Every day, I visit many websites of insurance agencies. Sometimes I find a website that uses Web 2.0 best practices. It is populated with high-quality dynamic content and optimized for insurance agency SEO. The site also includes social media icons and a well-placed call to action. These websites are easy-to-identify and reflect the effort and time invested by the agency in ensuring that clients, partners, and prospects have a professional and engaging website experience. Sites that are out of date are more common than sites that are outdated. Template sites are sites that use the same content (non-original or boilerplate) from multiple agency websites.
Many clients, prospects, and partners may have visited agents in person years ago. Today, more people visit insurance agency websites than ever will actually walk into the doors. This holds true for both Personal Lines and Commercial Lines. When it comes to business, we’ve all heard that cash is the king. Websites are content is king. This should be interpreted as “unique contents is king”. It is essential that your website contains original content and has your own look and feel. Your website should communicate your agency’s unique value proposition and highlight the unique attributes of your products, solutions, and services.
These are the Top 10 Website Elements Your Agency Should Consider When Designing Your Website.
- Header, logo, and value proposition
- Navigation: Keep it simple
- Page title, meta description, keywords (on page SEO)
- Unique design
- Balance between graphic and content
- Theme and color
- Blog content includes text, graphics and video
- Download speed
- No-follow outbound links and quality inbound links
- Get involved!
These are the Top 10 Watch Out Tips
- Avoid templates that make your agency website look identical to other agencies.
- Content out of date
- Photos and images that are out of date
- Combining Personal Lines and Commercial Lines
- Each page has a non-existent or vague Call to Action
- Too many calls to action on one web page
- Browser incompatibility
- Flash video with very limited content or large graphics
- Broken links
- Use utilities and features to make your site look like other sites
Once you have established a target audience for your website, what is the unique value proposition you offer and how can you communicate this to your web visitors? Let’s assume you own a trucking company. Are you able to offer special group insurance plans, guaranteed major medical for owners, hours of service updates in a newsletter and a hotline 24 hours a day in case of spill-related emergencies? Do you prefer a small agency that provides personalized attention to every client, or one with strong resources and deep expertise? Maybe you believe your agency provides a combination of both personal service and fleet expertise. Do all agents have a Commercial Drivers License? Or have they received specialized training so that they can meet the needs of clients and prospects at your trucking agency?
Your agency website should clearly communicate your unique value proposition. This applies to both general agencies and vertical agencies. Keep in mind that services that include bundled services are often overlooked on agency websites. However, get a quote right now is often a popular theme. Be clear about your unique value proposition and website. Don’t use the same content, spokespersons, or “chatterbots” as others. Wikipedia describes chatterbots as computer programs that simulate conversation using auditory methods. If an agency decides to use a chatterbot they should use someone from their agency to discuss their value proposition. It would be like having the same chatterbot used by another agency. (Would GM, Ford and Honda all use the exact same spokesperson for their products? Instead of using chatter robots, agencies could record short videos and strategically place them on every website page. YouTube placement is another advantage for agencies to increase their SEO efforts. Agents, brokers, and agencies should spend the time to create original content, video, and graphics that highlight the uniqueness of their agency.