You’re not the only insurance or financial advisor in your area, and a large part of your business comes from getting out there and promoting yourself. One of the best ways to do this is through digital marketing. You may already know that your website is like your billboard on the internet. But like a billboard, which must be seen by thousands of drivers every day in order to be effective, you need consistent traffic to your website.
One way to drive traffic to your site is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You’ve likely heard about “SEO” and that it helps your Google rankings, but what’s really involved in a successful SEO campaign?
Keyword Density.
Your keywords are the terms you expect your intended audience to use when searching for your services. For example, a financial advisor who works in Anchorage, Alaska, would want to include the keywords “financial advisor in Anchorage” within his web content. Keyword density refers to the percentage of occurrence of these keywords in relation to the text in the rest of your website. In addition to the text on your site, keywords should be included in page headings, titles, descriptions, tags, and even the specific URL’s of each page. The right keyword density will help your website be relevant to the search engines and improve its rankings. Caution: overuse of keywords is actually considered a form of spam and can hurt your rankings or get you penalized by the search engines.
Blogging/Content Updates.
Remember that Google wants to provide its users with relevant and useful search results. If you are providing original content that answers common questions, it’s more likely that your website will show up in search results. Your blog is the place to add valuable, keyword rich content to your website. Remember to never plagiarize another person’s content. Google also will see this, and will rank your website lower because it is seen as repeated content. Providing relevant information that is updated and current will give your users the best experience and show your knowledge and credibility in the industry.
Quality Backlinks.
When another website links back to your website, this is called a backlink. These will help your SEO ratings, but not all backlinks are created equally. Backlinks from well-established sites with high rankings are far more beneficial than links from poor sites. Also, the anchor text used in the backlink should be a relevant keyword. Caution: Low quality backlinks can get you penalized by Google and hurt your rankings.
Social Media Integration.
Google is now looking to social media to decide whether a particular website or page has authority and relevance. If your content is being shared via social media, the search engines will take notice. So be sure to build your social media presence, and encourage your friends, family, and clients to share your content with their friends.
As effective as SEO strategies can be, it’s important to remember that a quality SEO plan must incorporate all of the above points. Otherwise, focusing on some facets of SEO while neglecting others can hurt your results. No SEO strategy is foolproof. Search engines can be picky, and their algorithms for determining search results often change.
If you’re interested to learn more about ways to increase your Google rankings, check out our complimentary guide where you will learn more about how you can optimize your digital marketing.
Feeling a little overwhelmed by all of this? No problem. CreativeOne offers digital marketing solutions. Our digital marketing experts will look through your website to determine if, and where, there are opportunities for improvement, before developing a personalized and detailed plan to make it more than an online business card using custom websites, lead capture programs and an on-site SEO audit. We also offer digital marketing services to help you optimize your social media profiles through our digital marketing program, Social Media Elite. Our team uses proven strategies and best practices to ensure your plan is completed in a timely fashion. Digital marketing can be a time-consuming endeavor, but with CreativeOne’s help, our team will ensure your social media profiles are optimized.