The Secret To A Successful Site…And 4 Quick Tips To Get Yours Up To Speed
What do you want your website to do?
If you’re like most agents, your site is for two things:
- Getting leads
- Showing credibility
But there’s one part of your site SO crucial that neither will happen if you ignore
it.
It’s your words. The right words make your site’s visitors do what you want them
to do. That may mean calling your office, getting a quote, or joining your mailing list. The
wrong words (or a lack of them) will encourage people to keep shopping – elsewhere. Your written
content is THE key to getting your prospects to take action.
But you’re busy. You need a pretty good reason to go back and review (and probably rewrite) your
content.
Well, there are a dozen good reasons to get better content…Here’s four of the
best:
- Educate visitors…then convert them.
Some people will head straight for your quote engine. But most of them will hunt around first, looking
for information. Some need to know more about you, and some need to know more about insurance. Above
all, everyone wants to know you are capable of solving their problems. Your copy can assure
them you are — and then convince them to take the next step.
- Get ranked better online.
Search engines LOVE content. They eat it up. And if you’re addressing your visitors’ concerns,
you’ll naturally pack your site with search engine friendly keywords that could score you higher
rankings. Remember this rule: if you write good, informative content for people, you’ll write
good content for the search engines.
- Keep ‘em coming back.
If you add or update content regularly, your visitors and customers will have a reason to
return again and again.
- Look better.
A content-rich website makes you look professional, credible and informed,
and proves you care about your customers’ needs.
Don’t get overwhelmed. You don’t have to be an expert writer to come up with good content. Just
keep these four simple rules in mind:
- Speak directly to your audience.
Make your words ten times more engaging just by
addressing your visitors personally. Picture your average customer and pretend you are writing directly
to them.
For example, every time you see the word “people” or “we” on your site, replace
it with “you.” (You may have to rewrite the sentences slightly so they still make sense.)
- Don’t be negative.
When fear is the focus of your content, most visitors will put off insurance shopping for another
day. It sounds like hype and you wind up associated with all the negatives you bring up.
People take action on positive imagery. Keep your content focused on the benefits of insurance, not
the risks.
For example, replace:
Did you know waiting one more minute to buy insurance could cost you
your life’s savings?
with:
Did you know buying insurance now could save you thousands of dollars
over the life of your policy?
- Every word you write should help solve a problem.
No one’s visiting your site just for fun. They all have a problem – they’re uninsured,
they have gaps in their coverage, or they want to switch companies – and they ALL need an answer.
If you don’t have time to write a couple short articles, at least create a Frequently Asked Questions
page to educate your visitors.
- People don’t read; they skim.
Did you read every last word on this page up to this point? Didn’t think so. Your eyes only
stop when something grabs you.
Use formatting to make people stop and pay attention:
- Bolding (only the important points, not just for emphasis)
- Bulleted lists — like this
- Breaking big paragraphs into smaller ones
- Headlines and sub-headlines
Format your text so it’s easy to skim and understand. But don’t go overboard! For example,
if you bold too much, nothing will stand out. (And don’t underline text for
emphasis. It looks like a link that visitors can’t click on.)
Now you’ve got the basics for whipping up engaging content. But how do you change the content
already up on your site?
If another person manages your updates for you, you’ll have to write up your new content first
and send it to them. Be certain to find out how much updating each page will cost, how long it will
take, and that they’ll correct any mistakes they make free of charge.
If using a website content management tool, you can update each page whenever you want. Make sure
you have your content written out before you add it to your site. Don’t forget to proofread it!
Just by making a couple quick changes to your content, your site will look more professional, attract
repeat visitors, and convert more prospects.
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Jeremiah Desmarais is Director of Marketing & Creative at Norvax. The author of several white papers and articles, he has spoken at carrier seminars on technology's impact on insurance sales, and has been a contributor to the Agent's Sales Journal and Health Insurance Underwriter. He is also editor of the Norvax Newsletter that delivers helpful sales articles, tips and marketing strategies to 15,000+ Insurance Agents monthly. He welcomes feedback at jdesmarais@norvax.com |
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