What a garage website needs
The site brings the car in. What happens while it is in the workshop is a second, separate piece of work.
- 01
The full list of what the garage does
Car electrics, ECUs, key programming, general mechanics, tyres: people search for one specific job. A garage whose site leaves out half of what it does is invisible for those searches.
- 02
Diagnostic requests online
Make and model, a description of the fault, a name and a mobile number, in a form that can be filled in on a phone. The request waits for the garage instead of ringing in the middle of a job.
- 03
The contacts the garage uses today
A link to a Facebook page that has been still for years makes the garage look closed. The site points to the page and the numbers in use now, and the Google profile says the same.
- 04
A workshop board
In the back-office demo, the cars in service are cards on a board that move from column to column, so anyone in the workshop can see where each car stands.
- 05
Car status by text message
The customer gets a text with a link to a page showing how the car is getting on, instead of phoning to ask whether it is ready.
- 06
Customers, tyre hotel and stock
The same back office holds each customer's record, the tyres stored in the tyre hotel, the stock, and SMS campaigns for customers who have given consent.
Garage and tyre shop demos02
A multi-brand garage in Alenquer and a tyre and mechanics house in Trofa. They are demos: the diagnostic request is not sent to anyone, and the back office runs on sample data.
- /sites/pneus-d-pedro-v-trofaDemo + back office
Pneus D. Pedro V (opens in a new tab)
Euromaster tyre and mechanics house in Trofa since 1982, with a working back-office demo: workshop board for the cars in service, customer CRM, SMS campaigns, tyre hotel, stock and a status page the customer opens from an SMS.
- /sites/auto-alegria-alenquerDemo
Auto Alegria (opens in a new tab)
Multi-brand auto workshop in Alenquer. Car electronics, ECU and key programming, general mechanics and online diagnostic requests.
Related articles
Longer notes from the blog on the same subject.
- Read
What a local business website actually needs (and what it doesn't)
A phone-first checklist for restaurants, barbers, clinics and workshops: what belongs on the site, what to leave out, and how it ties to Google.
- Read
Google Business Profile and your website: showing up on Maps for local searches
How Google picks local results, the listing rules that get businesses removed, reviews done right, and where your website fits in.
- Read
Don't make it up: what I corrected across ten demo sites
Nine of my ten demo sites had a claim that didn't hold up. What I found, what I changed, and why every sentence on a business site needs a source.
Other kinds of business
The same exercise for other sectors, and for the area I am based in.
- Restaurants and takeawayThe menu as a page, the number that gets answered, pre-orders with a pickup time.
- Barbers and beauty salonsServices and prices up front, and booking in four steps without creating an account.
- Dental and veterinary clinicsAppointments at the centre, the real opening hours, and no claim without a source.
- Study centres and tutoringA page per service, a look inside the rooms, and an easy way to book a visit.
- Businesses in Alenquer and the OesteA developer based in Alenquer, with demos made for businesses in the area.
Want a site like these for your garage?
Send a few lines about the garage and what takes up most of your time. I will come back with what I would build and what it costs.