Your Social Media Should Take a NAP!

Using NAP for SEO on Professional Automotive Social Media and Website cover imageSo you want to be at the top of the Google search list, see your business name shine and get more customers through the door? That’s the way to go!  However, as a business owner, one common mistake is often made that will absolutely hinder that Google climb. So what is it you may ask? NAP! We’ll get to what that stands for in a bit.

Here’s the scenario. Let’s start by using a new, fictitious SocialCRM Local shop called A Plus Automotive. This is how the sign on the shop is displayed, “A Plus Automotive.” This is also the name on the shops business cards and their Mitchell 1 Manager SE invoices. This consistency is great, but we noticed a few things weren’t right. For example, their Facebook business page was called A-Plus Auto; their Twitter account was called A + Auto; and their Instagram account was called A Plus Auto Repair. To top it all off, this shop did not even have a website yet!

Imagine three cars coming from the same location to your shop, but you give them three different sets of directions. One gets there with no problems. One gets there a bit later and frustrated it took so long. And the third gets lost, so they ended up going somewhere else.

This is what it’s like when people try to find you on the internet, and your name is different all over the place. The consumer can get confused, hesitant or even distrustful of a business that goes by different names. Google is the same as this consumer, and it can affect how they index your information and how well they rank you in searches to potential customers.

Uniformity is ESSENTIAL when working across sites you are present on, especially social media.  The first thing, after establishing your website, is to ALWAYS make sure your names are consistent across your social media platforms. When that is done, make sure your website has social media links (that include profile names) embedded in the page to match or even embed some of your content into your page or blog. Make your website the Grand Central Station of your online presence.

In a perfect world, your name on your website would match your social profiles exactly, but that is not always the case if the name has already been taken by another user. That’s okay! Just try to find a name that is very close or a spin-off of your name. For example, A Plus Automotive is the legal business name, but if APlusAuto_com is available on all your social platforms, use that.

The more places customers can reference you on the internet; the more search engines, like Google, can see you. The more search engines can see you; the higher you can climb in Google search. And the higher you climb, the higher your sales become from new customer appointments.

The suggestion of being consistent is not limited to your name. As promised, we told you we would unveil what NAP stands for. It stands for: Name, Address and Phone Number. It is also just as important that your address and phone number are both listed and consistent across your social platforms and as well as your website.

For more information on how SocialCRM can help you boost your online visibility, improve your search ranking or build a professional auto repair shop website for your shop, visit us at https://mitchell1.com/socialcrm/localsearch/ 

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About the Author

Greg Betz

Greg Betz started at Mitchell 1 in 2008, working his way through inside sales, customer service, collections, and joining the SocialCRM team in 2012. He is currently a support agent for the SocialCRM shop marketing program. In his spare time, he is a die-hard NFL and fantasy football fan.