Secret to Success

Here's a little tip that Google probably doesn't want you to know...

Happy Friday!

Let's Talk Expiration Dates

You've heard it time and time again. Content is King.

To show how your content is a reflection of your site to Google, let's consider expiration dates.

Somewhere, either sitting in your refrigerator, on your kitchen counter, under the seat in your car, or at your desk, you probably have food that will one day go bad. It will eventually sit there too long, start to grow mold, eventually stink up everything, and you will finally throw it out. Imagine if Google viewed your site the way you view that food.

Well it does. Kinda.

Google wants to expose its users to fresh sites. That means it will take note of sites that are updated often and updated with meanigful changes. Sites that are left too long and become stale will be tossed aside and may never be served up as a search result. So if it hasn't been stressed enough already, keep your site fresh.

How often should a site be updated? Often. Weekly, if possible.

How much should a site be updated? A lot. More should be changed than just the date, navigation, or advertisement.

What kind of content should be added to the site? New Pages. Not just new content on existing pages. Google wants to provide new value, so it wants to find new pages.

As a bonus, here's an infographic from bitrebels to further breakdown how to make your content King.

Anatomy of a Social Consumer [Infographic]

58% of consumers connect with brands on social media because they are a customer. When one follower shares information about you or something you've posted or written on social media, on average 77 people are reached. This can have a profound impact on increasing your agency's awareness. This infographic has more information and stats on how consumers are interacting with brands on social media.

Source:truaxis.com

How to Share Interesting Content on Social Media

There are countless articles online about social media, how to use it for business, how to engage your audience on social media, etc. etc. Almost always one of the tips include sharing content on social media your audience will find interesting. But how do you know what content to share?

Sharing content that you didn't write is called content curation. It can be a great way to be seen as knowledgeable and to build your social media audience.

Here are 4 tips to help you decide what content to share with your audience:

1. Be curious.

If you are curious about the same things your audience is curious about, posting articles that share in that knowledge and curiosity will be interesting and engaging.

2. Make the connections for them.

Ever see an article that is not directly about insurance, but you see how it could apply to insurance? Post it. There is no reason why you can't share seemingly unrelated content. Just make sure you make the connection for your audience when sharing.

3. Get excited.

When you get excited about an article, it shows when you share it with your audience. Your audience will respond to your enthusiasm. So if that article you found made you excited, share away!

4. Think about your audience.

Share content that is of interest to your audience. Strive for a balance of articles that you like with articles your audience will find interesting.

Masters of Marketing: Advanced Websites for Insurance Agents

Here's the presentation from today's Masters of Marketing webinar on Advanced Websites for Insurance Agents. If you would like to join us every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. Central when we discuss marketing tips, you can register here.

Masters of Marketing: Advanced Websites for Insurance Agents

View more PowerPoint from Darmini Kara

Build an Awesome Website: 8 Things to Do Before You Get Started

When done right your insurance agency website can be the best tool in your marketing toolbox. When done right it can actually help you sell insurance.

I know what you're asking. How do you build a website so it's done right? First, you need to realize that a website is more than just a pretty design. You should first focus on why you need a website and what you want it to do instead of what you want on it.

Do you want a website that is basic and has your agency's information on it? Or do you want a website that allows you to do online quoting, generates leads and integrates with social media? In other words, do you want a website that is an integral part of your online marketing plan driving leads, educating prospects and communicating with customers?

Here are 8 things to do before you get started on building your website:

Do:

1. Set goals. Make them realistic and measurable. Here are some great ideas to get you started: Generate leads online. Increase brand awareness. Expand your market to surrounding areas. Improve conversions.

2. Learn SEO basics. You absolutely will want help in optimizing your website for search engines. But understanding the basics of search engine optimization is something you need to know too. Plus, when SEO starts working, you don't have to spend so much time trying to improve your website traffic.

3. Plan on creating a mobile version of your website. 25% of the traffic to our client's websites comes from mobile devices. This number will continue to rise as more people buy smartphones and tablets and start using their mobile devices to surf the Internet instead of their desktops or laptops.

4. Look at your competitors. Are they doing something right on their websites? What do you like? What don't you like? This is your chance to identify opportunities your competitors might be missing out on that you can take advantage of on your new website.

5. Develop custom content. One of the most important elements of online marketing is custom content. When done correctly, it improves the readability of your website and helps to optimize it for search engines. Custom content also differentiates your agency from your competition and can improve the time visitors spend on your website. 

6. Include calls to action. A call to action will clearly indicate what you want your website visitors to do. Offer online quoting? Don't just say "We'll give you a free online quote." Say "To get your free online quote, enter your information below and click submit." Have free reports to download? Instead of saying "Free report on the basics of a homeowners policy" say "Click here to get your free report on renters insurance 101."

7. Answer the "Why?"question. Visitors won't subscribe to your newsletter or follow you on social media if you don't give them a reason why they should. Don't just put up a subscribe box or follow buttons without explaining what visitors will get out of subscribing or following.

8. Trust your web designer. You've hired an expert because building websites is what he does for a living. He knows the latest trends and tricks to make your website great. Let him do what he does best, and he's more likely to not only meet your goals but exceed them.

Insurance Website Builder specializes in insurance agency websites and giving agents a strong web presence through quality insurance web designs. Every website from Insurance Website Builder is customized and optimized to sell insurance and help agencies get more customers.

Friday the 13th

there will be a total
of 3 friday the 13ths this year,
and they are each 13 weeks apart.

and this is 2012,
which is technically the 13th year.

just an fyi.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Masters of Marketing: Basics of Search Engine Optimization

We had our second weekly Webinar yesterday, thank you to all that made it. As promised here is the presentation:

Masters of Marketing: Basics of SEO

View more presentations from iwb_insurance.

Grow Your Business and Have Fun

...with a Blog!

In case we haven't made blogging sound fun, important, exciting, crucial, and easy enough with our previous posts,here's a short list of the top 5 reasons you should be blogging. It benefits not only you, but your business as well.

5. A Blog exercises your mind. Personally, I can't go a day without doing a puzzle. Your brain should develop more and more with each day to remain healthy. Thinking of new and innovative ideas to present will provide that development. It not only keeps your brain healthy, but it encourages others to come back to you & your business for what I like to call 'intellectual stimulation.' How can you pass that up?!

4. A Blog lets you speak to the masses. Part of growing your business is finding a way to communicate with future clients. People you would have had no way of reaching out to will have the opportunity to reach out to you instead. Most business owners and executives can forget about how simple and satisfying it is to spark communication. Make sure you provide that spark!

3. A Blog invites communication. Remember that 'intellectual stimulation' I mentioned? Well, it makes people think. And when people think, a blog is the perfect place to verbalize those thoughts. Whether they're agreeing, disagreeing, questioning, or simply contemplating the ideas you've presented them with, they're probably spreading your message. And all publicity is good publicity. Right?

2. A Blog is worth the trouble. It's easy! Nothing can grow without nourishment. Water, air, food, sunlight; think of a blog as the nourishment to your business' website. In this day and age, those who put their ideas out there for the world to see have been rewarded. Greatly. Give and you shall receive.

1. A Blog can be fun. A blog is fun. Don't be afraid to share some humor and not be so serious all the time. It might be the most fun you have at work all day.

So blog away. Take inspiration from Nike:
Yesterday you said tomorrow.
Just do it!

What to Blog About?

Create a content calendar.

In the world of business, families, school, and so many other things, people have adapted to calendars; on their phone, at their desk, on their computer, even through sticky notes on their car windshield. Calendars seem to make things easier. Less stressful. Less intimidating.

So when faced with the impossible task of blogging, some people will run scared and not even try. And some will start off strong, only to waver after 2 or 3 weeks. We know you’re busy. We know you’ve got better things to do besides stopping to put your genius into words. But blogging can be your escape. Like the working mother who has to schedule dinner and a bath into her life just so she doesn’t forget to take care of herself. Schedule blogging into your life, and give it the importance it deserves.

You have a website because you want people to visit. You care about the design of your website because you want people to stay. And Insurance Website Builder gives you an easy-to-use blog because we want people and search engines to come back.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again—Content is King. Blogging is the easiest way to satisfy this straightforward desire for fresh content. But it must be done in accordance with SEO efforts. And it must be done consistently. Here is where a calendar comes in.

Create a list of events that will give you an excuse to write something. Date these events and pick the ones you deem most fitting for you to target. Decide what type of content you can produce for each of these events. Don’t worry about keeping your ideas 100% business related, that’s what news events are for along the way.

Like I said, we know you’re busy. So to help you start brainstorming, here’s a handy (& long) list of events to get your gears turning:

Your Products

• New product launches
• Product upgrades / relaunches
• Announcements about big new clients

Your Business

• Anniversary of the company
• Company conferences
• Other events / meetups
• Publication of non-commercial content (new Whitepapers, etc)
• Announcing new job openings
• Announcing new hires / senior personnel changes
• Mergers and acquisitions

Industry News and Events

• Annual Reports
• Industry Awards
• Industry Conferences (esp. those you will attend or speak at)
• Industry Exhibitions (esp. those you will attend or exhibit at)
• Industry / Partner Events

Niche Events & Celebrations

• Niche occasions (eg: new driving laws, new insurance guidelines)
• Widely recognized events (eg: ‘National BBQ Month’)
• Events just made up for PR (eg: ‘National Pool Party Week’)

Politics & Community

• Local / regional / national election cycles
• New laws / bills
• Opening / closing of political seasons
• Annual budget announcement

Holidays (Federal & Unofficial)

• Christmas
• New Year
• Easter
• Independence Day
• Mardi Gras
• Diwali
• Ramadan
• Hanukkah
• Valentine’s Day
• Halloween
• Mother’s / Father’s Day
• April Fool’s Day
• Friday 13th
• Feburary 29th
• Pi Day
• St Patrick’s Day
• Chinese New Year

Seasonal / Calendar Events

• First day of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring
• Summer Vacation / Back to School
• The Equinoxes and Solstices
• Start & end of daylight savings time
• Tax Season

Historical Celebrated / Well-Remembered Events

• Look for 10th/25th/100th anniversaries
• Tragedies (natural disasters, plane crashes)

Once-in-a-Lifetime Events

• Halley’s Comet
• The last NASA shuttle launch
• Royal Wedding / Coronation
• Solar eclipse
• Turn of a century

War & Conflict

• VE / VJ Day
• Remembrance Day
• Independence Days
• Famous battles (Bosworth, Hastings, Normandy Landings, Dunkirk, Stalingrad)
• Terrorism memorials (7th of July, 11th of September)
• Internal conflict (eg: Bloody Sunday, various Civil Wars)

Annual Sports Events

• NFL Playoffs & The Superbowl
• NBA Playoffs
• March Madness

Non-Annual Sporting Events

• Ryder Cup
• Olympics
• Soccer World Cup

Calendar courtesy of distilled.net

4 Tips to Improve Your Blog Traffic

Do you have a blog? Is it driving traffic to your website?

When done right blogging can generate great website traffic and leads. Many blogs are not done well because they don't think like the consumer.

What the consumer wants is answers to her questions. That is why people increasingly use the Internet for research. To be successful, your blog needs to answer these questions.

Here are four tips to improve your traffic and take your blog to the next level.

1. Do the comparison for them

When we're researching a purchase, we like to compare companies, products, services, etc so we know that the purchase decision we make is the right one for us. For example, you could write a blog post about the difference between full coverage and liability auto insurance. Be factual, unbiased and honest. Talk about the pros and cons of each. Doing so will result in your readers beginning to see you as an expert they can trust.

2. Give them the best

Have you ever searched the question "What is the best way to ____?" Chances are that your prospects and customers are using the word "best" in their searches, so you need to be using it in your content. For example, you could write about 10 Qualities of the Best Home Coverage or The Best Way to Prevent Accidents.

3.  Talk about problems

When consumers are deciding between two or more products to purchase, they turn to the Internet to determine the truth and get an expert opinion. Likely, they will search for something along the lines of "problems with liability auto insurance." Write blog posts addressing the problems, and your posts will begin to show in search results when people search using those phrases.

4. Share news

Posting breaking news as it happens can impact your agency's reputation as an expert and thought leader, which increases the opportunity for getting new business. These posts can bring in a good amount of traffic and attention to your blog. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to break news to your prospects and customers.

What would you add to this list?

What is the value of a Facebook "Like" and a Twitter "follow" to businesses?

Most, if not all, know about Facebook and Twitter, but many times you don’t know if you should start using them because you don’t really see the value that they could add to your business.  What is a tweet, a Facebook post, a Twitter "follow" or a Facebook "Like" worth?

Based on an extensive research, Imbue Marketing created an infographic that shows what tweets, likes, shares, and follows are worth.

The infographic shows really interesting information. A person is 47 percent more likely to do business with a brand that he or she follows. Also,  social media has increased the effectiveness of marketing for 63 percent of the companies. Additionally, Social media has increased customer satisfaction and has reduced marketing costs, as the graphic shows.

Do you need help with Twitter and Facebook? Our SEO team at Insurance Website Builder can help you optimize your insurance websites as well as your Facebook Page and Twitter account. Call us today at 1-800-383-3482 for more information.

(Source:  Imbuemarketing.com)

Small Business and Marketing

Social Media is not only great for SEO, but it's a good way to stay in touch with your customers and assess your own presence on the internet. Our SEO team at Insurance Website Builder can help improve your social media and make recommendations. Call us today at 1-800-383-3482 to see how we can take your insurance website to the next level.

How to Create a LinkedIn Page for Your Insurance Agency

By now you probably have a personal LinkedIn profile. But what about your agency? LinkedIn is growing and adding features to company pages. Not many agencies are using LinkedIn company pages so there is little competition for attention. If your agency has a lot of business relationships, you might consider creating a LinkedIn company page.

Here are some tips on how to create and promote a LinkedIn company page for your agency.

Overview tab: Describe your ideal customer and how you serve them in the company description section. When you're writing your description, be sure to put the most important information at the beginning as only the top portion is visible. Include your lines of business in the specialties section. If you have a blog, insert your blog's RSS feed for your blog posts to appear in your company profile.

Products tab: Create a page for each line of business you write. You can include an image, description, landing page URL that directs people to your website. If you do any special events or promotions, you can link to it. You can even embed a YouTube video. If you've got it, share it.

Followers: Just like you work to get followers on Facebook and Twitter, you'll have to work to build your LinkedIn followers. Otherwise no one will see your status updates. Ask your employees to share the status updates of your agency page with their connections. Follow the company pages of your business relationships and ask them to follow yours in return. Put a LinkedIn button on your website that links to your agency's LinkedIn page.

Status updates: Just like on Facebook and Twitter, you can post status updates from your agency's LinkedIn page. But don't make it all about you. Share links and information that will be interesting to your followers. Establish your agency as an insurance expert. Try to get your connections talking by posting updates that will encourage comments.

Product recommendations: When someone recommends your product on LinkedIn, his connections are notified and the recommendation lives on your page. You can use LinkedIn's Request Recommendations module to ask your best customers to recommend your products.

What do you think about LinkedIn company pages?

How to Set Up Your Business Facebook Page with the New Timeline

Facebook is the biggest social network today and it is about time you get started with a Facebook Page for your business. Previously, we showed you 5 Reasons why your business should have a Facebook Page and now we would like to go over the steps to set up a good Facebook Page with the new Timeline.  It may be really simple for the tech-savvy, but some others may have some trouble. 

1.       Get started by setting up your Facebook Page

If you already have a personal account, you can click on the “Create a Page” link at the bottom of your news feed or you could go directly to “Create a Facebook Page” if you don’t have a personal account. 

2.       Choose the type of Facebook Page

You can select a type of business or category and depending on your selection, you may also have to choose a subcategory. There are 6 main categories to select:

After you have selected the category, you will be required to name the Facebook Page and if you selected “Local business or place”, you need to add address, city, postal code and phone number. Agree to the Facebook Pages Terms and hit the Get Started button.

3.       Add a logo or picture

Upload/import from a website your logo or picture that represents your business or organization. This picture will show on different parts of Facebook, like in news feed and your Timeline when you post an update. If you don’t have a picture, don’t worry you can upload it in the future. Click the Save photo or Skip button.

 

4.       Tell  the world what your page is about

Provide a basic description of the page or your business. Add your website and related links (Blog, Twitter, Linkedin, Yelp, etc.). This step is very important for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You can also modify or add this information in the future. Click the Save info button.

 

5.       Choose your unique Facebook web address (URL)

Choosing your unique web address will make your URL www.facebook.com/yourbusinessnamehere. You can’t modify this information in the future, but can choose it in the future by going to the Username page.

 

YOUR PAGE HAS BEEN CREATED

Now your Facebook Page is almost ready, you just need to add the cover photo that is available with the new Timeline design, add applications and add other information that you skipped before (profile picture, about information, links, URL).  Go to manage and edit page to modify, add information or manage permissions. You can add business hours, and more information related to your business in the “Basic Information” on the left. You can select the option of letting anyone post on your Timeline or select if anyone can add photos/videos to your Timeline (Manage permissions menu).

6.       Set your cover photo

Select the “Add a Cover” menu on the right hand side and upload a photo. The cover photo dimensions are 851 x 315 pixels. Choose a photo that is representative to your brand. You can change it as often as you wish and don’t be afraid to be creative with it. Keep in mind that you need to adhere to Facebook’s policies regarding cover photos, which states that cover photos cannot include:

• Price or purchase information, such as “30% off” or “Download it at our website”
• Contact information such as website address, email, phone number, mailing address, or information that should go in the “about” section
• References to Facebook actions or features, such as “Like” or “Share” or any other Facebook site feature
• Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends” 

 7.       Organize your views & Facebook apps

Timeline, the new design of Facebook features photos, likes, map and apps at the top of your page below your cover photo. Photos are automatically featured in the first spot, but page admins can rearrange the other to feature the most important one first. Some apps will require that the user clicks the dropdown arrow.

8.       Fill up your Facebook Timelime

Start by adding the date that your business was founded or opened. You can even add a location and pictures. 

YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE IS READY

9.       Invite friends

The admin panel at the top of your page (for you admins) will show you notifications, messages, likes, insights and tips. Select the “Invite friends” link and select your friends.

10.   Start posting updates and like us on Facebook

Now you can start sharing you website’s content and information that can be useful for your fans. Remember to Like us on our Facebook Page www.facebook.com/InsuranceWebsiteBuilder.

Our SEO team at Insurance Website Builder can help you optimize your insurance websites as well as your Facebook Page. Call us today at 1-800-383-3482 for more information.

The Right Words in the Right Place

2theTop Web Design

You should pay special attention to certain elements on your website. Strategic wording should be used for areas such as:

• Meta Description
• Page File Name
• Page Title
• Page Headline
• Inside Body Content
• Bold & Italicized Text
• Image File Names
• Image Alt Text / Attribute
• Video File Name

When people fail to implement these features correctly, their rankings suffer and in turn traffic drops.

Whether it's insurance website design or on or offsite SEO, our SEO team at Insurance Website Builder is here to guide you.

The Right Time to Post

It's that time of year again...

Daylight Savings Time!

Don't forget to set your clocks.

Time springs forward on Sunday at 2am

unless you're one of the lucky exceptions to the rule

(you know who you are...Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Saskatchewan!)

So if you're at a loss for what to blog or tweet about,
take a hint from us and remind everyone what time it is!
*Remember, search engines love to see fresh content*

Why People Leave a Website

Getting someone to visit your website can be challenging, especially with all of the posts, emails, tweets, etc. that are competing for attention nowadays. When consumers come to your website, the last thing you want is for them to leave right away. But if your website design doesn't provide a pleasant user experience, visitors can become frustrated and then quickly leave.

A good website design will keep frustration to a minimum, take the visitor deeper into your website seamlessly and show him the information he is looking for.

Here are some examples of website design that can drive your visitors away.

Source: What Makes Someone Leave A Website?

Keeping It Fresh

One of the biggest challenges for today’s websites is keeping Google happy and interested. It’s not that it’s difficult. It’s simply time-consuming (when done correctly) and overwhelming if you don’t have a strategy setup to guide you.

As the saying goes, ‘Content is King,’ and it’s fresh content that keeps visitors engaged, because really, who wants to read about your Christmas Contest in March? Unfortunately, more than half of business owners fail to update their site even once a month. To put it in perspective:

– Sites that update their content  5 times a month receive 300% more traffic
– Businesses that utilize social media marketing receive 400% more site hits

Source

4 Easy Types of Content to Make Google Happy

Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging and the other various social media sites attract millions of people every single day. News articles, helpful tips, or special events posted on Facebook, or even a 140-character tweet about new products on Twitter all have search engine optimization advantages. Since social media content is essentially the epitome of fresh & relevant content, it is the most likely to be picked up by Google.

Press Releases

By definition, a press release is the announcement of something new. This makes it another type of content that search engines favor. Press releases can target your SEO keywords, improve your brand-association, and in the end, be posted to your social media accounts. Benefits like that should never be ignored.

User Generated Content

As an insurance agent, your business can rely heavily on the comments and reviews of your customers. This can be a double-edged sword, but the rewards definitely outweigh the risks. Invite people to comment on your blogs or your Facebook wall. Direct them to reviews on your Google business listing. Many consumers rely on the experiences and evaluations of others to determine the quality and value of your services. Search engines take into account how people interact with your site, so to gain new visitors, be sure those returning visitors are making their satisfaction known. Most importantly, you can also combine these efforts with your social media platform.

Marketing Automation Content

Lastly, this overlooked, yet important tool is essential to your website’s overall optimization and relevance. If you have helpful information that’s industry specific and appeals to your audience, post it on your site! Use it to gain more information about your visitors. With this focused content, people will not only want to gain access, but the content itself will help build relevancy for your target keywords. An example of this is to offer free reports for download off of your site in exchange for a Name & E-mail address. It’s a win-win-win for all parties involved. Consumers gain free information, Businesses gain leads, and search engines gain helpful data.

Source

Gain access to even more tips, help, guidance, and strategy for your Insurance Website today!

5 Top Tips for Blog Titles

We all know how important blogging is. It helps users engage with your agency and makes it easier for search engines to find your website. The problem is, everybody is blogging, and you need something to make your blog posts stand out. The easiest, simplest, most important thing to do is to have catchy, attention-grabbing, click-worthy titles. And here’s how:

1. Curiosity - Make your title easy to figure out what the post will be about, yet still keep the reader wanting more. 
1. Ask questions - "Do you know the difference between home insurance and flood insurance?"
2. Add an oddity - "What insurance coverages do Superheroes have?"
3. Present the opposite - "There is no such thing as Cheap Insurance"
4. Introduce controversy - "Pay for Cheap auto coverage, or Save your Family"
2. Give an advantage - Show the reader that by reading your blog post, they will somehow benefit. Examples include:
1. How to ...
2. 8 Ways to ...
3.  Learn about ...
3. Evoke an emotional response - Readers may not always choose to read something based solely on how it makes them feel, but it could subconsciously influence them. These are better suited to social media posts. Use words like:
1. awesome
2. free
3. amazing
4. crazy
5. epic
6. stupidly
7. You get the gist 
4. Appearance - The supposed ideal length of a blog title should seven words long. Introduce some alliteration or rhyme to make it look and sound pleasing. Not as important as points 1 to 3 above, but still worth thinking about.
5. Set Expectations - There's nothing worse than clicking on a blog post and reading content that is completely unrelated to the title, or doesn't give what reader expects. Don't mislead your readers by posting catchy, but ultimately empty title.

So there you have it. Remember, try to write a title that you yourself would find interesting as a consumer. And just have fun with it!

Do you have any tips or examples of titles that received good feedback?