Google recently researched the shopping patterns of early autoshoppers– those in the initial stages of research, gathering information about what car to buy and where to buy it– and made some discoveries that can help your dealership get more conversions and more paying customers from your website.

What kind of discoveries? Well, Google took a look at car shoppers’ micro-moments, or moments when people instinctively turn to a mobile phone or other device for information. Such moments are powerfully influential over people’s decisions because they are so deliberate: these are the times when a specific need causes someone to seek answers or services. According to the study, it’s important for your dealership to be available to autoshoppers during particular micro-moments across their buying journeys. If you are, it’s much more likely customers will choose your dealership.

Google identifies five of these micro-moments (you can read about all of them here), but the ones relevant to early stage shoppers are called “which-car-is-best” moments and “is-it-right-for-me moments.” These questions will send shoppers at beginning stages rummaging in their pockets for their phones– and your dealership needs to provide them with the content and answers they seek at those moments.

Check out the entire study here, but in the meantime, here are three major takeaways:

Don’t forget about your early-stage autoshoppers

We love to go on and on about the importance of early-stage leads, and this study highlights how important they truly are. They may not buy today, but they will tomorrow– and are much more likely to buy from you if you can help them out now. Prioritize becoming a resource to shoppers still doing research and they just might find you during those crucial micro-moments.

Post photos and videos on your dealership website

Oh, how customers love their photos and videos. Google found that people using Youtube and image searches during their which-car-is-best and is-it-right-for-me moments had a high likelihood of visiting dealerships. If your site content is rich in photos and videos, your customers will seriously appreciate it.

Ramp it up on mobile

The whole idea behind micro-moments is customers turning to a device when a question comes up. That means a great many of these decision-influencing moments happen on mobile, whenever the question strikes. To really take advantage of these moments, make sure to be there for your customers with a fully mobile-optimized website, where autoshoppers can find whatever they need, whenever, wherever.

Who are we to argue with Google? Implement these tips to be there for your shoppers, and you’ll get to meet more of them in person.

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