Insurance Agency Website Design
Whether you’re an established insurance agent or not, having a website in place is an essential tool that will not only boost your credibility and give your insurance business a more professional image, it can result in online insurance leads.
ADA Compliant Insurance Agency Websites
We studied 50 websites of independent insurance agents, and we found that things are looking a bit gloomy. In fact, out of every 100 agents on Linkedin, only 9 agents have a website. Well, technically, a little less than 9 agents (8.8%). And I’m assuming that if you’re on LinkedIn, you may be more inclined to have a website. So that number is probably lower. If that’s even possible. And what’s more, 34 of the 50 websites we studied scored an F in actual effectiveness. So, if we’re going to talk about agent websites that are actually useful to the consumer, well… only 2.8% of agents are on the right track. Which means we have 97.2% to go.
More than 60% of salespeople believe that selling is getting tougher than before.
An analysis of more than 2,200 American companies found those who attempted to reach leads within an hour were nearly seven times likelier to have meaningful conversations with decision-makers than those who waited even 60 minutes.
57% of the top sales professionals rate marketing’s importance in closing deals at eight or above.
57% of consumers choose to do business with a company primarily because of good customer service.
The importance of mobile UX, Mobile Friendly Insurance Agency Website Design
On April 15, 2015, Google released its mobile-friendly update that SEO marketers now refer to as Mobilegeddon. It doesn’t just sound important; it is important. Website pages began being marked as mobile-friendly or not. It’s written in black and white. There is no gray area. This is called mobile-first indexing.
Not only do we have Google valuing how mobile-friendly your website as a ranking factor, but we are also seeing an increase in mobile usage. Roughly 78% of traffic that comes to Insurance Website Builder websites comes from mobile devices. If your website is not mobile-friendly, you can expect to lose traffic in the coming years.
But, it is no longer as simple as having a mobile version of your website. The user experience needs to be smooth and easy to navigate. Your website content should quickly answer questions and keep visitors engaged.
Mobile-friendliness… who cares, right?
Well, not exactly.
Google gives you gold stars for having a website that’s compatible with our smartphones. While gold stars are really tempting, Google does this for good reason.
In 2012, the search engine giant conducted some research that indicates the following:
- 74% of visitors are more likely to return to mobile-friendly websites
- 61% are likely to leave if a site isn’t mobile-friendly, and
- 67% are more likely to buy at a mobile-friendly website.
And since Google rules the world wide web, they have a nifty tool you can use to see if your site is indeed compatible with your iPhone.
Simply go to → google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ ← and paste your website’s URL into the box.
It’s really hard to see the text on the screen, and it’s nearly impossible to tap on one of the menu options to the left. They’re way too close together. And nothing is more infuriating than trying to get to the About page and ending up on the Privacy Policy.
Here’s an example of a website that is optimized for mobile:
Secure Insurance Agency Websites
Data privacy has always been a non-negotiable in the insurance industry. That sentiment extends to websites.
We have seen an increase in significant data breaches in the last few years, and it should come as no surprise that there is a growing concern about data privacy and security amongst consumers. A survey by HubSpot showed that 82% of respondents would leave a website with a Not Secure warning.
Enabling HTTPS protocol for your insurance agency website is essential for modern websites. If you are collecting any personal information on your website, you need a secure site. That includes web forms. The extra cost to implement security measures on your website each year is worth the peace of mind and those potential leads you may be missing.
Google has explicitly stated that website security is a top priority for them. Since 2014, they have used HTTPS as a ranking signal. We can see evidence of just how important HTTPS protocols are to Google based on their actions. Other than the benefit of data security itself, most benefits of HTTPS are tied directly to SEO.
If your website is still on HTTP, website visitors simply will not trust it. You have probably seen what happens when you visit a website that isn’t secure. A notification appears in your window that says, “Your connection to this site is not secure.” That’s a red flag many won’t ignore.
In previous blog posts, we’ve discussed the importance of backlinks. If your website is still on HTTP and backlinking from an HTTPS website, that data will not be recorded by analytics services like Google Analytics. The inability to record actionable data from backlinks to your website is a big missed opportunity.
In short, the pros vastly outweigh the cons when considering whether it’s worth the time and money to migrate to HTTPS.
Take these top question and description words into consideration when writing content for your website.
69% of insurance consumers ran a search before scheduling an appointment. For many insurance shoppers, search is the first step to assess their options. (Source: LSA)
Over 50% of insurance searches are performed on mobile devices. In our mobile-first world, many insurance searches are run on smartphones, which makes calling an agent more seamless than ever before. (Source: Blue Corona)
Mobile queries that contain “insurance near me” have grown by over 100% in the past two years. More than ever, insurance shoppers are placing local searches and researching agents in their area. (Source: Google)
68% of insurance consumers did not have one company in mind when they started searching. This presents an opportunity to convert these undecided consumers with search ads. (Source: LSA)
Benefits from our Insurance Agency Websites
The demand for excellent digital experiences
Your website could have the most compelling and informative content out there. However, that will not matter if your website takes too long to load. Not only will it irritate your visitors, but it is also another ranking factor that Google uses.
We know that capturing the attention of your website visitors is important. Improving your page speed is one part of the formula for providing an excellent digital experience. Beyond the load time for your website, consider how easily the average consumer can navigate your site.
Insurance agencies deal with a diverse set of clients, and not everyone has the same level of digital competency. Make sure anyone and everyone could navigate your website.
Focusing on SEO is an essential element of any digital marketing plan. The algorithms and ranking factors are in a constant state of flux. It is important to keep an eye out for new changes, new trends, and new best practices that you can add to your strategic plan.