Google’s recent algorithm changes targeting search engine spam has got to have a few automotive SEO vendors worried. Not only has Google changed the algorithm to penalize poor content quality sites, they are providing a Google Chrome browser extension that allows anyone to flag sites they feel are not relevant or obviously promoted via black hat seo techniques.  This is a game changer as it allows individuals to police the content in ways that search engines cannot.  It also invites a host of other potential problems, doesn’t it?

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Have you seen this tag?

<meta name=”revisit-after” content=”15 days”>

“The revisit-after META Tag is not supported by any major search engines, it never was supported and probably never will be. It was developed for, and supported by, Vancouver Webpages and their local search engine searchBC.”  SEOConsultants.com (If you read the requirements to become an SEOConsultants member, one disqualifier is using the revisit-after meta tag!)

While researching Dealer.com sites, I found it everywhere.

Frankly, I had to Google it, to find the reason for using the tag.  I had taken for granted that the tag was used by a search engine that I was just not yet familiar with – true.  I never worked with searchBC.  I’m sure there is no SEO harm in using the tag.  Google, Yahoo and Bing tend to overlook HTML that is not meaningful.  But this does illustrate how even (or especially the larger) companies that claim to do SEO, and charge a lot for it, actually don’t know anything about the SEO they do.

Like SEOConsultants.com rule to membership proclaims, anyone in the (Automotive) SEO business that uses this tag probably doesn’t know SEO.

It may take some time to assemble, but I will try to report back as quickly as possible with a list of Automotive SEO companies that use the <meta name=”revisit-after” AND claim to provide SEO compliant car dealer websites.

This Car Dealer Website Vendor list was posted in December 2009. It may still be useful, but for a more up-to-date list you may want to go over here Directory of Automotive SEO and Dealer Website Vendors. The list and its purpose have changed because few of these vendors offered Automotive SEO services at the time.

Due to the time required to complete SEO Analysis Reports, time does not permit regularly scheduled releases.  Please feel free to contact me if you require a specific car dealer website SEO report.

Dealer.com has websites spread so broadly across the country its hard not to find one in every group we review.  But therein lies the real problem with Dealer.com websites.  As a dealer, you don’t want to look the same as your nearest competitor.

DealerComp has chosen to call this Vendor Saturation, to define instances where one website vendor provides (almost) all websites to competing dealers in a PMA.  This problem is unique to the Automotive SEO industry.  I cannot think of another industry that has such a narrow group of website vendors, combined with a hyper-local online marketing need.  Good news for Automotive SEO professionals – if you are good.  In-house SEO is the only way such a dealer can out-rank the competition.

While this review of Dealer.com websites does not paint a beautiful picture of the product on pure technicalities, these are good solid websites.  Noteworthy is that Dealer.com made significant improvements to their URL formation in the last year that allows their websites to outperform older website designs.  Go directly to the Dealer.com SEO report.

Another way to put it would be, these are very good websites for the dealer who has no need to be highly competitive online (i.e. you are the only dealer within 25 miles).  If you are a new dealership, these are good beginner websites – just be careful not to get locked into a long-term contract.  If you have not got the resources to spare for SEO, Dealer.com websites are setup with very basic SEO templates that are adequate.  And of course, if you don’t care about online marketing.

For the SEO savvy, Dealer.com websites hinder good automotive SEO.  Placing Webmaster Tags and Google Analytics code is pulling teeth.  Because Dealer.com sells SEO and PPC services, they retard the dealer who would take those services in-house.   If you are a dealer that wants to be #1 in a competitive PMA, a Dealer.com website is not your best choice.

Read the detailed SEO report for Dealer.com.