1. Polish your Google Business Profile
It's often a customer's first contact with your shop. Check the primary category (auto repair shop), exact hours including extended seasonal hours, address, phone, recent photos of the shop and team, your list of services and an appointment link.
2. Ask for reviews, and answer them
According to a BrightLocal survey (2020), 87% of consumers read online reviews before choosing a local business. Ask every satisfied customer for a review when they pick up their vehicle, for example with a link in your job-complete message.
Answer every review, including negative ones, calmly and with facts. Potential customers read your replies as much as the reviews.
3. Let customers book online
According to Cox Automotive (United States, 2017), 45% of automotive service customers who hadn't booked online didn't know the option existed. A visible "Book an appointment" button on your website and Google profile captures customers who search in the evening, when the shop is closed. With Garago, you get that booking link: customers pick a slot that's actually free based on your services, hours and bays.
4. A simple website that answers questions
- The services you offer, and the makes or types of vehicles you work on.
- Your area (neighbourhood, city, nearby boroughs) written out in full.
- Your hours, your address with a map, a tap-to-call phone number.
- Indicative prices for routine services, if you can.
- The booking button at the top of every page.
- No website? Your Garago page does the job: services, makes, hours, address, reviews and online booking, on a page you can share.
5. Prepare tire season early
Contact last year's customers at the end of summer so they book before the rush. In Quebec, winter tires are mandatory from December 1: drivers who plan ahead choose the shop that makes it easy to get a slot.
6. Keep customers instead of always finding new ones
A returning customer doesn't need to be won over a second time. Keep their contact details and vehicle history, and suggest the next service at the right time. Garago keeps this customer list for you: every appointment you add to the calendar records the customer, and next time their details and vehicle fill in by themselves. For promotional emails or texts, get their consent first, as Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation requires.
7. Build local partnerships
- Body shops that don't do mechanical work, and vice versa.
- Used car dealers without a service department.
- Small local fleets: contractors, delivery drivers, taxis.
- Neighbouring businesses, for cross-promotion.
8. Be where drivers search
Beyond Google, list your shop on the directories and platforms where drivers compare garages. On Garago, your page appears when a driver searches by service, vehicle make or city, with online booking and reviews from real customers.
Measure what works
Ask every new customer how they found you, and write it down. Count online bookings, calls and reviews each month. After three months, you'll know where to spend your time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most profitable action to get customers?
A complete Google Business Profile with recent reviews and a booking link. It costs nothing and it's often what customers see first when they search for a garage nearby.
How do I get more Google reviews?
Ask at the right moment: when the customer picks up their vehicle and the job went well. Send a direct link to your review page so it takes 30 seconds.
Should I pay for online ads?
Not before you have a polished Google profile, reviews and an easy way to book. Otherwise, ads bring visitors who find no reason to choose you and no simple way to book.
Can I send promotions to my customers by text?
Only with their consent, under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation. Messages that solely confirm an appointment already booked don't require consent, as long as they contain no promotion.
Get found, and get booked
Try Garago for 30 days: a page visible by service, make and city, online booking and reviews from real customers.