The biggest mistake I see agents making is that they hear a few random tips about a specific part of local SEO and think they “get it”. They don’t. It’s good to know tactics, but only after you understand how they fit into the big picture becuase otherwise you’ll create an online footprint for your agency that misses key ingredients Google is looking for. That’s why I put together this high-level overview of local search ranking factors, so you can understand how it all fits together and avoid focusing too much on the wrong elements of SEO. NOTE: This article is about LOCAL SEO for agents to rank better on Google Maps and searches that show local businesses. If you’re trying to rank nationally this content does not apply. Overall Local Search Ranking Factors:
Where Does This Data Come From?Each year, one of the most-trusted SEO companies (Moz) runs a survey where they ask 30+ of the most respected experts in Local SEO what gets a local business like your agency higher in the search results. Here’s a link to this year’s survey. Google will never tell us exactly how they rank websites so this is pretty much the closest we can come to the real answer. At the very least, it sure beats asking your sales manger! LOL!!! Sorry, I can’t stop laughing at the thought of a sales manager knowing something useful like how to get your agency ranked on google. Your Agency Website - 21%First and foremost, your website is a place for Google to confirm that the information they have about your business is accurate. Google wants your website to match what they know about your business name, location, phone number, products & services you specialize in. Here’s a few examples of things to look for with your agency website:
Inbound Links – 18%Inbound links are text or image links on other websites (not your own) that link to your site. Google looks at each link from another website to yours as a “vote” of quality for your site. It’s not easy getting links to your site – that’s exactly the point. Here’s three things to know about inbound links to your website:
Citations - 16%“Citations” is SEO-speak for “mentions”, or “references to”. A citation is a mention of your agency’s name, phone number, and/or address on another website. Google assumes that the most popular local businesses will be mentioned the most across the web and each time they see your information the more comfortable they feel giving it to their users. Here’s three things to pay attention to with your agency’s citations:
Google Profile – 15%Over the years it’s been called many things, Google Places, Google+ Local, Google My Business. They’re all the same thing – a profile that Google sets up for every business on earth. Google allows you to “claim” this profile to confirm, correct, and provide additional information about your business and the information you provide them can impact search rankings. Here’s a few things to pay attention to:
Online Reviews – 10%Google looks at the online reviews people give you as an indication of both the popularity of your agency and the quality of service. A few things to keep in mind:
Social - 6%Seems to makes sense that a big and popular local business would have more Google+ followers and Facebook fans, right? Many SEO experts believe larger and more active social network accounts will help your local search rankings. A few things to keep in mind:
User Behavior – 7%There is good proof that Google watches how people interact with your website and your agency’s listing in their search results to understand your popularity and the quality of your website. Google wants their top search results to be popular businesses with accurate contact information and a user-friendly website. Here are some of the things SEO experts believe Google looks at:
Search Results Personalization – 8%This refers to the fact that every Google search delivers a slightly different result based on the search history of the person doing the search. For example, since you probably visit your own website a lot more than other local agents’ sites Google will show it higher in the search results on your computer than for anyone else doing the exact same search. This one’s pretty hard to do much about, so I think I’ll leave it at the explanation. Wrap UpI didn’t write this article to be everything you need to know for insurance SEO – It’s just scratching the surface.
The key thing is to understand that it’s a COMBINATION of factors both on and off your website. In fact, if your online profile is too strong on any of these individual factors it’ll probably raise some flags to Google. If you found value in this article, make sure to share it with a friend you know that wants to rank higher on Google and hit the like button so I know you want more content like this. Hope this helps, John
9 Comments
4/6/2022 05:11:48 am
In today’s digital landscape, quality doesn’t translate directly to visibility. The insurance market is growing rapidly, with agents in fierce competition to reach an audience that demands immediate answers and information.
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2/5/2023 07:05:33 pm
There are countless billions of web pages online. In order to filter and arrange this enormous resource directory so that users who make searches are led to the most relevant results, search engines utilize sophisticated algorithms. Using pertinent search keywords and phrases on your website to facilitate this process is at the heart of SEO. The challenge is to think about what users could write into a search box because it's doubtful that most people will look for your company by name. The algorithm indexes your company as relevant when Google discovers that your website corresponds to such requests.
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4/27/2023 01:37:24 am
Great choice! Tower Defense games are always fun. Which Tower Defense game would you like to play?
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6/1/2023 06:36:51 am
You've shared an outstanding piece of information. Please keep up the great work by consistently providing valuable content. If you're in search of professional services, we invite you to explore our offerings and leverage the expertise we provide for your benefit.
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6/9/2023 12:19:20 pm
Google wants their top search results to be popular businesses with accurate contact information and a user-friendly website. I truly appreciate your great post!
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6/23/2023 06:22:28 am
For excellent and informative posts, keep coming back! If you're looking for reliable and professional services, check out. We offer top-notch solutions you can trust.
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7/3/2023 07:43:04 am
I agree with this one. SEO is so helpful to your insurance agency.
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9/13/2024 10:37:28 am
Larger and more active social media accounts, in the opinion of many SEO specialists, will improve your local search rankings.
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10/15/2024 04:55:26 am
This overview brings clarity to SEO within the insurance industry! How would you suggest smaller insurance agencies compete with larger firms when it comes to ranking for competitive keywords?
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