They’re still out there. Insurance websites plagued with redundant screens and confusing site maps. Beware! The problem is getting worse, not better. With the proliferation of vendors hocking search engine optimization (SEO) services, many unsuspecting insurance companies and brokers are receiving new websites that are easy to find but terrible to read and navigate.
There’s no question – If you want to rank well for the insurance products and services you promote, you have to build a search engine optimized site. But, in the process of doing so, you also have to pay close attention to persuasive experience optimization (PEO).
In other words, you must create compelling website content that leaves readers yearning for more. Sure, pages should be optimized, targeting specific, relevant search terms so search engines know what each screen is about and who might want to read it. But that’s not enough. The copy must be written persuasively so once readers find you, they can easily see that you’re the best company to help them – you honor their time and you provide value. Then, and only then, will your insurance website transition visitors to clients.
Let’s take a minute to look closer at PEO.
How will they know you’re the best company to help them? They’ll know if you demonstrate your expertise instead of just describing it. Instead of stockpiling your insurance website with empty, keyword-rich yet meaningless phrases, provide potential clients success stories, testimonials, case studies and examples. Throw in a few offers so they can request a white paper or an analysis to learn more.
How will they know you honor their time? They’ll know because your insurance website will be logically and intuitively organized without layers and layers of screens. Clients don’t want to search for information – they want it to be easy.
How will they know you provide value? Because you’ll give away just a bit of your expertise right there on your site. You’ll provide just enough valuable information to pique their interest and get some positive energy flowing. And, as I stated before, you’ll include some offers for readers to request more information.
Where does SEO come in?
When done correctly, SEO copywriting pairs persuasive copy with purposeful use of targeted keywords and phrases. Web page text and on-page elements are written in a way that reads well for both people and search engines. Its purpose is to rank highly in the search engines for targeted terms and get more high-quality traffic to your insurance website – without sacrificing your visitor experience.
Here are a few SEO copywriting tips to help improve your insurance website’s content so that it ranks well in the search engines.
1. Write well. Quality content is an important factor when it comes to increasing traffic and rankings. If people find your content useful, they will link to it and tell their friends about it. Google and other search engines also like useful, well-written content. Make use of your targeted keywords throughout the copy. Keep your content compelling, credible and clear.
2. Strive for keyword density in your copy. Your targeted keywords should appear at the beginning, in most paragraphs, and somewhere near the end. The higher the keyword density (number of times the word is used on the page), the more relevant to the search string a page becomes. But don’t stuff your copy with keywords. It sounds unnatural and the search engines don’t like it.
3. Define your page with a strategic page title. The page title is more important to search engines than ordinary text on the page. If you have the same keyword density as your competitor, but have targeted keywords in the page title as well, you should rank higher than the competition.
4. Use synonyms of your keywords. Use as many different words that are relevant to the title keyword as possible. If you use a range of terms that are relevant to the theme, search engines will see the page as credible and useful. If your copy repeats the same keywords again and again, search engines will see the page as less informative and not useful.
Once you’ve created compelling and optimized content, start link building by getting quality back-links to your website.
