Case Study: Win the Web Redesign

Feb. 22, 2021

An effective web presence involves much more than just showing up. 

Most experts advise small businesses to redesign their websites every two or three years. But it can be tough to know when and how to refresh your web presence. The platform should be simple yet informative; accessible and fresh. It should highlight the latest and greatest at your business.

With so much going on in a quick maintenance operation, deciding what information to present and how to carry out a website creation or revision is quite the undertaking. Cody Posey, division manager at the Toot ‘n Totum brand of car care centers, recently took the brand through a successful website launch. Here’s how he did it.

The Challenge

Toot ‘n Totum is a successful brand in north Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The company’s main website has a clean look and friendly interface, but the car care centers are only a part of the overall mix of convenience stores, which is the main segment for the company.

Posey says that he had been thinking about creating a standalone website to showcase the Toot ‘n Totum vehicles services and changing promotions.

“We needed a lot more functionality and wanted to get our message out in a different manner,” Posey says.

About a year ago, Posey and his team worked with a vendor to make it happen.

The Solutions

Ease the user experience.

Quick lubes know all about creating a convenient customer experience. The same goes for a website. You want to design and structure a site to make sure that users will find what they’re looking for in short order.

For Toot ‘n Totum, the new website starts with a landing page, which shows all the car care center locations. Users clearly see the town of each shop and whether it has a car wash, a car care center or both. Click on a location, and users go to that shop’s own page, which has all the information and promotions for that location.

The navigation starts with a simple interface: Which location is closest to you? Once chosen, then users can see promotions, see which services are available, read shop hours and much more. Posey says that he wants all that at the customer’s fingertips.

“I know some say that you don't really want to have it busy,” he says. “But I like that there’s a lot of information there.”

Pair complementary services.

Some operators with different profit centers like to separate those operations. It might be a quick lube and car wash, a detail service or an inspection bay.

Consider them from a customer standpoint to see if it makes sense to market them together on the website. Toot ‘n Totum’s car wash and quick maintenance segments are separate divisions at the company, but Posey combined them for the website to market as a full car care solution.

“It’s a great family as far as lube and wash combined,” he says. “It was nice to incorporate them both together. It shows where we’re at.”

Find the right partner.

There are multiple ways to approach website work. One way is to self-publish through an online website creator or web service. That option would require supervision and updates by the operator.

Posey wanted a service that would take the workload off of his staff’s hands, so he partnered with PISTn Marketing. The company provided the template and continued support after the website’s creation.

“It was great to just tell them, ‘Here’s what we want to incorporate,’” and here’s what they did,” he says.

Operators looking at website options will want to weigh the costs of a full-service partner against the continual maintenance of a do-it-yourself website creator.

The Aftermath

The broad result is that Posey achieved his goal for a car care space on the web for Toot ‘n Totum. It gives the car wash and maintenance segments more visibility under the brand name, and each location gets a bigger platform as well instead of a summary page incorporating all locations.

The web page for each location has photos of the facility, as well as promotions and specific services. Posey says he wants to continue tailoring each shop’s web page.

“I would like to have it be a little more personal with manager pictures,” he says of one potential addition.

The Takeaway

The website is much more than just a hub of information about your business. Just like the service process, you must set it up to ensure that the customer is getting the right experience.

Start simple, but guide users toward all the correct information they’ll need to keep their vehicles properly maintained at your shop.