Social search enables dealers and carmakers that have been proactive in social media such as Twitter and Facebook to capitalise on their positive image.

This can allow smaller, adaptive businesses to take the fight to established larger players yet to launch a significant social media strategy.

At the moment, the ramifications of Google and Bing moving into social search are not being fully experienced. This will change.

Brands that have already invested resources in building social media equity which has led to loyal followings on the major social sites, consuming, sharing, liking and commenting on content are sure to see further dividends.

For those yet to embrace social media, the message is clear. Get a presence and develop it, or drop down the natural search results pages.

Mobile search

The internet is going mobile. In the final quarter of 2010 more smartphones than PCs were shipped and already retailers can expect anything between 12% and 20% of searches in their sector to originate on a mobile device, according to Google.

Morgan Stanley is predicting this rise in penetration will lead to mobile search overtaking desktop in 2013.

So it is unsurprising that many brands are already seeking to understand this relatively new medium better.

Experts are warning brands they should not simply expect to transfer desktop campaigns directly into the mobile channel, because user behaviour can be different.

Typically, mobile search terms will be shorter, due to the constraints of a smaller screen, and the smaller keyboard means typing errors and abbreviations are more common.

Timing is also different. Most mobile searches are concentrated in the morning before work and then again in the evening when people are not in front of a PC.

Mobile is also a far more time-sensitive channel. Google research has shown that the average time between initial customer research and purchase is a month on the desktop, but just an hour on mobile.

Competition for keywords is less fierce than in desktop search, bringing down cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-acquisition (CPA) by around 30%.

The latest technology offered by search engines is making mobile a great way of interacting with an audience using live, relevant information.

It can enable a consumer to be standing in front of one dealership, while browsing the online
forecourts of others to see if they will get the deal they want.

Utilising a mobile search advert that allows prospects to ‘click-to-call’ can also put them in instant contact with the sales team.

Of course, paid-for search is only one half of the mobile search landscape.

Many brands are investing in natural search on the mobile versions of their websites to attract clicks without having to pay directly for them.

SEO may not be given the same priority on mobile as desktop for a lot of dealers, but as mobile becomes more prominent this will change.

The better people’s mobile experience, the more they will access content via their smartphone or tablet computer, meaning search engines will give mobile search increased focus.

SEO tips

• 85% of users will only look at the first page of search results.
• More than 80% of all website traffic is driven by search engines.
• Appropriate multimedia content (text, images and video), frequently updated and refreshed, will help to keep your web pages visible to
• search engines.
• Use social media presence and interesting activity, such as reviews, videos, blogs and customer interaction, to generate real-time data and raise your business’s profile online.
• Kickstart online conversations about relevant topics and products,
• and act on any complaints so search results show the resolutions, not the conflict.
• Localise your business, by claiming your locations in Google Places.
• Keep track of changes you make, and the impact they have on visitor traffic, behaviour and search rankings.