A website for a car repair shop: what it needs

A car owner looks for a garage when something is broken or when a service is due. Either way they want to know whether you will take their car and when. The page has to say that first and leave the rest for later.

When the car breaks or a service is due

Searches are local and service-specific: "car repair Ylivieska", "tyre change", "brake repair", "scheduled service", "air conditioning service". The questions repeat: do you work on this make, is there a slot this week, roughly what will it cost and can I have the car the same day. Customers also want to know how they will be told if a repair turns out bigger than expected.

Services, makes and prices

• A service list: servicing, brakes, suspension, tyres, air conditioning, diagnostics. Write them in the words customers search with.
• Makes you work on, and what you do not do. If you specialise in certain makes or do not do bodywork, say so. It saves time for both sides.
• Booking and contact details. A phone number and a way to send the registration number and a description of the fault. Say whether you answer during work or call back.
• Opening hours and exceptions, such as a busy season or holiday.
• How you price. State your hourly rate or how work is billed, and how the customer is told before a repair starts. Example prices are worth including only for repeat jobs, and must be updated when prices change.
• A courtesy car and pick-up, if you offer them.
• Photos of the workshop and the work. A tidy bay and a photo of the person doing the job say more than a text full of keywords.

Tyre-change season and other peaks

A garage's demand follows the seasons. In the tyre-change rush, put a short notice at the top of the page: when slots are free and how to book. When the rush is over, remove it. An outdated notice ("tyre-change slots open in October" in May) is worse than none.

How big a garage's site should be

A small garage with about ten services often manages on one page with a clear list. If you want to be found for "tyre change Ylivieska", "brake service" and "air conditioning service" as separate searches, give each service its own page describing what the job includes. That is a multi-page website. Town-specific pages are rarely needed if customers come to one location. For a model of a local page see Ylivieska.

Mistakes that drive car owners away

1. Opening hours and phone number differ between the site and the map. Many people looking for a garage use the map: Google Business Profile checklist.
2. Nothing about prices. Even an hourly rate or an example calms the customer.
3. Outdated notices stay on the page.
4. Nothing about makes, so people phone just to find out whether you take their car.

Building the page

I write the text from your service list and way of working and build a page where contact is simple.

One-page website €12.90/month, up to 10 pages €22.90/month and up to 30 pages €32.90/month, all + VAT. Prices with annual billing, monthly billing +€3/month. The page count includes the home page. There is no setup fee, and you get the draft free of charge before you commit to anything. The first 14 days after publication are free. If you cancel during that time, you pay nothing. The full terms and scopes are on the service page.