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"SEO: the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the natural, un-paid, or organic search results"

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Back to the Basics

SEO combines the methods of how search engines work, what people search for, the actual terms or keywords entered into search engines, and which search engines are preferred by target audiences.

Optimizing a website for SEO involves editing the content, promoting that site around the web, and removing any barriers possible so that search engines can index the site.


No Cheaters Allowed

Don't cheat yourself out of something rewarding to get something easy. SEO can be thought of similarly to a relationship. Your site should be accessible, have goals set for the future, always know the right things to say, know the likes and dislikes of search engines, never come off as fake, automated, or a copy-cat, and never ever bore them. Never.


The Truth of the Matter

If you would prefer to find love by going on reality television, getting engaged after 1 week, and becoming married after 1 month, then I can already guess how long that marriage will last...

But if you prefer the tried and true way of meeting someone at your local coffee shop, getting to know that person over a few dates, then embarking on a lifelong journey of happiness, you're already one step closer to understanding SEO!


Making it Make Sense

They say love is fleeting. And search engines can be just as tricky. So if you haven't figured it out by now, you have the power to choose that regrettable rush of a drive-thru wedding in Vegas or holding on to the lasting satisfaction of a relationship sustained through the ups and downs. This is similar to Paid SEO tactics and Natural SEO tactics. You can pay to feel that instant, however short-lived rush, or you can grow naturally. The results will speak for themselves.

In dating and in SEO.

Timeline Is Coming To Your Agency's Facebook Page: What to Expect

Last fall Facebook introduced a big change to personal profiles... a new profile layout called Timeline. This morning Facebook officially announced that Timeline will now be available to brand pages. All brand pages will be automatically updated with Timeline on March 30, 2012.

What you can expect:

• Though the layout of your page will change, Facebook will remain a channel of two-way communication.
• Like Timeline for personal pages, you will now get to add a cover photo to your agency's Facebook page. This large photo at the top of your profile is a great opportunity for showcasing some creative designs and reinforcing your agency's brand.
• New admin capabilities will include the ability to pin your most important content so it remains at the top of your profile for seven days.
• You can also star different milestones in your agency's history - like opening a new location, adding a line of business, etc - so it appears twice the size of other items in your profile thereby drawing attention to those important periods of your history.
• A simpler, easier-to-use admin panel that expands and hides on the same page you're editing. You will no longer have to go to a separate page to change the content.

What to do:

• If you have a social media plan, review it and look for what works, what doesn't and what Timeline can help improve. If you don't have a social media plan, now is a great time to consider putting one together.
• Start working on your cover photo. Since it is a large photo, there is a lot of space to feature something captivating and reinforce your brand. You can update your cover photo weekly so it's always fresh. The dimensions for cover photos are 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall.
• Go through your agency history and star the milestones you want to highlight.
• Update your information and look at who has access to your page. Do you need all of those admins? Get rid of anything that isn't necessary or is out-dated. 

If you have an insurance website from Insurance Website Builder, please note that Timeline will not affect our Facebook social media plugin, which puts a mini-version of your website on Facebook.

Changes to Facebook tend to cause a bit of a panic. Take a deep breath. This change is not going to happen overnight. You have until March 30.

6 Local Business Directories You Can't Ignore

1. Google Local: This is the big dog of all local business directories. If you aren't listed here, you're throwing away money and missing out on potential customers. Filling out your listing completely and having your customers review your business should result in high rankings. Top local listings appear on the first page of the search results.

2. Yahoo Local: This is another large local business directory. Listings can take up to a month to be approved since they are manually reviewed.

3. Bing Local: This business directory shares the same format at Google and Yahoo local listings. Once you submit your listing, Bing will mail a postcard to your business with a verification code.

4. Hotfrog.com: This directory has over 71 million businesses globally. They claim that businesses will rank higher because their technology helps get your unique keywords picked up by search engines.

5. Yelp.com: Yelp is very popular local directory the ranks well with search engines. So, your actual Yelp listing may show up in the search results. The more positive reviews a business has, the better the higher the business ranking. This isn't dofollow, but it is free and should send at least a few customers your way.

6. Kudzu.com: Kudzu is a highly-rated nationwide directory that allows free listings. It takes a few days to be approved, but the listing allows images and categories important to be ranked in the search engines.


Is your business listed with all of the important local business directories? Our SEO team at Insurance Website Builder can always make recommendations to make your insurance agent website more visible on the internet. Call us today at 1-800-383-3482 for more information.