A garage in Manchester lives on drivers who need a quick, trustworthy answer: an MOT due next week, a warning light on the M60, a clutch that has finally gone, a fleet manager looking for a workshop to service a dozen vans. Dealerships and car hire firms face the same pattern with different stakes. Increasingly, those customers start by searching on their phone, and sooner or later the owner who wants to be found is offered a 12-month visibility contract.
Twelve months is a real commitment for an independent garage. Before you sign, ask the right questions and learn to tell the answers that should reassure you from those that should worry you. Here are the ones that matter most.
One piece of advice before you start: ask every question in the same words to every provider, and write the answers down. Garages are used to comparing quotes for parts and labour line by line; a visibility contract deserves the same treatment. The differences between providers show up quickly once the answers sit side by side on one page.
1. "What exactly will be live, and by when?"
This is the first question and the most revealing. A serious provider tells you what your plan includes, the timescale, and what happens if they miss it.
Reassuring answer: a written commitment on what will be delivered, with a clear consequence if it slips, such as a free month. Worrying answer: "we'll boost your online presence" or "leave it all to us", with nothing you can check.
2. "How will I know it is working?"
You should be able to see the results yourself, without relying solely on the agency's dashboards.
Reassuring answer: results tracked in your own Google accounts, in your name, and a dated report at regular intervals that an owner can read. Worrying answer: a vague quarterly summary, or accounts that stay in the agency's name.
3. "Can you guarantee I'll be number one?"
Ask this one on purpose. The answer tells you a lot about the person in front of you.
Reassuring answer: "No. Nobody controls what Google or an AI assistant decides; we commit to what we put live and to the measurement." Worrying answer: a promise of the top position or a specific number of new customers. Someone who promises what they cannot control will struggle to keep their other commitments.
4. "Why twelve months, and what happens halfway?"
Visibility builds gradually, then accelerates, so a 12-month term is reasonable as long as there are checkpoints along the way.
Reassuring answer: a measured review on a fixed date, for example at three months, so you can read the trajectory. Worrying answer: no review planned until the contract ends. Our guide on why visibility work runs on a 12-month commitment explains what to ask for in return for the term.
5. "How many garages do you work with in Manchester?"
If your provider already works for three competing garages in your part of the city, they cannot honestly fight for the same positions for all of you.
Reassuring answer: a clearly stated limit per sector and area, possibly with an exclusivity option. Worrying answer: "we work with everyone" or a vague dodge.
6. "Do you understand how my customers choose?"
A driver needing a recovery truck on a Saturday night, a business comparing fleet maintenance contracts and a family hiring a people carrier for a holiday have very different expectations. Your provider should talk about those requests, not jargon.
Reassuring answer: questions about your most profitable work, your typical customers, the makes you specialise in and the areas you cover. Worrying answer: the same pitch they would give a bakery.
7. "What will it cost in total over the year?"
Ask for the full first-year cost, setup included, and what that covers.
Reassuring answer: published pricing, a single setup fee and a fixed monthly fee, with no hidden extras. Worrying answer: a price that depends on who you speak to, or add-ons that appear after signing. To weigh the price against what you lose today, see our guide on what it costs when drivers cannot find a garage.
A fuller list that applies to any business is in questions to ask before signing a 12-month visibility contract.
How Traffic Engine answers these questions
Traffic Engine is Kolonell's service for making your garage, dealership or hire business visible when drivers search for what you do, on Google and in AI assistant answers, so that it receives qualified enquiries. Kolonell ran it on its own website first, and the Search Console curves are published on the offer page.
What your plan includes goes live on schedule, or the following month is free. You receive a dated report every week and follow results in your own Search Console. The commitment is 12 months, with a measured review at three months. Each sector is capped at 3 standard seats per area, with an exclusive plan available while the sector is empty. On price: the Visibility Audit is £590, deducted from the £1,300 setup if you go ahead within 30 days, then Presence at £940, Momentum at £1,600 or Flood at £3,000 a month. With Momentum, year one comes to £20,500. See the full offer.
Before your meeting
Print these seven questions and put them to every provider you meet, Kolonell included. Check your current site with the free website score, and use the payback calculator to estimate how many extra jobs a month would cover the investment. You will walk in with numbers and criteria, and sign knowing exactly what you are buying.