All businesses face competition and it is wise to learn what the ‘other guys’ are doing in order to see what works best, what doesn’t work, what they might be missing that your dealership can capitalize on, and so much more. This information can be invaluable.

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As business continues to move toward becoming primarily digital, so is the boat industry. Is your boat business showing up in the top search engine results, or is someone else’s? If your online dealership website is not search engine optimized, you may not be reaching your audience. Shoppers tend to prefer using the Internet to find and research the best goods and services near them, so it cannot be overstated how important it is for your company to have a strong search engine presence.

Similarly, as a business owner in the industry, taking a peak at how your competitors rank in search engines can be of great benefit. This will help you decide how to best approach your SEO strategy to stand out in the crowd.

Below is a list of things that you can learn from your competitors in the boat industry about SEO.

1.  Optimizing for user- friendliness.
Many manufacturer sites are designed to impress visually, but unfortunately much of what is visible to us is invisible to search engines. SEO relies heavily on elements like keywords, header text, and site activity which are all incorporated within the design and is often not seen by users. Because of this it is important to find a balance that satisfies both SEO practices and user friendliness for all device types. The trends right now are centered around simplicity. Concise text with meaningful images and simplified branding make for clean sites that are visually appealing and easy to align with SEO guidelines. 

TIP: Recently, there has been a move away from Flash to HTML5 and jQuery, both of which can provide a great visual experience while allowing for easily optimized content for search engines.

2.  Information – and lots of it
Keeping it short and sweet is a common strategy when adding content to a website, which is great for home pages and landing pages. On products pages, however, it is best to include as much information as possible about each item. Shoppers love details. The more information they can read about an item they are interested in, the more confident they will be in making a purchase. In terms of SEO, it offers a wider range of search options for a given item to be found by search engines. For example, if I type into a search engine “24ft Ski boats,” I will find all options that fall under that description. If I have done my research and decide I want a “24ft ski boat with a v8 5.3L F350c Yamaha outboard engine,” that more detailed information should be available as well, otherwise risk your prospective customer never seeing a boat that fits exactly what they want.

3.  Be a Local/Community Resource.
It is true that Google seeks a variety of indicators to determine where your business website ranks in search results. As an entrepreneur in the boat industry, it is essential to look at what your competitors are doing, not to emulate, but to stand out above. Something to notice: often times a dealership has become well known in their communities thus proving prominence in Google. For this reason, it is important that you too ensure that you are well known in your community. A sure-fire way to prove prominence in Google is to build yourself as a community resource and show that you are well established in your town.

Tip: On the “About Us” page of your business website, include links to local organizations that you are a part of, along with programs you sponsor or other businesses you partner with. Afterward, ask those organizations or institutions to return the favor with a link to your boat business site. Such links send strong signals to Google which will help to ensure that any research related to your craft business show up whenever someone searches for the dealership in your locality.

4.  Updated Dealership Information.
For many folks in the market for a boat, Google is their first step toward making a purchase. This is why your Google My Business listing is such a powerful tool. This free listing is packed with information about your dealership like hours, contact information, address, customer raves and criticisms and even what hours the company is most likely to be busy; also, it shows directly in search results to give searchers a view of your boat business.

It is necessary to ensure that the information on these listings and other online directories is accurate and always updated as this has played a vital role in ensuring the success of many online businesses.

5.  Fostering Customer Reviews
Honest feedback from your customers online can give potential clients a good idea of what they can expect to get from your boat business. This can be the deciding factor for them to make a purchase with your dealership instead of the competitor. As we know, reviews play a significant role in your local search strategy. A large percentage of customers read online reviews before a perchase; especially one as large as buying a boat. Online reviews have change the face of the marine industry as a whole in a very positive way. 

-- As previously stated, there is great benefit in taking a look at your competitors' strategies in SEO. Such insite can help your dealership stay ahead of the game by not only keeping up with trends but also even learning tricks that may not have come up otherwise. We here at Marine Dealer Solutions hope you enjoyed reading.

Here is a free ebook on us for more SEO tricks and tips.