Insurance Marketing Blog

We frequently talk about the benefits of having an insurance website that can work with your offline insurance marketing efforts. These benefits included building credibility by showing case examples and client testimonials things that cannot be done on a billboard.

But the most important value of a website is its ability to work as the center of your online insurance marketing strategy.

Two things have to happen to make a website successful. Number one, when someone types in your region and insurance type, your website needs to be on the first page of the search results. This is achieved with article publishing, inbound links, social networking, and blogging. With a little time investment, hard work from your SEO company, and a consistent number of new inbound links pointing to your website from other websites, your website should be easy to find by prospective clients.

So now that the insurance website is found on the search engine, it’s time to convert that visitor into a contact. Websites that are old, aesthetically unattractive, and not formatted to be user-friendly will experience a much lower conversion rate regardless of where they are ranked on the first page of search engine results.

But of course it all starts with being found in the search engines.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call 1.800.504.8593.

The beginning of the year is a time when many insurance agencies and companies are planning their annual insurance marketing strategy. Getting new policies is, of course, what will determine this year’s success.

Companies or agencies of all must decide whether or not to continue old insurance marketing practices that are offering limited returns or to pursue newer marketing avenues like search engine optimization and online insurance marketing.

In comparing online media with traditional media we will start with the insurance website. The website holds a unique power in that it can be a stand-alone marketing strategy as well as a complimentary piece to your offline insurance marketing. For example, a billboard with your website address on it could prove to convert a passersby to a new client, who would have otherwise ignored your phone number.

Another example of an insurance website working as a complimentary piece of your offline marketing is with television, radio or print. Your company could publish free information pieces then advertise those pieces on your radio, television or print advertisements to encourage viewers and listeners to visit your website.

An insurance website can do what an advertisement cannot and that is build confidence with the prospective client. It is on a website that your company or agency can prove to the prospective policy holder that you have exactly what they need in a no-pressure environment.

Where drive by and print media force you to consolidate your message into a few words, your insurance website gives you the ability to expound upon your knowledge, host frequently updated blog entries, user instigated videos, and other details to encourage a user to contact your insurance company or agency.

Next week we will talk about what to expect with the second part of your insurance marketing strategy, the search engine optimization.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call

To improve your insurance website’s ranking and to get the most out of your online insurance marketing investment for the upcoming year, you may need a new website design; or possibly, not just a new website but an entire new brand.

Branding is crucial for any business and the insurance industry is no different. Multiple case studies show that utilizing a branding effort will convert better across all advertising medias because a strong brand gives the target client base an image to remember. By building a professional website and strong brand, you set your insurance business above the competition and help your image stand out to your target client base.

When a person or company is in need of coverage, they are bombarded with websites, billboards and logos of other insurance agencies and companies. If you want your agency or company to really stand out, a generic logo and template website will not achieve this goal.

Branding your agency/company will increase the success of your online insurance marketing strategy; whether it’s search engine optimization and online marketing, billboard advertising, television or print media. People remember imagery more clearly than words.

Lay down the foundation for a successful 2010 by improving your website, improving your brand, and improving your search engine ranking.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call 1.800.504.8593.

All marketing literature from print to mass media to the web must be properly branded to your insurance market. This is very basic. However, many insurance agencies and even companies try to cut costs with their online insurance marketing efforts by using templates for their website.

The problem with template designs is that they are oftentimes designed around generic ideas. For example, if a designer is trying to sell their cookie cutter template to as many insurance websites as possible, they are going to make it suitable for common ideas.

However, the template website design will not come with a means to communicate with your target clientele. By using a generic design, you’re marketing your agency or company as being – well, generic.

The branding of your insurance agency is a multifaceted effort that must show congruence from business card, to billboard, to letterhead; and even to your website. The only way to truly communicate with your target market and really reap the benefits of your online marketing investment is to have a custom design developed exclusively for your insurance agency or company around your practice area(s), and exclusively for your target audience.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call 1.800.504.8593.

At the center of online insurance marketing is search engine optimization. While some less scrupulous search engine optimization companies may give promises of overnight success, the rise to the top requires a little time investment.

Websites that rank highly in Google and other search engines do so because of their clear design, navigation, sometimes age, and the quality of their website.

Search engines want to deliver the highest quality results to their search audience. Google claimed market share from competing search engines like Yahoo and Altavista by writing an algorithm that assessed a quality score to every website and ranked them accordingly. The result, a search engine that displayed top quality search results.

Of course by doing so, they raised the standards of website development and search engine optimization and made it a little harder to get to the top.

In most moderately competitive markets, rankings move up in a “two steps forward, one step back” motion that ultimately stabilizes in a preferred ranking on the first page.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call 1.800.504.8593.

Everyday, we talk to insurance agencies and companies from all across the country. It is through this daily interaction that we learn about the concerns of insurance professionals in their pursuit of online insurance marketing strategies that work.

A major concern with many agencies and companies is whether or not they can compete, since they are coming into the online market much later than competitors that may have established a web presence well over a decade ago.

While it will not happen overnight, your insurance website can compete in the search engines.

When ranking a website, Google looks at two primary elements: your website and the number of quality links coming into your website. The advantage that other insurance agencies and companies have - that started many years ago - is simply their inbound link population.

As your insurance website exists, serves visitors and is referenced in third party articles or in the news, you start acquiring a number of inbound links (other websites linking to your website) which improves your credibility with Google.

If you do not previously have a website at all, you will have to get a little more aggressive. A new insurance website needs to (forgive the ancient motivational rhetoric) hit the ground running. From the time it goes live, you need a media machine putting content out on the web, news articles into online newswires, and a team of specialists distributing content through a series of social networks.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call 1.800.504.8593.

If your insurance website is getting traffic but converting to fewer policies, one simple fix could be a quick upgrade.

Oftentimes, insurance agencies and companies that have been around a while, have traffic going into their website. If the domain name (www.yourlawfirmname.com) has a few years behind it, that greatly helps the search engine optimization process. Google looks at websites that are more established, have stood the test of time, and offer valuable content. So an aged domain name is a big plus for the search engine marketing side.

While Google likes seeing insurance websites that have been around the web for a significant length of time, that does not necessarily mean they want your design to be old. In fact, if your design is more than a few years old, it’s time for a new one.

The standards for web design have changed significantly over the years. Back in the early nineties, websites frequently used frames (a website structure that uses 2-3 webpages and displays them as one). Now if you use frames, chances are Google has tucked you away deep into their search pages.

With website designs constantly evolving, your insurance website should not be left behind. Most people put a lot of emphasis on the professionalism of websites when deciding to work with an insurance agent, make a purchase, or engage in any other transaction. Your website is an extension of your agency or company and represents the quality and professionalism of the service you provide to your policy holders.

So to bump up conversion and get more out of your insurance marketing dollars, a new website design could be a simple fix.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call 1.800.504.8593.

When you have traffic on your insurance website, you are only halfway to your goal. Google wants to see high quality websites with error free code and professional design. Designs that offer easy navigation for both your end user and the search engine bots are key to getting favorable rankings in the search engines.

Once you have a professional insurance website with inbound links, and your website appears on the first page of search results, then it is time convert traffic to new policies.

Your insurance website must include a call to action. What do you want your visitors to do? Do you want them to read about your achievements, your history and your education? Certainly those are all very important items to have on your website to build a level of confidence but ultimately, you want a quote request.

The best way to improve your website’s conversion is through a call to action. You must tell your visitors what to do. For example, you can have information about your insurance lines, and then periodically interrupt with “click here to get a quote” That link should, of course, take your visitor to a detailed contact page or quote form.

Another important element for conversion is making a short contact form readily available. On every single page of your website, you should have a basic contact form or ability to start the quoting process. You do not want to make your prospective clients work to find out how to contact you.

Make it obvious and make it simple.

Those three items are the most important components of search engine marketing.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call 1.800.504.8593.

As many took off today for Columbus Day, we continued to work hard to make sure that the insurance companies and agencies who trust us with their insurance marketing continued to climb the search engine ladder.

When Christopher Columbus embarked on his journey, he was searching for the Indies but clearly missed; and thus, landed in North America. When it comes to your insurance marketing, you can’t really afford misdirection as it never ends with discovering something better.

The Internet is still very young (only being commercially accessible to the public since the early 90’s) and still a little risky to explore. This is why it helps to embark on your insurance marketing journey with a map to make sure you are pointing in the right direction.

Here are a few things to consider before marketing online.

1) What are your keywords? – If you optimize for keyphrases that nobody searches for, you will get high placement in Google with no traffic to show for it. Make sure your search engine optimization company researches keyphrases and checks how many searches Google receives on a monthly basis for those terms before optimizing your insurance website. Most SEO companies guess the keyphrases that will work without doing any real research.

2) How are links getting built? – To get ranked higher, your website will need other websites to link to it. The best way to do this is through content. We write articles and press releases each month and then distribute them through online newswires (Google News), blogs, social networks and information resources. As the content is distributed, it syndicates and so does the link back to your insurance website.

3) Your website? – Just as an old ship can no longer be seaworthy, your website may also no longer be fit for the Internet. Web standards are changing and becoming more advanced. Internet users are expecting more from their website experience. Make sure your insurance website is delivering by updating or possibly completely renovating your online presence.

Those three items are the most important components of search engine marketing.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call 1.800.504.8593.

Unlike other insurance marketing and search engine optimization companies, we like to express an honest expectation of how search engine optimization works. The insurance search engine optimization process is progressive, which means a newly optimized website will gradually make its way to the first page of Google for its related search terms.

So at first your insurance website may rank on page 5 (shortly after the SEO re-indexing) then it will work its way to page 3, then 2, and then ultimately to the first page.

So does that mean you are not going to see results for months? Not at all. Utilizing a series of traffic sources is what gets you to the first page.

You have two main elements of search engine optimization: onsite relevance and third party websites linking to your insurance website. The inbound links build credibility for your website, thus resulting in a high ranking.

What are the traffic sources?

Newswires – On most of our standard plans, we write two press releases every month for your agency or company. Those press releases go out to newswires that syndicate to Google News and other relevant news sites and blogs. As people read your press releases from these sources, they click through to your website, thus building not only links but traffic.

Blogs – Your website blog can be syndicated to Digg, your Business Facebook page and Google Blog Search (Google’s search engine for blogs). As content is posted to your onsite blog, it gets syndicated and distributed throughout the web – again, carrying your link and leading web traffic back to your agency’s website.

Social Networks – Social networks are a great traffic source. In fact, we now work with over 6 social networks. These networks allow us to post content to their high traffic, high page ranking networks. As a result, your information and website links reach a targeted audience of potential new clients looking for information related to your area of practice.

The combined search engine optimization process will yield immediate clicks and traffic to your insurance website, even before your website is ranked on the first page of search results. However, this isn’t necessarily the case with all insurance marketing companies because no other company offers the combined press releases, articles, blogging, social networking and writing services as a standard part of their insurance marketing package.

To learn more about insurance marketing, insurance search engine optimization, insurance web design, insurance website or insurance agency marketing, visit ReadytoQuote.com or call 1.800.504.8593.