There are a lot of reasons why you might want users to spend more time on your dealership website. After all, the longer they spend browsing your cars and pages, the more likely they are to make a purchase. But did you know that a high average session duration is also better for your search engine rankings?
One of the metrics that Google and other search engines use to rank your dealership website is the time spent on your site. The more time a user spends on your site without leaving it, the better it is for your SEO (search engine optimization) and search engine rankings. Google uses the average session duration of your dealer website to determine how useful your site is to your customers.
Bounce rate, which is how often people exit your website or web page without interacting with it, is a big factor in SEO. The more people who leave your dealer site right away = the higher bounce rate you will have = the lower you will rank on search engines.
1. Add more content to your pages.
One of the best ways to increase the duration of your website visits is to add more content to your pages. The more valuable information that you provide for your customers, the more likely they are to spend more time on your website. There are many different ways to add more content to your dealer site:
- Start a blog for your dealership.
- Add a FAQ section or Q&A section to your pages.
- Include tips or tutorials on your pages.
- Create an interactive quiz.
- Have an exciting About Us page or Meet Our Staff page.
Of course, this isn’t to say that you should just add as much content as you can. The content needs to be easy to follow, which brings us to our next point.
2. Improve the readability of your content.
One of the biggest reasons that users will exit a page quickly is because of a lack of readability. People don’t want to read a jumbled mess; they want content that is easy to follow.
A good way to make it easier for users to read your content is to break up each section. Instead of just starting a new paragraph, make sure there is white space between each new section. This will help break up your page and content visually.
It’s also a good idea to make sure your dealer website is ADA compliant , because that will give your customers the power to adjust the font, increase or decrease the text, change colors, add more spacing, and more.
3. Figure out what causes people to exit your site.
You can use Google Analytics to see which page users visit last before exiting your dealer website. On the left-side menu, go to the “Behavior” tab, and click on “Site Content.” From there, you will get a list of more options, where you will see “Exit Pages.” Which pages have the highest number of exits? Do those pages have something in common, or is there a technical issue with any of the pages?
You can also use Google Analytics to see a behavior flow of your website. Under the “Behavior” tab, click on “Behavior Flow.” This will show you which pages users entered your website on, which pages they visited after, and which page was the last one they visited before exiting your site. This will help you identify if there are any issues with your pages, and which pages to pay more attention to.
4. Internal linking.
Include links to other pages on your site within your content. This is probably one of the best ways to increase the average time spent on a website because it keeps users on your site, and it gets them to visit more pages. For example, you can mention the different services your dealership provides on your About Us page with a link to each service page. You can talk about different car tips and link to your blog posts.
5. Use videos.
Videos are interactive elements that help keep your visitors on your site for longer. Users prefer video over written content because it is easier to view and less intimidating. For example, what would you prefer to find: A page full of black and white text, or a colorful video on a clean page? While written content can be easy to skip through without actually reading, videos keep your customers engaged and for longer. And the longer they spend on your website, the better it is for your search engine rankings.
Videos are interactive elements that help keep your visitors on your site for longer. Users prefer video over written content because it is easier to view and less intimidating. For example, what would you prefer to find: A page full of black and white text, or a colorful video on a clean page? While written content can be easy to skip through without actually reading, videos keep your customers engaged and for longer. And the longer they spend on your website, the better it is for your search engine rankings.
Do you want to increase the average time session for your website and boost your SEO? AutoJini has been a leader in automotive marketing since 2001, and our marketing specialists are eager to talk to you. Call us today at 515-232-2024 to get started, or send us a message by clicking on the button below!