For the average person, SEO can seem like an impossible task. Local SEO appears to be an ever-changing algorithm that makes it harder for agents to have a shot at being visible in Google Maps or the search results.
While SEO does take some strategy and work, it’s possible to improve your results with some helpful tips. Insurance is a competitive niche, but you can always implement approaches to enhance your visibility online.
What is SEO?
First and foremost, it’s crucial to understand that SEO stands for search engine optimization, which is essentially optimizing your website or blog to be seen in search engines online (especially Google).
SEO methods that may have had an impact even five years ago may be much less effective today. The algorithm for SEO is constantly being improved, so make sure you keep up with the latest changes.
How can insurance agents improve local SEO?
There are several notable actions you can take to improve your visibility in Google searches.
- Add lots of insurance-related content
One thing Google really likes is content, and lots of it. One of the biggest mistakes people make with their websites and blogs is lack of content. Try to fill your homepage with relevant content and aim to make it at least 1,000 words total. Blog posts should also be at least 600 words long, but you can do better by including a 1,500 to 2,000 word post once in a while.
Ultimately remember, content is king! Google wants to show its users relevant content, so make sure your site reflects that.
- Optimize your insurance content with the appropriate keywords
Have you ever heard of keyword research? When your content is published, Google crawls the pages and looks for certain things like keywords. Ultimately your goal is to rank for certain keywords in the insurance industry niche for visibility in the search engines.
- Use a keyword research tool online to determine what keywords you should try to rank for.
There are a slew of options that can help you with this process, and many of them have free trials. They can show you the search volume of specific terms and the estimated difficulty of ranking for those words. Look for low to moderate competition keywords rather than ones that would be almost impossible to rank for.
Remember, don’t keyword stuff! It will not do you any good to over-optimize your content with the same phrase or word dozens of times. In fact, Google will penalize you for it. Let everything flow naturally for the best user experience.
4. Get quality backlinks
Have you ever heard of a backlink? A backlink is like a vote for your site. For example, if your local chamber of commerce has a link to your website from their page, that is considered a backlink.
Remember, not all backlinks are created equal. Your goal should be to get backlinks from sites with high domain authority, or basically reputable sites. A brand new website created last week will have very little impact if it links to your site. However, let’s say a popular insurance journal links to one of your blog posts. That link will carry much more weight.
Takeaway
Even though SEO is a complex topic, these are just a few simple tips that can help you improve your insurance agency website or blog. Ultimately, more visibility on Google searches means more potential leads coming in.
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