are looking for, alongside a call to action. Finally, they convert!

Competitor SEO

SEO is not just about you, it’s also about your competitors. There are a lot of car wash businesses out there, and if you’re not champion of the SERPs, one of your competitors is. By making sure you fulfil Google’s criteria, you stand a better chance of ranking higher than rival car washes. That means the high quality, relevant traffic is driven to your site, not theirs.

Creates Sustainable Results

Organic SEO creates long term, sustainable results. By contrast, paid advertising generally stops proving effective as soon as you stop investing in it. More than that, whilst SEO is constantly on the move, generally effective implementation will remain so for a long time. That means your efforts early on will continue to drive traffic down the line.

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How to Use Search Marketing to Boost Car Wash Visibility

Audit Your Website

Take some time to fully evaluate every aspect of your website’s current performance in line with current ranking criteria. Look for things like site speed, duplicate pages and content, redirects, and glitches which can all negatively impact UX, and figure out why your traffic isn’t as high as it could be. Once you know what’s not working, you can create an effective SEO strategy to fix it.

Keyword Research

Utilise online tools and figure out what trends and topics are relevant to your business and your customers. Keyword research can help you establish which search queries you need to be targeting in your content strategy by providing data on their ranking difficulty and popularity.

Write Quality Content

Informed by your keyword research, create long form, quality content that answers relevant search queries. Ensure this is done on a regular basis, and that your content is comprehensive and finds a balance between demonstrating its relevance to Google and covering relevant keywords. Make this content appealing to users using punchy, compelling meta descriptions, and break up large portions of text with SEO tailored headings.

Local SEO

Local SEO is all about optimising your website within a specific location, helping nearby customers find your car wash quickly and easily. As car washing is an in person service, optimising your website for local traffic is essential. Make sure you find keywords that are specific to your region, and optimise your website for location using various strategies. This might include including locations in your H1s as well as ensuring NAP information is consistent and up to date.

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Increase Website Speed

UX is a key ranking factor on Google, making website loading speeds an important thing to optimise. According to research by Google, the probability of a bounce increases by 32% as page load time increases from 1 second to 3. A high bounce rate equals a low conversion rate, and negatively impacts your search ranking.

Customer Reviews

Regularly encourage customers to review your car wash online if they’re happy with your service. This will boost your Google Business Listing, and further strengthen your brand reputation.

Optimise for Mobile

Don’t forget about mobiles! Smartphones make up 47.3% of online traffic in the UK, meaning a website not optimised for mobile isn’t optimised at all! With search queries via mobile becoming increasingly prevalent, tailoring your website for smartphones is vital. You could even use mobile apps like our WashNow! App to help you sell your car wash services anywhere!

Leveraging Mobile Apps for Car Wash Businesses >

Innovative Car Wash Technology & Marketing Tools

Whether you’re already running a car wash business, or are looking to set one up, PSD Codax can help you boost your visibility with a range of marketing and promotional tools, and our leading access control systems.

Browse our full range of products or contact us for advice!

See more: How Car Wash Businesses Can Use E-Commerce to Increase Sales and Revenue