Websites for mechanics

Most people go looking for a mechanic because the car has made the decision for them. A warning light came on, the car is making a new noise or a service is overdue, and the owner wants someone they can trust with the thing that gets them to work. The first screen has to say what you work on, where the workshop is and how to book a car in, without a paragraph about your love of cars.

After that, the site is about taking the fear out of the bill. Explain how quoting works, what a diagnostic covers and when you'll ring before doing extra work. Show the bays, the counter and the person who'll answer the phone. A customer who has seen the workshop and read how you handle a surprise finds it far easier to hand over the keys.

What the site carries

• A booking form that asks for the rego, the make and model and what's wrong, in that order, and fits on a phone.
• Opening hours, drop-off and pick-up times, and what to do with the keys if the car has to be left outside hours.
• The makes and types of vehicle you work on, including diesel, 4WD and hybrids if you do them, and a straight line on what you don't.
• How you quote: whether you ring before any extra work, and what a diagnostic fee covers.
• A page on logbook servicing that says what is checked and what is replaced.
• Brakes, tyres, suspension, air conditioning and batteries each named on their own, since people search for them by name.
• Whether you offer a courtesy car, a shuttle or a lift to the station while the car is in.
• The warranty on parts and labour, in words a customer can repeat to their partner.
• Photos of the workshop, the bays and the people who'll be handling the car, not a stock engine.
• A short page for fleet and trade customers, with how booking and invoicing work for them.

The work your customers look for

• logbook servicing
• brake pads and rotors
• clutch replacement
• car air conditioning
• battery replacement
• pre-purchase inspections
• wheel alignment
• timing belts
• suspension repairs
• safety inspections
• diagnostics for warning lights
• oil and filter changes

What they type

• "mechanic near me"
• "car service"
• "mechanic"
• "brake repairs"
• "pre-purchase car inspection"
• "logbook service"
• "car air conditioning repair"
• "auto electrician"

A fixed-price service on the page has to include everything compulsory, and the total can't be less prominent than any part price.

Say a service follows the manufacturer's schedule only when the checks and parts you use really match it.

Don't use a car maker's name or badge to suggest you're authorised unless you actually are.

A warranty promise on the site has to match the one you give at the counter, because Australian Consumer Law treats it as a promise.

Say whether a quote is fixed or an estimate, since a customer reads the word quote as a number you'll keep.

Rules change. Have your licence and wording checked against your regulator before the site goes live.

• A phone number and nothing else, so a driver can't book on the way home.
• A page of generic text about all makes and models, with no list of what you really service.
• Service prices copied from a template that don't match the counter.
• A hero photo of a gleaming engine bay no customer will ever see.
• Opening hours on the site that differ from the Google listing.
• No word on how a car that can't be driven gets to you.