9 Reasons Insurance Agency Websites Usually Fail

Sadly, there are more than 9 reasons but here are some of the main ones:

  1. Poor layout and outdated design
  2. Too much clutter and lack of focus
  3. Marketing content focused on the agency instead of the customer
  4. Poor or no SEO strategy
  5. Few or no calls to action
  6. No lead generator
  7. No regular content updates
  8. Not mobile responsive
  9. Outdated code and no SSL

Are you a specialist, selling mainly Medicare Supplement or Group Benefits, or an all lines agency? Regardless of your marketing goals you need a quality website.

The kinds of problems mentioned above are typical of low-cost, cookie-cutter solutions. Not only do these agency websites look like hundreds of other agency websites, but no surprise, they also badly underperform.

Some problems are easy to avoid if you know a little about websites, even with mass produced agency websites. But things like developing the best way to position your services and creating an effective SEO strategy cannot be obtained with off-the-shelf products.

So who am I? And what can I do for you to help you avoid these pitfalls?

First of all, I am not a technical guy. I am an insurance content publisher and former insurance agent.

That said, I have learned a ton about building websites. I have built over 100 of them in the last five years, including 10 of my own.

I’ve even got to the point where I like a challenge sometimes. Building cookie-cutter sites like some of my competitors sell would drive me crazy. I can say that because FORTUNATELY, I can always rely on my trusty webmaster Steve if I get stumped. Steve is an absolute website genius rockstar.

So here’s my proposition.
If you want my guidance and want a website that is effective and will accomplish what you really want it to do, hire me. If you’re okay with one of the templates you see on this website, I’ll only charge $799. If you want something more customized, I’ll charge from $1299 – $1999.

Yes, that’s more than the cookie-cutter insurance website providers charge.

But the BIG advantage is you can avoid a lot of DISAPPOINTMENT and get a website that’s effective and uniquely reflects your agency. It’s sort like what Mark Twain said about finding the right word: “The difference between the almost right website and the right website is actually a big deal — it’s the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.”

I know it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. I know the challenges of being perceived as a commodity provider. I will help you with this. That’s part of my service.

Ann Sperling hired me recently to build a website for her agency in New Mexico. Here’s what she wrote me when I finished:

“Thank YOU, Jim. I obviously could not have done it without you.

“Many, many thanks to you for your patience and understanding. I can’t tell you how much this means to me starting out on my own again. Your talent and suggestions make me look talented and professional, and you can quote me on this.

“You are my fourth web developer in 5 years. The other three were knowledgeable and artistic but had no clue about the insurance industry and they just didn’t “get me.” You, on the other hand, have the industry background and great listening skills to understand me and what I wanted. My new website is true to who I am within the parameters of the insurance industry profession.”

– Anne Sperling
Vanguard Resources, Santa Fe, NM

Still not sure? Here’s a few things to consider:

  1. Look at some of the websites we’ve created for other agencies (look in the sidebar)
  2. Consider what you want to accomplish with your website — Do you want an online brochure? (if your answer is YES, you might be okay with a low-cost website.) Or do you want a website to help you get new business and generate leads?
  3. Call me and let’s chat about your needs. I love talking about marketing with agents.

If I do build a website for your agency (or quite often rebuild your website because it’s outdated) you will find that our customer service surpasses your expectations — especially if you used to have your website with one of the big corporate website companies.

Guaranteed!

And you can quit our service any time you want. There’s no long-term contract.

Jim Whitaker
1-866-762-7879 ext. 2

Whether your agency needs a new website or has a website already but wants to upgrade, we’ll create an agency website that is

  • Optimized for search engines (insurance agency SEO) — Read how SmartsPro Websites Are Designed for Top Google Rankings.
  • Built to engage visitors with high quality, regularly updated content, calls to action (whether to sell products, generate leads or build relationships) and well-designed layouts, and
  • Engineered to reflect your professionalism.

CLICK HERE FOR FEATURES AND BENEFITS

What about updating the site after it’s finished? Two things about that. When it’s done, you won’t need any special technical expertise to make changes yourself — or to host your own blog. Our websites are built on the WordPress platform and they are easy to work with. We’ll show you everything you need to know to add new content and make simple changes. But if you have changes you want us to make for you, there is usually no additional cost other than the usual monthly hosting fee. We make any changes taking less than one hour free of charge — honestly, we hardly ever get requests that take us more than one hour to do.

I’m not sure what to say on my website or what to put on it. Can you help me? Helping agents with their sales and promotional material has been our specialty for more than 25 years. We started our business as an advertising and public relations firm specializing in insurance, so we know how to help you make a great impression. Our experienced insurance editors and marketing professionals will edit your copy, make suggestions and put the polish on your insurance prose. This kind of professional help could cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars, but it’s included when we build your website.

CLICK HERE FOR FEATURES AND BENEFITS

How can I be sure I’ll like my website? Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.If you’re not completely satisfied with your SmartsPro website, let us know within 60 days and you’ll get a full refund of any and all payments you’ve made, including setup fees. No fine print exceptions.

There’s no risk!

Starting your website is as simple as 1-2-3… Choose from our varied selection of insurance agency website designs, select the product information you’d like your site to display, and press submit! Or give us a call. We can do it over the phone. It’s that easy!

GET STARTED NOW!
Click Here to Order Your Insurance Website

  • Set-up fee: $799 (Unlimited pages and features.) — Our Competitors charge $1800 and more for the same features.
  • Monthly fee: $79 — includes monthly client newsletters, service requests and hosting. Almost any changes you request to your website are handled without additional charge.
  • No contract or cancellation fee.

After your website is live, we’ll give you easy-to-use tools so you can create your own pages and blog posts. We can handle other changes for you, when HTML or CSS coding is involved, but our websites are built on the WordPress platform, so they’re easy to work on.

Selected Posts About Agent Websites from the SmartsPro Marketing Blog