Does your insurance agency currently invest in SEO marketing? SEO is one of the best ways to create longevity with your online presence. But wait… Before you start writing blogs, and changing title tags, you should really learn from others’ failures. Don’t you want to know the biggest insurance SEO mistakes?
And if you are making SEO a part of your overall marketing efforts, are you seeing the results you hoped for?
Either way, stay tuned to learn the benefits of SEO for insurance agencies, how to clear common SEO hurdles, and what you need to do to avoid the biggest insurance SEO mistakes that could be costing you.
Benefits of SEO for Insurance Agents
SEO isn’t a fad. It’s a great marketing process that can provide an insurance agency or agent with plenty of benefits. Here are a few to consider if you’re on the SEO fence.
Higher search engine results
What may be the most desired and obvious benefit of SEO, improved search engine rankings is often the motivation behind a company’s inspiration to embark in SEO. However, this benefit is also the most difficult to achieve.
Brand development and recognition
Chances are, if you’re focused on SEO, you’re also working on developing your brand. Through content development, you’re forced to choose a voice for your company and put out visuals that connect each piece of content. All of this helps readers recognize and relate with your company.
New opportunities for growth
The demand for better (and more) content can encourage an insurance marketing team to dig deep and brainstorm unique ways to connect with readers. SEO can also help uncover markets that may otherwise have been scooped up by a competitor.
Common SEO Hurdles for Insurance Agents
Conquering SEO isn’t easy. And when it comes to the insurance industry, there are unique hurdles to look out for.
Intense competition
The insurance industry gives the competition a new meaning. With carriers with massive budgets competing for the same keywords as brokerages, it’s a constant uphill battle to stand out from the crowd. And even once you do, there’s always a competitor with more resources to pull the rug out from underneath you.
Big names
Big time carriers like Allstate or Progressive seem to have a monopoly on heavily searched insurance-related keywords. If you think you can target a keyword like home insurance in Wisconsin, it’s time to rethink your SEO strategy.
Constant demand
The insurance industry is continuously evolving. As new companies emerge and introduce new terms and trends, the rest of the industry is forced to adapt. This means content needs to be continuously created, regulated, and updated. It’s a full-time job in itself and one, not all agencies have the time or manpower for.
Top 5 Biggest Insurance SEO Mistakes
Even with the best of intentions, some agencies make a few SEO blunders. Read through our list of the top five biggest insurance SEO mistakes to avoid the heartache yourself.
1. Expecting results overnight
SEO takes time. In fact, it takes between 90 and 180 days, on average, to rank for a certain keyword. There are several variables to consider, like the number of competing websites already ranking and the overall ranking difficulty for a target keyword, but thinking you can rank in a matter of days or even weeks is an unrealistic expectation that leads to many abandoning their SEO efforts.
2. Not thinking outside the box
As mentioned, the SEO world in the insurance industry is extremely competitive. You won’t rank for keywords like auto insurance or best life insurance policy. Instead, you’ll need to get a bit creative with your keyword research.
Need a little help? Head to an insurance forum. You’ll find real questions that real people are asking about insurance. Work a question into a keyword and you could have a winning piece of content. And remember to think like an insurance shopper who doesn’t know industry jargon.
3. Ignoring directories
Online directories are simple ways for businesses to build links and draw traffic to their site, especially in the insurance industry. Unfortunately, too many smaller agencies or solo agents skip directories altogether.
When you list your agency in a directory, you’re increasing your website’s visibility and boosting your site’s SEO and rankings by creating trusted links, as long as a directory is a trusted source. Even better, there are plenty of free online directories you can zero in on, like Yelp and Foursquare. When it comes to insurance-specific directories, there may be a fee. But it’s often well worth the investment.
4. Poor quality content
Did one of your keywords rank? Awesome! Still not seeing leads pour in? It could be because your content is turning them off. Google is getting better at ignoring poorly written content but a few still slip past the algorithm gates. Don’t focus on writing your content around a keyword and forget to breathe a little life into it.
Your SEO efforts and content should complement each other. A great piece of content can’t engage and convert if it’s invisible to search engines. At the same time, poorly written content can’t engage and convert either, no matter how many people are reading it. Invest your resources in both SEO and quality content if you want to experience simultaneous volume and enthusiastic engagement.
5. Not analyzing your efforts
Hitting a home run on the first swing with SEO is rare. Chances are, you’ll need to evolve alongside the algorithms.
Make time to evaluate and analyze your SEO efforts. This is the only way to learn how you need to adjust your process to improve results.
You can use a free SEO analyzer to get an idea of your performance or work with a digital marketing agency that can provide you with in-depth metrics.
Your SEO Policy
SEO for insurance agents is an evolving process. And when you have a never-ending list of insurance tasks to handle, the idea of developing and implementing an SEO strategy can be overwhelming.
Don’t make the mistake of ignoring SEO. Instead, slowly make it part of your daily routine and learn as you go. If you can avoid the biggest insurance SEO mistakes, you’re sure to see your efforts turn into results over time.
