AutoWorld Santa Cruz
Description
AutoWorld Santa Cruz is one of only a few remaining independent, locally-owned car rental and used car dealerships in Santa Cruz, California. Owned and operated by car dealership veteran, Doug Factor, AutoWorld Santa Cruz has achieved a reputation for providing personal, friendly service, and a willingness to go beyond what’s expected to help, not only its customers, but the larger community of Santa Cruz.
Objective
Like many small- to midsize family-owned businesses, AutoWorld Santa Cruz was in trouble — several international car rental companies—Hertz and Enterprise—had moved into town and diluted their customer base.
AutoWorld knew that dollar for dollar they couldn’t hope to compete with these global giants—print advertising, television commercials, pay-per-click etc. The only thing they could do was try to target potential customers who used the Internet to search for goods and services, and who, perhaps, preferred to deal with a smaller, family-owned business.
Solution
Although AutoWorld already had a website when they first approached us, it had failed to make an impression on potential customers or the search engines. A quick look at the site revealed several problems: too many graphics, bloated code, confusing navigation, and copy that failed to strike a chord with their target market.
Using keyword research to find out exactly (and not guess) what words potential customers were using when they searched for car rental companies, we began organizing the site and writing keyword-rich copy that would appeal to people who prefered to support local businesses (the community of Santa Cruz has a reputatation for making life a little difficult for the “big box” companies.) The site’s design was kept simple to reinforce the “small, family firm” message.
Our tactics worked. The site’s visibility in the search engine results improved enormously. Apart from seeing an increase in local customers, the company began receiving car rental enquiries and bookings from people in Europe who were visiting the area — something that had never happened before.
Tasks
Search engine optimization
Search engine copywriting
Ongoing advertising management
Consulting
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