Digital marketing specialist Yell has released new research into how automotive businesses are managing their online presence in light of the pandemic.

The research identified an effective online presence as a key driver for sales and enquiries for businesses in the automotive sector. 88% of businesses stated that social media was the most important aspect for generating leads and sales, closely followed by branding (87%) and their website (84%). 40% of businesses stated that they thought their website was unimportant before the pandemic, but now think that it is important and over a quarter of automotive businesses (26%) think that their business would not survive without a website.

The Yell survey also found consumers are increasingly seeking out businesses online. On average, almost three quarters (74%) of consumers are either likely or very likely to seek out an automotive business online before making a purchase or booking in a service.  

Of the websites analysed, on average, automotive websites were last updated an estimated 18 months ago, revealing that many businesses are neglecting to update them regularly. This is having  a direct impact on revenue from online sales, with the study finding that consumers spend 54% less per month on average on websites that have not been updated regularly versus those that have. Moreover, when consumers were asked what element of a business’s website would most likely increase their chances of making a purchase or booking a service with that business, 42% stated that it was a website having up-to-date information.

Another common issue was not having responsive websites, suitable for mobile devices. The analysis showed that 13% of automotive websites contained text too small to be read on a mobile device, while 26% of businesses had a website with horizontal scrolling on mobile devices, a common complaint amongst mobile users, and nearly 1 in 5 (18%) were not optimised for mobile at all.

Claire Miles, Chief Executive Officer of Yell commented, “It’s been an incredibly tough time for automotive businesses. The pandemic has forced them to adapt quickly and has led to a widespread adoption of digital services at speed. Whilst these digital services have been crucial for businesses to survive the past 16 months, our insights show that this trend towards digital is set to continue long past the pandemic. Therefore, it is crucial for SMEs to be getting their digital strategy right and an effective website will always be at the heart of that.”