Magazine for the professional car and truck rental industry.
Issue link: https://autorentalnews.epubxp.com/i/236613
TECHNOLOGY MANAGING YOUR COMPLETE INTERNET PRESENCE H Your customers want to share their experiences and engage with your brand. What are you doing to help? BY CHAD FRAZELL ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/DOSRAYITAS 16 January/February 2014 • A quality website • A strong search marketing strategy • Social media management • Good reviews and online reputation management A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION — YOUR WEBSITE It all starts with a professionally designed and functional website. In 2009, fewer than half of small businesses had a website. Five years later, the lack of a website is a near death wish to any business. Far cheaper than traditional print advertising, a quality website delivers a big bang for its small buck: It allows a business the convenience and fexibility of meeting its customers where they want, when they want. In recent years, the conversation has ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/DOSRAYITAS HAVING A WEBSITE USED TO BE ENOUGH. BUT the rise of social media platforms and multiple online review websites has redef ned what it means to have an Internet presence. Today's consumers are online more than ever before, and their purchasing habits — even for major purchases like travel and lodging — have adjusted accordingly. From desktop computers and laptops to mobile devices and tablets, the traditional buying cycle has been replaced with customers expecting to engage directly with brands and businesses in a multitude of places — places they choose. "It's about being available wherever your customers are," said Roger Laurendeau, CEO of The Web Guys, a web design and Internet marketing agency in Carmel, Ind. "Sure you have a website, but you may just have missed out on acquiring a customer because they found a negative review on a Yelp listing you didn't know you had, or because they looked for you on Facebook or Google and couldn't f nd you." Creating and managing a thorough Internet presence in our digital age is critical for every business and should include the following components: than 15% of all Internet traffc worldwide, with experts forecasting that mobile traffc will outpace traffc from desktop computers by late 2014. Having a mobile-friendly website MORE THAN 72% OF CONSUMERS TRUST ONLINE REVIEWS AS MUCH AS PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS. shifted from traditional desktop computers to building websites that also work well on smaller screens such as smartphones and tablets. A recent JiWire study showed that 52% of travelers booking online used a mobile device to do so. "To have a website is one thing," said Laurendeau, "but the importance of having a website that is mobile friendly has increased dramatically." A mobile website differs slightly from a desktop website in that the text, buttons, pictures and graphics are larger and rearranged on the screen to allow for simplifed navigation on a smaller screen. Last year, CNET reported that global mobile traffc now accounts for more AUTO R ENTAL N EWS ensures a quality user experience. For customers of independent car rental companies, this means they can easily f nd rates, feet options, contact information and other details. "A website that isn't mobile friendly is no longer acceptable," said Laurendeau. "Consumers will get quickly frustrated and hit the back button to f nd a company that cares about their users' experience." HARNESSING SEARCH TRAFFIC — SEARCH ENGINES The principles of search engine optimization are based on the understanding of how search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo crawl the Web. In fact, more