Google It!

As you know from reading my column for so long, every so often I am fortunate enough to happen upon some very interesting information that I enjoy sharing with those of you who enjoy my work. Today is no different! With gratitude to the “Agents Council for Technology” and “ACORD Users Group Information Exchange” (ACT/AUGIE) committee that I am a member of, I am happy to present to you this piece written by Matthew Marko of Progressive Insurance.

This article is about how participation in Google+ can help an agency considerably, in maximizing its local search optimization. Google+ local business pages have replaced Google Places, and if a consumer’s search suggests local intent, Google includes Google+ local business pages in the search results. Matthew provides some great tips as to how an agency can get started with Google+ and use the tool to its full advantage. The article also contains a number of links to very helpful additional information that will help agencies increase their visibility online.

Why Google+ should be part of your agency’s online strategy

If you’ve been following Google’s social experiment from afar, you may have lost Google+ in the shadow of social media’s 800 pound gorilla, Facebook. But before you dismiss the search giant as an also-ran in social, take note of Facebook’s own pet project, Graph Search. Facebook’s foray into search despite Google’s clear dominance (two out of every three searches online are conducted using Google1) reveals the cracks forming in the wall separating search and social. Both companies are preparing for when the wall comes tumbling down, and now’s the time to position your agency to capitalize. If Progressive’s marketing data hold true, many more agents are opting for a place on Facebook over Google+. Here’s why you should diversify by building a strong presence on both.

Google+ is much more than social Google+ does have social strengths, such as the ability to easily segment and target communications to customers using Circles and host Hangouts with customers on insurance topics. However, for now the primary insurance agency benefit of Google+ is local search optimization.

Americans conduct 3.6 billion local searches on Google each month, and Google+, acting as an online business directory, is the most effective way to capture those prospects.2 It’s also the best way to do so without having to compete with big brands’ multi-million dollar online advertising budgets. A key reason to engage with Google+ is to acquire new customers in a way that no other social media site or online directory can currently offer.

From Places to Plusses

Google reports that one in three searches have local intent, and 83 percent of consumers search online for local businesses.2 If a search query suggests local intent, Google includes the Google+ local pages in the search results, typically near the top. Formerly called “Google Places,” Google+ local business pages now include social elements as well, making an agency’s participation in Google+ (and customer interaction on the platform) a growing factor in showing up in local searches. Here are five steps to start taking advantage of Google+ for local search:

1) Claim and verify it

If you haven’t done so already, claim and verify your Google+ listing. This is something you can easily do on your own. Be sure not to create a duplicate Google+ listing for your agency if one already exists. It’s against Google’s rules. To check if your business already has a Google+ listing, simply go to www.google.com/maps and enter your business address and phone number into the search bar. If a listing shows up reflecting your business name, then your agency already has a Google+ local business page.

Ensure it is under your control through the owner-verification process. If someone in your agency does not have the log-in information to manage your Google+ listing, click on “Manage this Page” on your business’ Google+ page to begin the verification process. Owner verification is a critical step in building trust with Google and guaranteeing that you control your business information on Google+. Progressive research indicates that as of November 2012, more than half of independent insurance agencies had failed to complete this critical first step, significantly diminishing their ability to rank highly in local search results.

If you’re not the do-it-yourself type, programs like Progressive’s ListAgent or local search packages from Project CAP can help you with claiming your business listings online and optimizing your local presence. While you’re at it, it’s an excellent idea to also claim local search listings at sites like Yahoo, Bing, and Yelp.

2) Build trust in it

Review your Google+ listing for accuracy and be sure that you’re using the identical name for your agency and its contact information across all directories, on the internet and on your agency website. Search engines like Google look for consistency in your agency’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) online, and your visibility in search results improves if you have consistent listings. Exact NAP match is important. For example, you don’t want your agency website to say “ABC Insurance Agency” while your Google+ listing says “ABC Ins Agency.” GetListed.org and Yext.com offer free, simple tools to assess the consistency of your agency’s name, address, and phone online.

You also can improve your local search ranking over time by creating references to your agency NAP on additional local directories. There are hundreds of local directory sites where you can submit your NAP information for free, with the only cost being the time it takes you to manually claim them. Alternatively, Progressive’s ListAgent program can do this for your agency for under $100 a year.

3) Connect it

Google changed its local ranking algorithm in 2012 to favor Google+ business listings that link to well-optimized websites, making your agency website’s search optimization an important factor in both organic and local search results. While website optimization can be time-consuming and expensive, here are a few simple changes to help your website’s local search optimization:

• Include your agency’s name, address and phone number in text (not as an image) in the header or footer of every page on the site.

• Include your city or town name in your title tags, meta descriptions, and header (H) tags.

• If you have multiple agency locations, create a separate “location” page on your website for each location, and a separate Google+ local business page for each location. Submit each location’s page to its respective Google+ local business page.

• Start using Authorship Markup on your agency web site and blog posts.

If you don’t have a website, consider using a carrier directory page in place of a website in your Google+ listing. For example, the ProgressiveAgent .com agent directory offers Progressive agents free locally-optimized agency pages that work well for this purpose.

4) Populate it

Populate your Google+ profile with content. Thoughtfully consider your business description, including key search terms that describe what your agency does. Make use of all business listing categories available and include photos and videos. Providing this content not only helps your agency rank higher in local searches, but it also makes your listing stand out to consumers and increases the likelihood that they’ll do business with you. Click here for more tips on optimizing your local listings.

5) Legitimize it

On your agency website and within your established agency referral processes, ask for reviews on Google+ as well as other sites like Yelp and Citysearch. Not only are reviews important to your prospects – 70 percent of consumers say that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, according to BrightLocal.

Reviews are also known to be an important local search ranking factor. Progressive research indicates that the average independent insurance agency has less than one online review, so creating a slow-but-steady review generation process can really make your agency stand out.

The battle between Facebook and Google remains fierce, and both are making big moves to enhance their value to consumers and businesses. Questions may remain over social ROI, but there’s no question local search is critical as more and more people start their insurance shopping online. Adding Google to your online strategy brings a few social benefits, but the local search impact makes it a clear plus. References:

1 http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/11/comscoregoogles- search-engine-market-share-increasedin- september-yahoo-down-another-0-6-per centage-points/

2 http://blumenthals.com/blog/2012/11/13/ ed-parsons-1-in-3-searches-at-google-are-local/

Around town, PIA of NY held its annual Long Island RAP Conference, and once again it was a hit in the NY insurance industry.

During the gala luncheon, I had the honor and privilege of presenting my dear friend and PIANY Secretary Amy Bryan, CIC, owner of Bryan Insurance Agency LLC, with the 2013 LIRAP Community Service award for her recovery work in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

As I explained to the lunch attendees, “The Long Island RAP Committee decided we were only going to present one award— and this award is for community service, which we have never presented before.”

“Within days of the storm, Amy Bryan began finding ways to help us, Long Islanders, from her home and office in the Hudson Valley,” I said. “She coordinated through social media and the help of a marketing professional who developed a logo for ‘Sandy Relief,’ and started filling trucks with supplies. She identified Long Island residents and locations where help was needed most and, with the help of her partner and others who wanted to participate, drove to a variety of places on the Island; demolishing, cleaning, providing truckload after truckload of supplies and coordinating relief efforts with volunteers.”

“After all she has done for our industry and for those most affected by Sandy, we can truly say that Amy is one of our own,” I added (while I held back swelling emotions) “In fact, she has since relocated and moved to Glen Cove, making Long Island her home.”

Amy thanked the Long Island RAP committee for honoring her, selflessly noting, “That’s not why we do what we do in this industry. That’s not why we volunteer outside of this industry. It started from an idea that we needed to get out there and help everyone, more than just what we were doing with claims. It didn’t start just from me. It was a whole group of people, and I wouldn’t have been able to have done it without everybody.”

She continued, “I think that out of all the devastation and everything that Sandy created, the one that I learned from all this was that it really brought out the best in everybody. I’m honored to be a part of all that.”

Thank you, Amy; you are truly one of the heroes of this industry and I am so proud to have you as a friend!

In addition, the local insurance professionals enjoyed an expansive trade show, networking opportunities and CE sessions throughout the day. Keynote speaker Prasad Gunturi, Senior Vice President of Catastrophe Management Services, Willis Re, delivered Long Island RAP’s 2013 keynote address on the lasting impact of Sandy.

“One important thing I want you to observe here is Hurricane Sandy’s track is totally different from what we saw in the last 120 years or so. … If you look at the historical tracks, we never had a storm similar to Hurricane Sandy.”

Mr. Gunturi noted that hurricanes along the East Coast feature stronger wind speeds along the right-hand side of their path. “Having intense wind speeds on the right-hand side of the track, water was able to push through … that’s why we had a significant storm surge in Manhattan and also in the Long Island area from Hurricane Sandy.”

One startling statistic that Mr. Gunturi offered was that when Willis Re entered the area to survey damage three days after the storm, it discovered up to 2 feet of sand deposits more than a mile from the coastline. “Which is really intense, in my opinion,” said Prasad.

Other lessons learned from Sandy that Mr. Gunturi highlighted (for future consideration) were to focus on a building’s age and roof condition when assessing risk and vulnerability. “This is how much impact the building details can have on loss results in a catastrophe risk model. The same can be seen on the ground. If you look at older properties versus newer properties—properties that are sitting next to each other … they can see completely different damage.”

Mr. Gunturi then offered what he thought the insurance industry should take from Sandy. “Oftentimes, companies think that collecting more data means more expense, but some of the characteristics of the building, mostly related to the roof, are easy to collect,” said Prasad. “We can collect some of that information just by visual inspections … you can ask a question to the homeowner.”

He closed his address by saying, “The point I want to make here today is in serving our community, it is our part to improve that data quality for effective catastrophe risk management.”

As chair of the Long Island PIA RAP committee, I am extremely grateful to the following people who sat alongside me on the committee, and made this the premier event that it was: Maria Albarano; Keith Arnold; Robert Boyle; Dina Bruno; Jennifer DeChristofaro; Michael Demetriou; Donna Doyle; Chad Eskanazy; Linda Fazio; David Lande; Jeff Liebowitz; Frank Malpigli; Gino Orrino; Michael Plafker; Vince Polese; Robert Shapiro; and Steve Sternberg. Thank you for all you did to make this a tremendous success!

Well, that’s what’s happening around town, as next time we will be talking about some other exciting insurance events that are taking place here in the Northeast. Until then, ciao for now!