What should an auto repair shop's website have?

Where you are, when you're open, and one tap to call

Put these three together at the top, where a driver sees them without scrolling. The big repair and oil-change chains do. Meineke's page for its Monroe shop opens with the address, a Directions link, the phone number and the week's hours.³ Valvoline's Monroe page shows whether the shop is open now, when it next opens or closes, and the hours for every day.⁴ On a phone, make your number a button, so one tap calls you.

Write your hours as words on the page, not only in a photo of your door, and keep them the same as your Google profile. Google lets you set special hours for holidays.⁸ Apple says that, whenever possible, the hours on your Apple Maps place card "need to match the hours published on your official website."¹⁰

The work you do, in drivers' words

List your services by name: oil changes, brakes, tires, A/C, batteries, check-engine lights, inspections. Valvoline's Monroe page lists 14 services by name.⁴ Grease Monkey's Pineville page gives each one a plain line, such as "Brake inspections plus pad and rotor replacements for road reliability."⁵ List only the work you really do.

Prices help, if you post them. 29% of people name clear prices or a deal as one of their top three reasons for picking a local business, and 32% of people who didn't contact a business named unclear prices or no offers.² When a price depends on the car, say "Call for a quote."

Your specials, only if you run them

If you run a special, show it near the top: one big figure, what it's for and how to use it. Grease Monkey's Pineville page shows each coupon with its discount, the service, a code and a "Redeem By" date.⁵ Meineke's Monroe page has a coupon section for that one shop.³

No specials? Leave the section off. Never post an old coupon you no longer honor.

Why drivers can trust you

Put your Google rating and your number of reviews near your name. Grease Monkey's Pineville page shows its rating and review count right beside the address.⁵ Then add the facts that count, only when they're true: certified technicians, a warranty, the parts you use. East Carolina Automotive, an independent shop in Indian Trail, names its ASE-certified technicians and its 24-month or 24,000-mile NAPA warranty on its home page.⁶

Show photos of your own shop: the building, the bays, the waiting room. When people research a local business, 24% look at photos of the business or its work.² Keep reviews coming too: 74% of people look for reviews written in the last three months.⁹

For shops in Charlotte and Union County

If you're an NC inspection station, say so near the top and in your service list. North Carolina requires a yearly safety inspection before a car's registration can be renewed.⁷

Name the towns your customers come from in one line, such as Monroe, Indian Trail, Matthews or Charlotte. Use one list, not a page for each town: Google counts "pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page" as doorway abuse, against its spam policies.¹¹

See it all on one page

Our example, Tallbridge Auto Repair, is a made-up shop built this way: where it is, its hours with today marked, the work it does, sample specials and a call button that stays on screen. Collision, truck, import and auto electric shops each have their own example too, linked below.

What to leave off

• Pop-ups and chat bubbles that cover the first screen.
• A store finder or ZIP box. You have one shop, so show it.
• A hidden phone number.
• Specials you no longer honor.