CarChat24 Blog
CarChat24 Blog
CarChat24 Blog
CarChat24 Blog“…search results for the resources having longer load times can be demoted”
– Google Patent US8645362 B1
Live chat products that slow page load speeds can hurt SEO – and CAR SALES
How much are you paying for SEO services to help improve your search engine rankings? You may be wasting your money! Not because they’re not providing you the services they promise, but because website add-ons may be dragging down your page load speeds – which can hurt your rankings in Google. Some dealers measure their chat success by how many leads it provides. And though sold units are a much better measure, there’s one more that dealers should be EXTREMELY concerned about: SEO.
We actually learned this critical bit of information from several website providers and dealership digital marketing consultants who shared with us that the carefully engineered code from CarChat24 was the only website chat provider that didn’t have a noticeable impact on page load times. That doesn’t just mean that your SEO dollars may be wasted, but ALL of your website investment could be costing you car deals.
So can live chat and other website lead generators really kill your search engine rankings? YES! Don’t take our word for it. Just ask Google. In fact, the impact is so direct that it’s part of one of Google’s many patents:
“A search result for a resource having a short load time relative to resources having longer load times can be promoted in a presentation order, and search results for the resources having longer load times can be demoted”
Essentially, this means that if website add-ons like chat are delaying your page load times, you are directly hurting your search rankings – and possibly wasting money on your SEO services. So it’s possible that no matter how much money you throw at your search rankings, you could really be sinking your own ship. And it appears that recent algorithm updates from Google are putting more weight on page load speeds than they had been.
So how do you protect your page rankings? Here are three key steps:
- Talk to your website provider or digital consultant about their experiences with different add-ons and vendors
- Choose a vendor that is SEO-friendly – not just for managed chat, but all website add-ons. Ask them if they are even aware that their product has an impact on website rankings
- Use original content on your website. Search engines look for original and current content for rankings, not just the stale and often generic text in your website templates. Blogs are a great way to achieve this.
Digital marketing for the auto industry is constantly changing, and each change can have an unpredictable impact on your digital strategy. Our unparalleled commitment to product development with features like efficient website code and our conversion to next-generation ‘SignalR’ technology help car dealers protect their website and SEO investments, as well as (most importantly) sell more cars. Call or chat today to find out how our Managed Chat, Backup Chat, and dealer chat software can make your dealership website more profitable.