Pimp my links: JeepReviews.com

We've had an overwhelming response to the Pimp My Links series that we announced last week. We have had over 75 submissions and more are trickling in everyday. We were originally only planning to do this series once a week. However, depending on the success we may do it a couple times per week.

The lucky site that we are going to feature this week is JeepReviews.com. In the spirit of Pimp My Ride we decided to pick a website about vehicles as the first one in the series. JeepReviews.com is a community for Jeep enthusiasts that allows them to share their experiences around Jeeps, Jeep parts, retailers and more. There are thousands of parts available for Jeeps and JeepReviews.com hopes to be the place that Jeep owners go to help them with purchasing decisions.

Quality Content

First of all, the site needs a lot of improvements overall before it will have the social success that it is capable of. It could use a lot more quality content all around. For example, on the product pages other than the actual reviews there isn't any quality content, as a start, I would add more detailed product descriptions.

I would also add more social features to the site. A forum, for example, will give people a place to discuss the reviews and give the conversation a chance to continue. The way it is setup now people can only leave reviews, positive or negative. It would be nice as a consumer if I could ask people more specific questions about a product they reviewed before making my purchasing decisions. I would also consider allowing users to create profiles. A place for them to show off pictures of their Jeep and list all the modifications they have made. Link their profile to all of their reviews as well. Make it a mini social network where they can friend other users and communicate through the site.

Also, I'd recommend adding a blog to the site. This would be a great place to review or feature new products, highlight member reviews, talk about Jeep news, or any other relevant information.

These improvements to the site will make it stickier and give people a reason to keep coming back. It will also make the site more viral as a whole and give people a reason to tell their friends about it, I don't see that happening as it is right now. Improving the site will also open the doors for more linkbait options in the future, as of now it is somewhat limited.

Jeep Videos

People do a lot of crazy stuff with their Jeeps. A collection of 10+ videos showcasing people doing super crazy things in their Jeeps such as mud bogging or rollovers has the potential to be viral. A rating system could be implemented that included bonus points that would be awarded for more damage done to the Jeeps or any bodily injuries that incur. People get a kick out of watching other people wreck expensive things; I've personally spent a day at Potato Salad Hill in Moab for the sole purpose of watching drunk people roll and wreck their Jeeps and I had a great time.

Evolution of the Jeep

Create a detailed summary and timeline of the history of the Jeep. Show pictures of all the models that were ever made along with a write up of each one. Also show any important uses the Jeep has had, for example, Army Jeeps. This would be a solid piece of content that would serve as an authority resource and I can't imagine this not collecting thousands of links over time. This is also the type of content that never stops gaining new links.

Pictures of Jeeps

Image collection of the most beat up Jeeps or the most pimped out Jeeps. Make this one a numbered list as well with a brief description of each one and why it made the list. Numbered lists are natural attractions for linkbait as can be seen by looking at the Digg homepage or del.icio.us popular page.

Fun Flash Game.

Create a flash game that allows people to create and modify their own Jeeps and then go through a series of hill climbs or mud bogs. When they make it up a hill or through the mud they can purchase more modifications and then they move on to a harder course. Flash games can be extremely viral if they are built right, take a look at LineRider as an example of one that has blown up.

Summary

In order to maximize the social capabilities of the website we recommend making the aforementioned site improvements. They will enhance the overall user experience which will increase the linkability of the website. The content ideas have the potential to be very viral if implemented properly and seeded in the right social media sites. It is important to submit them to places where they will not only appeal to the core audience of the social media site but will also reach the target market of the website itself.

JeepReviews.com, you have been "Pimped"!

We'd like to encourage anyone to leave their feedback either telling us you think our ideas are lame and they'll never work or adding additional suggestions for JeepReviews.com. Also, don't forget to submit your website to be pimped in our "Pimp My Links" series by filling out our contact form and mentioning "Pimp My Links".

Enjoy the post? Here are some more that may interest you.

There are no trackbacks for this post yet.

Garrett, December 19, 2006

I've officially been pimped! Glad that I could be the inaugural whipping boy to start things off. :) You've made lots of great suggestions and this is a good kick in the butt to help me get cranking in 2007. I look forward to implementing your suggestions and getting a bit more creative w/ my site in the future.

Many thanks, -Garrett

ScottW, December 19, 2006

I completely agree Cameron, video is one of the best available options for creating buzz in the jeep community. Garrett, you need to get out to some events and capture footage. Some shorter clips on video sites that reference the video collection could attract some highly qualified visitors. Did I mention I have two jeeps? :) Good luck.

Cameron Olthuis, December 19, 2006

Garrett, it's good to see you're going to take the initiative. There's certainly a lot of potential with your site.

mad4, December 20, 2006

Great post but why would you link to phpbb? Its so bad compared to vb it can ruin a forum from the start.

kelvin newman, December 20, 2006

Great idea, and interesting to hear your thoughts and insights.

Pretty valueable even if you have no interest in jeeps!

Neil Patel, December 20, 2006

Mad4, phpbb was linked to because it was the first forum that came off the top of our heads. We are not trying to say it is the best or anything like that.

nuevojefe, December 20, 2006

Pages like http://www.jeepreviews.com/jeep-review/34/jeep-wrangler/ need more text and some images. Assuming you want those pages to rank for their intended keywords (Jeep Wrangler Review(s), etc) you'll have to get them to the poin where they're linkable and comprehensive enough that you benefit from long-tail search.

Not being an expert in all things Jeep, I'm not certain what the demographics are, but you could consider something like a myspace widget to create some viral buzz/traffic. "What kind of Jeep are you?" type of deal, or even code to display a slideshow of Jeep thumbnails. I'm not certain if you do so already or not, but even if you don't display this on the front-end you should have a field for "website" on the review form. From that, you can see if many of your reviewers have blogs, websites, or social site profiles. That may help you determine whether you are likely to have good ROI on building widgets, etc.

Garrett, December 21, 2006

nuevojefe, thanks for the advice. I like the widget idea and the suggestion to add a website field. I've tinkered w/ Myspace a bit (there are several Jeep groups over there)...I think it definitely deserves some more of my time (especially if I get some of the suggested social-friendly features added).

Gracias!