 Your independent insurance agency customers come from your local community. It’s essential that your agency has a good local web presence to attract local web searchers. Here are a few tips to help with local SEO.
Local SEO - local search engine optimization is the practice of increasing the online visibility of a brick and mortar company that does business face-to-face in their community.
These are just a few tips to help improve your agency’s local search results. Two statistics to keep in mind, per BrightLocal, 92% of online searchers will pick businesses on the first page of local search and 97% of people find out more about a local company through the internet.
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 Google recently changed the name of their ad platform Google AdWords to Google Ads. They have made some changes to the ads interface that makes it easier to dig into the performance of ads. Google ads have gotten bigger and take up more real estate on search results.
PPC (Pay Per Click) continues to grow, but research shows, people who perform Google searches prefer organic search results over the paid ads search results. Organic search results refer to the listings on a search engine results page (SERP) that appear because of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). And SEO is the marketing practice, strategy and tactics focused on increasing organic (non-paid) visibility in search engine results. Here are 3 factors that will help increase the chances of your website showing up on page one of organic search results: 1. Keywords - Keywords are the key words and phrases in your website’s content that make it possible for people to find your website via search engines. Your independent insurance agency’s website should contain keywords and phrases a potential customer would enter as a search term. For example, “affordable car insurance”. These keywords should be included in your agency’s web page title tags, headers and body/content, URL, keyword description tags, meta tags and H1 tags (second title tag of your website). 2. Unique Content - Every page of your website should include quality, well written content. Generic content won’t help your agency’s web pages show up on search engine results pages. Write content that describes what makes your insurance products and services unique. Ask your customers what they were searching for and write new content that pertains to their needs and how your agency can help them with their needs. Before you begin to write your content, write down everything someone might enter as a keyword search term and use the terms in your content. Create valuable content that provides useful and informative information about what each product and service your agency is in the business of selling and what makes your’s stand out from the competition. 3. Blog - Blogging is a very effective way to increase your organic website traffic. A blog is a regularly updated page of your website that is written in a conversational and informal style. Try to keep your blog post focused on one topic or one product or service per post. Don’t try selling your product within the blog but inform your audience about a product or service. Show your readers you’re an authority on the product or service. Use the SEO content acronym, E-A-T. Demonstrate to your readers a high level of Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness in your content. There is no exact formula that will land your agency’s website on page one of organic search results. With quality and regularly updated content you should see your organic rankings improve over time.  Lisa Harkey, AlaCoast Insurance Our latest agent spotlight is on Lisa Harkey, Owner/Agent of Alacoast Insurance with 2 Alabama locations in Mobile and Saraland. We visited Lisa and asked her to share why she enjoys being an insurance agent, provide advice to future insurance agents and tell us a little about herself.
How many years have you been an insurance agent? I started working in insurance when I was 18 years old. After leaving the business for about 10 years to raise my family, I re-entered the field about 11 years ago. I now have close to 25 years of total insurance experience. What is your favorite thing about being an insurance agent? I genuinely LOVE to help people. I take a lot of pride in helping my clients get the best coverage that they can afford. Not everyone has the same sized wallet, but everyone deserves good coverage and that’s what I enjoy helping them find. It always makes my day when I’m able to save someone money and still achieve their needs. What advice would you give someone who wants to be an independent insurance agent? Don’t spread yourself too thin or you’ll run around trying to be the best at everything, but you can’t. Accept that! Find a niche and become laser focused on it. Be prepared to spend day and night in your agency to make sure it’s run properly. Never trust anyone else to take care of your business; you need to be in it everyday to be successful. I’ve spoken with a lot of younger agents that want to step into an agency and start reaping the rewards, be the “manager” and sit back while everyone else does the work, but it doesn’t work that way. You have to put in a lot of sweat equity if you want to be successful. What is one of your guilty pleasures? Traveling. But I never feel guilty about it! What is something about you that would surprise people? Well now, that’s my secret. Where’s your favorite place in the world? That’s a tough question. My absolute favorite place in the world is between Ireland and anywhere in the Rockies. Ireland is such a magical place, almost mystical. You get caught up in the history, legends and lore, it’s like stepping back in time and your imagination can run wild. However, the mountains have always called my name. I feel completely at peace when I’m there. How can Man argue that there is no God when you stand and behold such beauty and majesty? If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go? The top of my bucket list is New Zealand. I’ll get there one day! What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? My Mama’s chicken and dumplings with baked sweet potatoes on the side. It’s carb overload! Oh well, I guess that is one more of my guilty pleasures! Thanks, Lisa for sharing with us. To learn more about AlaCoast, visit their website www.alacoastinsurance.com.  When you receive a text do you read it right away? Here are some interesting statistics about text messaging:
As an independent agent and small business, texting is an efficient and effective way to reach your customers. Are you having trouble getting in touch with your customers? With texting you can remind them to make payments, confirm appointments, promote additional services and send personalized messages. Quickly and easily send messages like:
Bulk texting Bulk text messaging refers specifically to the sending of a large number of SMS messages to the mobile phones of a predetermined group of recipients. Send messages to multiple clients at once like:
Consider adding texting to your agency’s marketing strategy. You’ll drive sales, renewals and make a deeper and more personal connection with your customers.  Pedro Curbelo of Insurance Writers of America, Pembroke Pines, Florida. Pedro and Aymee Curbelo are the owners of Insurance Writers of America, a multi-lines insurance agency based in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Initially focused on life and health insurance, they moved their agency into the P&C market in 2017 and have realized astounding growth, quickly expanding to 7 employees and over 20 direct carrier appointments in less than two years. Pedro credits his networking efforts through agent associations and his non-stop promotion via social media (including LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram) for much of the agency's success.
Pedro and Aymee are also committed to helping others and together they formed the Curbelo Family Initiative, a public platform where people can volunteer their time to help the local community. How many years have you been an insurance agent? I started as a risk manager for Tyco Fire & Security in 2004 and created my own risk management/business consulting firm in 2006. With my wife's encouragement and persistence we transitioned the firm into P&C in 2017 What is your favorite thing about being an insurance agent? Providing risk analysis to my wealthiest clients, because when I uncover their extravagant lifestyle and exotic toys my goal goes up a notch! What advice would you give someone who wants to be an independent insurance agent? Grow in knowledge, and let everyone else do whatever they want while you do whatever it takes. Remember - there is no competition but your own limitations!!! What is one of your guilty pleasures? I don't have any - my life's purpose is to give and receive pleasure and that attitude keeps me from feeling guilty! What is something about you that would surprise people? That I grew up in extreme poverty and migrated to the US alone as a teen. Where’s your favorite place in the world? Riding my Harley Davidson through the Blue Ridge Mountains, no GPS, 80's rock playing with my soulmate riding right behind me. If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go? I'd ride a Harley from the coast of Malaga, Spain to the coast of Naples, Italy. What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? I'm a foodie, I like it all...but I have a weakness for Cuban Croquetas. |
AuthorVikki Thomas has been working in the insurance industry since 1995. Vikki has worked for several carriers in customer service, quality assurance, underwriting, product management and marketing. Vikki has worked at AccuAgency since 2008. Archives
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