I am totally new to the car game but not so new to the internet and setting up a website.

I thought I would share with you some of my experience which is how to stand up an auto dealership website on a shoestring budget.

Using WordPress To Stand Up A Used Car Dealer Site On The Cheap!

Here are the basic components needed to set up a site to sell used or new cars on the web and do it under $1000 if you have some basic skills.

I am going to base this on a site that I stood up recently for Texas Cars & Autos a small used car dealer in Houston, Texas. This project ran way under $1000.

Key components to set up a website in WordPress for car dealerships.

1. Get a Domain Name if you do not have one

2. Hosting that is WordPress friendly and will install a clean copy of WordPress

3. A plugin that can run the automobile inventory (cardemons)

4. A compatible theme or a custom built theme

5. Basic plugins that will allow you to do some basic search engine optimization

Getting a domain name:

If you do not have a domain name go and register a .com. It's easily done at Go Daddy or many of the other registrars out there. Try and choose something that is memorable or easy to type in. Preferably your brand name. So you can also work on branding your name as well as a positive reputation.

Hosting for WordPress Sites:

Website hosting is not created equal so choosing one that is solid and has good uptime as well as support is a vital key to success on the web.

There are quite a few hosting companies out there and one of the best things to do is to Google managed WordPress hosting. WPEngine, HostGator, ACTWD and Siteground are a few of the ones that are out there that can do the job reliably.

Once you have chosen a hosting company the next step is to have them install a clean version of WordPress for you. They should also give you admin access as well as FTP access and a control panel to help you set up emails and manage you site.

Essential WordPress Plugins:

Many of these plugins are free and will not cost you a cent! However, there are a few that are worth investing a few bucks in. CarDemons which is what I recommend to run the dealership side of things would be one to purchase. It's really reasonably priced. Others include Ninja Forms and BackupGuard.

Recommended Plugins:

* We are not affiliated or receive any proceeds from any of these plugins. These are truly recommendations based on experience.

CarDemons - out of all of the auto dealer plugins we looked at this one was the most robust and user-friendly. After several interactions with their support team, they either talked us thru it or logged in and made adjustments and made things work the way this car dealership needed it. I can not praise their support enough and when you're no internet wizard this is extremely important. The paid version is around $50 and really worth it. It not only will run your vehicle inventory but you will also get an inventory search, contact form on the car detail page, finance form, trade-in form and a compare vehicle function. There is more but those are the highlights.

Yoast SEO - this plugin will help you set up the basic things you need to be able to optimize and market your site on the internet. It won't do it for you but it adds all the things necessary to give you the ability to do so.

BackUpGuard - this is not needed but it's nice to have a backup of not only your database but your whole website. In case you get hacked or decide to move hosting. If you decide to get the paid version which is very cheap. Right under $10 a year you will get the ability to migrate your site as well as scheduled backups to dropbox or the cloud. Very handy and well worth the measly 10 bucks.

Ninja Forms - this is one of the most popular form plugins and has a free as well as a paid version. You will need the paid version to really make it work the way you need to.

Compatible Theme

When it comes to Themes you can find some free ones out there or you can purchase one for as little as $50. Once you have chosen one that works for you it will likely need to be modified to fit your particulars. Some are so easy you can do it yourself but most likely it's best to spend a few hundred dollars and hire someone to give it the look and feel you want.

Make sure you choose a theme that is responsive which is what makes it mobile friendly. So many people visit sites on mobile devices these days and having your website look good in all devices is vital.

That covers all the basics needed to stand up a basic but yet functional and professional looking car dealer site. Using this method you should be able to come in way under $1000.