Easy List of How to Fully Benefit from Your Website

1. Site Title & Description
   This is what search engines read and display, so make it concise, but descriptive. (For example, ‘Auto, Home, Life Insurance – Dallas, Plano, Richardson TX’ for the title and ‘Example Insurance Agency specializes in auto, home and life insurance in Dallas, Plano, Richardson and the surrounding areas of Texas.’ for the description ) Limit your title to 65 characters and description to 150 characters. Search engines will not index characters beyond this limit. Use this Javascript Kit webpage to count your characters.

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Tip of the Iceberg

This is your Fun Friday posting, but it's actually a very honest depiction:

Be sure you let this one sink in!

Link Your Facebook to Your Twitter

Social Networking is one of the best, and now easiest ways to reach potential clients and customers directly. Follow these easy step-by-step instructions on how to link your Facebook Page to your Twitter Feed so you can share everything you publish with everyone you know.

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com/twitter/
2. Login, then select the button reading "Link a Page to Twitter"
3. Your available pages should be listed with a button to the right that reads "Link to Twitter"
4. Select the button corresponding to the page you wish to link
5. You will be redirected to a Twitter page asking for your Twitter Username & Password
6. Enter your login information and select the button that reads "Allow"
7. You will be redirected back to Facebook and a list of Settings to Edit will be visible
8. You can choose to share any or all of the choices that include Status Updates, Photos, Video, Links, Notes, and Events.
9. Feel free to leave all the selections chosen
10. Select "Save Changes" and you are now connected!

You are now more connected to social networking and will easily generate twice as many postings.

Additional Resources

• Facebook Page Help
• Business Page Tips from Facebook
• How Facebook boosts Rankings
• Social Media and the Insurance Industry

How to Create a Facebook Business Page

Social networking in this day and age is essential to businesses. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to create a business page on the new Facebook.

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
2. Select Local Business and choose the type of local business. Insurance agencies can select Professional Service.
3. Enter the name of the Agency. It's best to enter the name of the Agency rather than a slogan or catchphrase, it makes it better for branding in the long run.
4. Review the Facebook Terms and check the box to agree.
5. Click Create Official Page
6. Select whether or not you have a personal Facebook page. It is more advantageous if you have a personal page, as Facebook allows a lot more capabilities for Page Administrators who have personal accounts.
7. If you do have a personal page, you will be asked to login.
8. If you do not have a personal page then type in your email address.
9. Enter your password.
10. Enter your date of birth.
11. Enter the Captcha form – to make sure you’re human.
12. Review the Facebook Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and check the box to agree.
13. Click Sign up Now!
14. Facebook asks that you confirm your email address. Login to your email and click on the link to complete registration.
15. Your page has been created!

Now that you have completed the basics, it’s time to customize your page. It’s crucial that you fill out as much information as you can to gain trust from your customers. Fill in the Basic and Detailed Info, as well as adding pictures to your profile. This can be a picture of yourself or your agents. A people picture is more favorable to a logo or storefront, as this builds trust with the potential customer and makes your agency more accessible and personable.  Be sure to add a succinct description in the box under the profile picture.

For Advanced Users
Add the Static FBML application. It stands for Facebook Markup Language which is Facebook’s version of HTML. Unfortunately you can only add the application if you have a personal page. Click on the link to Add to My Page. You will be able to add simple formatting like bold and italics, and you can also add anchor text.

And there you have it, a comprehensive guide to creating a Facebook page.

Additional Resources

• Facebook Page Help
• Business Page Tips from Facebook
• Give your Facebook Business Page a Username
• How Facebook boosts Rankings
• Set up Automatic Tweeting from your IWB website
• Link Facebook with Twitter 
• Comprehensive Facebook Page information
• Social Media and the Insurance Industry
• Getting started with Facebook for Your Business.

Off-site Optimization

One of the two main components of SEO is off-site optimization. Off-site optimization involves putting links on other websites to your own website, otherwise known as backlinking or inbound links. The other is on-site optimization.

• Social networking sites. You can create Twitter, Facebook and Linked In profiles or any other type that is popular, and then link those back to your homepage.
• Commenting on blogs. You can comment on other insurance blogs, or blogs in general and put your web address in the comment.
• Google likes fresh content. One way to do that is to blog on your website. You can find this in the Admin Console under Communication Settings. You can have links that link to other pages in your website. You can blog about interesting news articles, community news, financial news, any promotions your business is holding. Watch a video on how to blog on your IWB website.