The Independent Motor Dealers Association (IMDA) has launched a new website to remove “clunkiness” for its car dealer members after helping them drive their own website traffic with the help of Google experts.

The new platform brings together the IMDA Hub and IMDA Forum into a single platform and uses a more mobile-friendly set-up to help members gain faster access to the exclusive supplier offers, legal advice and debate that the association has become known for since its inception in November, 2017.

Founder member and Specialist Cars managing director, Umesh Samani, told AM: “The growth of the group and the old website meant that it was catering for various needs but was becoming a bit clunky.

“The new platform offers a far more user-friendly service for members and really feels a lot slicker.”

The developments on the IMDA website follow the success of a recent Google Masterclass event hosted by the association.

Limited to 20 participants due to the amount of research into the business of each attendee conducted prior to the event by coach and mentor, Ali May-Khalil, the June masterclass was a huge success.

IMDA founder member, vice-chairman and treasurer, David Bilsborough, also the boss of Cheshire Cars, has now organised another Google Mastersclass which will be held at the Emirates Old Trafford on October 27.

Samani said: “Our members are really keen to learn all they can about Google. To most of us it opens doors which are potentially free and can increase the exposure of our businesses hugely.

“The events have been a huge success.”

The IMDA now has more than 370 dealer members and 35 suppliers on board.

Bilsborough told AM that the growth of the group had highlighted the need for a new website.

He said that the new platform’s slicker functionality “removes the need to have to do a separate application on the ‘hub’, as previously” and had also introduced improved access to its ‘closed’ Facebook page which was launched earlier this year.

Bilsborough said: “The (Facebook) page is purely for registered and approved members and suppliers.

“The page has proved very popular and has reached a very high satisfaction score.

“Once accepted into membership you get access to the Facebook page through the site. In fact everything being offered is accessible through the site.

“In essence the new fresher website brings all benefits of membership under one roof with an easy to navigate site.

“Everything we are offering is within the site, including past events with feedback from the attendees to the forthcoming events with the link to signing onto the event.

For more details about the IMDA, and to view its new website, visit https://theimda.co.uk/