During the SEMA webinar "Beginner's Guide to High Search Engine Rankings," presenter Brian Offenberger of BizGrowth Search Engine Solutions provided a wealth of tips that yield high search-engine rankings for company websites. Offenberger says that one of the more effective ways to get customers to your website is by having as many incoming links (your website link on outside webpages) as possible.

To make it enticing for others to link to your page, Offenberger suggests having content on your page that others want. Examples he provided include:

• Articles: Write an article about something interesting, newsworthy, controversial, or just something with information that is rare or from a knowledgeable perspective.
• Blog: Writing a blog can create links from other people who like your post and link to it. Participating in other people's blogs can ensure that they know about you and your site, and they may link to you with a live link.
• Photos: Networking events, visually or emotionally stimulating
• Videos: Instructional videos, poor performances from "American Idol"—videos can turn into the next Internet hit, producing thousands of links.
• Applications: Write an application, web based or not, and if it's a useful tool, people will link to it.

"Beginner's Guide to High Search Engine Rankings" provided participants with the key ingredients needed to generate web traffic and covered the basics of structuring a website to achieve high search rankings. To download a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation for this webinar, or to check out upcoming webinar sessions, visit www.sema.org/webinar.

May 15 Webinar

Also, mark your calendar for May 15 when Offenberger will present “Use Online Testing for Higher Profits/Lower Costs—Test the Effectiveness of Your Online Marketing.” This session will highlight the advanced practices needed to obtain high natural search-engine rankings in Google and the marketing techniques to help prospects easily find your website.

This SEMA webinar will cover the essentials of:

• Low-cost/no-cost market testing for businesses of all sizes, both in online and offline marketing efforts
• FREE tools businesses can use for do-it-yourself testing programs
• How to inexpensively and effectively conduct a valid test
• Fatal mistakes to avoid when testing
• How to make testing work for you

SEMA Webinar: “Use Online Testing for Higher Profits/Lower Costs—Test the Effectiveness of Your Online Marketing”
Thursday, May 15, 2008, 10:00 a.m. (PST)

Codenamed 177, we just caught more pictures of GMC’s newest upcoming SUV – the Terrain. Based on the theta platform–same as Chevrolet’s Equinox–the pair will arrive in time for the 2010 model year, but without its Pontiac sibling. Production starts in August of 2009 at the CAMI facility, with sales following shortly afterwards.

Congress has approved legislation designating 106,000 acres in Washington state’s Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest as wilderness. President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law. SEMA and the off-highway vehicle (OHV) community opposed the bill and supported an alternative version to preserve existing roads and trails on about 13,000 acres of the land. By law, wilderness areas generally prohibit roads and the use of motorized vehicles. The issue is consequential to SEMA members as off-roaders will have less riding areas in the region and potentially less demand for OHV equipment.

The measure, which is commonly referred to as the “Wild Sky Wilderness” may sound familiar to SEMA members as it has been pushed in Congress for about five years. In years past, the bill was blocked by former House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) who, with SEMA’s support, proposed a compromise “backcountry wilderness” designation to set aside specific tracks of land that have existing roads and trails. Chairman Pombo was defeated in the 2006 election and the bill’s sponsors were able to pursue the legislation without concession. 

Leaders in the Democrat-controlled Congress are now moving forward on other wilderness proposals which also may not adequately protect existing roads and trails. Currently there are over 20 other wilderness bills pending before Congress. 

Hearings were recently held in the Senate on two proposals that would impact hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Idaho and Utah. One proposal would designate more than 517,000 acres in the Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands of southwestern Idaho as wilderness. Of concern to the OHV community is the closure of 200 miles of roads and routes near the proposed wilderness areas to motorized vehicle use.

There is some good news. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would be directed to consider allowing OHV activities on 190,000 acres of nearby lands under its jurisdiction.

While lawmakers and witnesses at the hearing rallied behind the Idaho proposal, the same could not be said about proposed legislation to designate 260,000 acres in Washington County, Utah, as wilderness. It would potentially close riding areas and recreational routes that have been used for generations. In attempts to address these concerns, the bill sponsors included a provision for a “High Desert Off-Highway Vehicle Trail” in the legislation. The BLM would, however, have ultimate authority to designate which existing trails and routes would be included in the High Desert Trail and which would not. 

Senate leaders are expected to move forward with the Idaho and Utah bills. They directed their staffs to work with the various stakeholders to revise the proposals as needed. SEMA supports land-use decisions that allow local communities and government authorities to participate in the decision-making process. Within that context, SEMA supports compromise approaches on wilderness areas that balance the need to preserve access to appropriate motorized recreation while protecting some of our nation’s natural wonders.

Questions? Contact Jason Tolleson at jasont@sema.org.

A BIG NIGHT: Tony Stewart Racing was the big winner Saturday night. The team owned by two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart saw its newest driver, Donny Schatz, win the World of Outlaws race at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway, while Levi Jones wheeled Stewart’s USAC sprint car to victory in USAC’s first-ever race at Brownstown (Indiana) Speedway. Also at Brownstown, Ronnie Combs won the UMRA three-quarter-midget race in a car owned by Stewart, while Steve Barnett drove the Indiana veteran’s crate late-model to victory at Brownstown as well.

THE NEW AND THE OLD: Seventeen-year-old Joey Logano turned in a dominant performance to win the Carolina 500 ARCA RE/MAX Series which reopened Rockingham (North Carolina) Speedway after four years.

SIGNED: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards signed a three-year contract extension to remain with Roush Fenway Racing.

ON THE POWER: Former Champ Car driver Will Power was quickest on Opening Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but Alex Lloyd jumped to the top of the speed charts on the second day of rookie practice. The veterans were set to hit the track for the first time on May 6 in anticipation of Pole Day on Saturday.

RELEASED: Veteran IndyCar crew member Larry Curry was released as team manager of Vision Racing. He was replaced by Keven Kukuliwicz, who has been with the team for many years.

1,000: Fifteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force earned his 1,000th round victory during Sunday’s NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event at Gateway (Illinois) International Raceway. However, Force lost in the second round and Tim Wilkerson won the event.

RENOVATIONS: Martinsville (Virginia) Speedway will undergo more than $2 million worth of renovations, including the installation of a state-of-the-art scoreboard prior to the October 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup event at the .526-mile oval.

POWER RANKINGS: With a pair of top-five finishes in two NASCAR races, Kyle Busch remained at the top of the National Speed Sport News Power Rankings. The National Speed Sport News Power Rankings, which are published weekly in the 74-year-old motorsports publication.

SUBSCRIBE: National Speed Sport News has been published weekly since 1934. To subscribe to National Speed Sport News, click on the following link for a special industry rate: www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/subscribe.html?pid=NQ%2BVfhkepT4%3D.

NEWS NUGGETS

FORCE PICKS UP HISTORIC 1,000TH ROUND WIN: On the day he celebrated his 59th birthday, 14-time world champion and NHRA legend John Force reached a milestone many argue may never be broken. Competing in his 501st race, Force drove his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang past longtime rival Ron Capps in the first round of eliminations at the O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals Sunday, picking up his 1,000th round win in the process. He is the only driver in NHRA history to reach the impressive number.
    “Five hundred races just means you showed up a lot,” said Force. “But winning a thousand rounds, that means that at a point in time, we were pretty good!”
    For more on Force’s milestone, including photos of the event, click here.

WILKERSON GETS SECOND WIN OF 2008 AT HOME TRACK; FULLER, K.J., AND HINES ALSO WINNERS AT GATEWAY: Picking up his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season, Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson had one goal and one goal only heading into eliminations Sunday at the O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway—to win at his home track. Wilkerson did just that, driving past Tony Bartone, Del Worsham, Cruz Pedregon and then Mike Neff in the final round to pick up his second win of the season and first at Gateway International Raceway.
    “The emotions are out of control,” said Wilkerson. “It was all I could do at the other end of the track just to get out of the car.”
    Wilkerson’s win in front of his “home” crowd also catapulted him past points leader Ashley Force to the top spot in the Funny Car standings. In Top Fuel, “Hot Rod” Fuller picked up his first win of the season, driving his Caterpillar dragster past defending world champion Tony Schumacher. Pro Stock’s Kurt Johnson grabbed his first win of the season, driving past defending event winner Dave Connolly to collect his third win at the track, while Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Andrew Hines picked up his second consecutive win of the season and first in St. Louis, setting the track record for speed and time in the process.
    To view the race results from the O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals, click here. 

IN THE NEWS…

DIVERSITY NOT A QUESTION IN NHRA POWERade SERIES: In an article written for ESPN The Magazine, writer Ryan McGee discusses how in a time when many motorsports are working to diversify their fans and driver base, women and minorities have always played a huge role in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Click here to read more of McGee’s article.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

O’REILLY NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS, BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY, MAY 16–18: The NHRA POWERade Series heads back to the Thunder Valley of Bristol, Tennessee, for the eighth running of the event. Defending event winners include Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel); John Force (Funny Car); and Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock). 

O’REILLY NHRA SUMMER NATIONALS, HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA, MAY 30–JUNE 1: Entering the ninth race of the NHRA POWERade Series, drivers will look to gain precious points in their quest to qualify for the Countdown to 1. Defending event winners include: Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel); Mike Ashley (Funny Car); and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock).

TORCO RACING FUELS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS, ROUTE 66 RACEWAY, JUNE 5–8: The NHRA POWERade Series heads to “the Windy City” for the 10th race of the season and second half of the regular season Countdown to 10. Defending event winners include: Larry Dixon (Top Fuel); Gary Scelzi (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

HE SAID, SHE SAID

REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED AT 300-PLUS MPH: Last year at the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, California, Top Fuel pilot Rod Fuller’s dreams of a world championship went up in smoke after a first-round loss in eliminations left him only able to watch as defending world champion Tony Schumacher drove past him in the point standings on the last pass of the day, winning the event and picking up his fifth world championship. Fuller got his revenge Sunday at the O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals, as he drove past Schumacher in the final round of eliminations.
    “I kind of had a chip on my shoulder from what happened to me last year, leading the points all year long and losing to (Schumacher),” Fuller said. “It’s gratifying when you beat him.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 6.708: The track record for time for Pro Stock at Bristol Dragway set by Jason Line in 2006. Line ran the table that year, setting the track record for both speed and time, picking up the No. 1 qualifier and winning the event.

DID YOU KNOW…

…that some of the top drivers in NHRA will compete in the NHRA Circle Track Challenge when the NHRA POWERade Series returns to Bristol for the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Drivers will compete that Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway and fans visiting the track’s website can vote to determine the starting lineup for the event.

For more information, visit www.nhra.com.

Todd Hack was promoted to senior vice president of product management for General Parts/Carquest and president of Carquest Corp. Hack is responsible for the management of the Product Store Support Center. Hack has been with Carquest for the past 18 years, during which time he has managed a Carquest Auto Parts store and worked in sales and distribution.

PPG Senior Vice President of Chemicals Kevin Sullivan announced his plans to retire from the company effective July 1. Sullivan joined PPG’s fiberglass business unit in 1973 as a management trainee. “Kevin’s contributions to booth our chemicals and fiberglass businesses over the years have been significant, and his natural business acumen will be missed,” said Charles Bunch, PPG chairman and chief executive officer.

Nitrous Express Inc. hired Mike Abney as national sales manager for its automotive division. Abney brings 12 years of sales and Product Management experience to Nitrous Express. He has worked for companies such as Jacobs, Mr.Gasket and Powermaster. "We are very happy to have Mike on board; his experience will be a great asset to our company," stated Mike Wood, president of Nitrous Express.

Nitrous Express President Mike Wood (left) welcomes new Sales Manager Mike Abney.

Through a partnership with San Francisco’s KFRC 106.9 FM, CBS 5 and product sponsors Intro Wheels, Global West Suspension, Billy Built, BFGoodrich, Grant Driving Accessories, Steele Rubber Products, PPG Paint and Troy’s Body & Paint, the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association will give away a vintage ’65 Mustang this season. The car will be given away at the 19th Autumn Get-Together, November 8 and 9, at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California. Semi-finalists will be chosen at all four 2008 Goodguys events held at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds. KFRC will have the giveaway Mustang on display at the three remaining Goodguys Pleasanton events this season (Summer Get-Together May 31 and June 1; West Coast Nationals August 22, 23 and 24; and the Autumn Get-Together November 8 and 9). To register for a chance to win the Mustang, stop by their booth or register at www.kfrc.com. For more giveaway car news, visit www.good-guys.com.

Register to win this '65 Mustang at www.kfrc.com.

Northwood University held a dedication and unveiling ceremony today (May 8) for its Sloan Family Building for Aftermarket Studies. The state-of-the-art education center has been under construction since March 2007. Open to the public, the ceremonies include a tour of the new building and the entire Northwood University campus in Midland, Michigan. 

Kicker was named the title sponsor of the 2008 Southwick Motocross National in Southwick, Massachusetts. Known as the 2008 KICKER Southwick Moto-X 338 Motocross National, presented by Scott USA, the event is set for August 23–24. In addition to the 11th round of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, this year’s event will also feature the Women’s Motocross National and a free concert performance.

Kicker is the title sponsor of the 2008 Southwick Motocross National.

 
Click the logo to visit SBN's website.

Discover the SEMA Mentoring Program—Powered by the SBN
 
“I’ll get by with a little help from my friends…” - Joe Cocker
 
Everyone needs help or expert advice from time to time, and SEMA’s Mentoring Program is an excellent resource to get answers to all your questions. Whether you need to know more about SEMA, market information for a start-up company or advice on how to approach your boss about a new position, the SEMA Mentoring Program can help.
 
“Ask A Mentor” is perfect for one-time questions. You can expect multiple SEMA mentors to provide online guidance and answers to your industry-related questions.
 
Short-term Assistance/Guidance is for help with a specific project or task. A SEMA council/committee mentor with the expertise you seek will be paired up with you to provide guidance with your project.
 
Long-Term Relationship is helpful for developing your professional career.  In this program segment you will be paired with a SEMA council/committee mentor who will provide guidance and assistance for ongoing career development or a long-term project.
 
So whether you just need an answer to a question or you want to cultivate a mentoring friendship, the SEMA Mentoring Program—powered by the SBN is available to help. After all, we can all use a little help from our friends.

For more information on the program, click here.
 
SBN Select Committee Election
SBN Select Committee election ballots are in the mail and due to SEMA by Friday, June 6. If you have any questions about the Select Committee elections, contact Paul Moritz at 909/396-0289, ext. 112 or paulm@sema.org.

Speed Networking Breakfast—Powered by SBN
Check out this video of SBN members in action during the valuable Speed Networking Breakfast—Powered by SBN held annually at the SEMA Show. Check out the video by clicking here.  

SBN Column in SEMA Member News
Read SBN's column featured in the May/June issue of SEMA Member News by clicking here.

For information about SBN, contact Paul Moritz at paulm@sema.org.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Filler for eNews

After taking a hit in March, the SEMA PADI recovered by 14 points in April, showing that consumers were feeling more optimistic about spending their money on automotive specialty-equipment last month. The current PADI reading is at 56, jumping 35% from a March reading of 42. The current index value translates to 15% of adult American drivers (or approximately 15 million households) now making plans for specialty-equipment purchases over the next three months.

The charts below show both the index values (black line, values on the left of graph) as well as the percentage of consumers indicating plans to purchase specialty equipment in the coming three months (blue, dashed line, values on the right of graph).

 
Several factors contribute to fluctuations in demand by mainstream consumers for specialty-equipment parts and accessories. In March, U.S. new-vehicle sales increased 15% compared to February, and sales of specialty equipment historically show seasonal shifts similar to new-vehicle sales. Consumers are still feeling the effects of a slow economy, which can explain why the SEMA PADI was lower in April 2008 compared to the same month last year.

Market research firm TechnoMetrica's TIPP Economic Optimism Index declined 3.3 points, or 7.8% in April, reaching 39.2 vs.42.5 in March. April’s reading represented an all-time low for the Index and the first time in its history that it has come in at a reading below 40.0. This monthly economic survey is sent to consumers in order to gauge their attitudes toward economic prosperity and continues to show a steady decline following a drop in 2007.

 

PADI In-Depth
By product, specialty accessories and appearance products were the most popular specialty-equipment products consumers were likely to purchase (10% or about 10 million households) in April, up from 6% in March. This increase is even more pronounced compared to the reading in April of 2007, where only 5% of consumers planned to purchase. This most recent reading shows a 120% increase in demand for appearance and accessory products when comparing this year’s Index value compared to 2007.

 

Wheels, tires and suspension components were the second product preference, with 8% (about 8 million households) indicating plans to purchase, identical to those surveyed in March. This reading is 5% less than those surveyed in April 2007, however.

About 7% or about 7 million households indicated that they plan to purchase racing and performance products within the next three months, an increase from 4% in March but steady compared to the 7% reading in April 2007.

Over the last three months, on average, pickups (27%) were the most common target vehicles for enhancement or modification, followed by midsize and compact cars (16% each) and fullsize cars (13%).

Independent parts stores (23%), car dealerships and online venues (17% each) were the most popular purchase destinations among those planning to enhance their vehicles, followed by chain auto parts stores with 11% of the vote.

When specialty-equipment buyers were asked this month what form their vehicle would take after customization, the most common answer was “general personalization” or restyling, (41%) followed distantly by “off-road” (15%), “restoration” (13%) and “street performance” (13%).

Methodology
Although similar to economic indexes, the index SEMA has been working on is not designed to report past activity, but rather consumers’ expectations of future purchases from the specialty-equipment industry.

The Indices track consumers’ plans to purchase performance parts and/or accessories within the next three months after each respective survey. This will help provide a rough forecast for demand of specialty equipment in the near future. The SEMA Performance Parts and Accessories Demand Index (PADI), and each of the three sub-indices, is a weighted composite index computed relative to its own baseline value, calculated by taking an average of January through March 2007 raw percentages.

This average is then set to 100, and each month’s index is computed relative to the change from its baseline. The indices and their movements are projectable to the national market for specialty-equipment products, which consists of more than 114 million U.S. households.

SEMA has contracted with TechnoMetrica to gather the data used in building and maintaining the PADI. Each month TechnoMetrica uses a Random Digit Dial (RDD) telephone survey to collect the data in order to provide a nationally representative sample of U.S. consumers. Typically the responses total between 850 and 1,000 in any given month. The margin of error is normally within the plus or minus 3%–4% range.

Although the PADI is not a precise measure of absolute future purchasing activity, it is nonetheless a tool for understanding and predicting industry sales. There are two ways of interpreting the PADI: its "direction," whether rising or falling, and also the values themselves, which provide a guide as to the degree of change in consumer expectations for purchasing industry products.

For more original industry insight, please visit www.sema.org/research.