by 
Yes, Google has taken over the world of the internet. If you don’t believe it, just think, when someone needs a piece of information, people generally say “Just Google it.” With that being said, have you ever “Googled” your own name or your insurance agency’s name lately? If not, try it and look at you and your agency through the eyes of the rest of the internet world. Let’s move on to step two: I’m going to ask you to go to Google and put “insurance” into the search bar, and then place the name of your town into the search bar next to it as well, or if you live in a city, put that in instead. What shows up in the results? I’m hoping your agency showed up on page one.
If your agency didn’t pop up then we have an issue to cover in another article, and that’s to improve your agency’s SEO, also known as Search Engine Optimization (which determines how high you rank in the search results on Google). If your agency isn’t showing up on page one, then I would take the time to properly optimize your agency’s website, and work on rising the ranks. The next step is to Google your insurance agency’s name, and then take a look inside the local search box (off to the right of the page where Google displays search results) – does your agency have any Google reviews? If not, then you’ve come to the right place.
Google reviews have been around for a long time now and play a very important role in driving prospects to your agency. They also y play a role in establishing your agency’s brand and online image. Let me take a minute to explain how to find where to write a Google review, because it is one of the most asked questions I get.
Step 1 is to click on result inside the local search box.
Step 2 is that a new box appears which will provide more details on the agency or local business and at this point, which will allow you to write a reviews directly on the agency. With billions of trillions of searches per year, let’s not forget Google gets a serious amount of traction when it comes to prospects looking up insurance. Google is by far ahead of Bing and Yahoo, so what’s out there in the world of Google matters to your online image and your agency’s bottom line. This article is not meant to scare you though, but rather to show you the power of Google reviews and how you can take advantage of that power, and how they can and WILL bring more opportunities to your agency.
It’s no secret that more and more prospects are starting their search for insurance on the internet. If the prospects’ process is starting in the internet world, why wouldn’t we focus on getting more reviews in such great places like Google and Yelp? Why should your agency start with Google? Well, because 66% of people start their search in the world of Google (stat provided by Search Engine World). Why are these Google reviews so important to your agency? Well that’s a great question, and I have a great article here that was put out by MOZ stating that 67% of consumers are influenced by online reviews, and I personally feel it’s even higher than that, and those reviews are building trust with those prospects/consumers.
Unlike Yahoo and Bing, Google customer reviews are among one of the first things that are displayed while searching for your agency. Google reviews don’t stop there, they play a very big role in your agency’s SEO. Now that we’ve covered the importance of these reviews, let’s look at what they cost your agency. Reviews will cost you nothing out of your pocket, but it will take a little effort and energy. First, you need to teach your team inside the agency to understand the importance of your reviews, and then walk them through the process on how to leave a review. Many of your clients won’t know how to leave a review, and they’ll end up asking your staff, so it’s important that your staff understands the process first. The last step, which is the most important step, is you must ASK for reviews from your customers and clients.
How to Obtain Google Reviews:
To-Do #1: First and foremost, you have to verify your business on Google, but don’t stop there; make sure you have the correct spelling of your agency (for example our legal name is Paradiso Financial & Insurance Services LLC and usually in the internet world we go by Paradiso Insurance) and make sure you remain consistent with the format of your agency’s name across all social networks and sites.
To Do #2: Start by reaching out to your agency’s raving fans (these are your friends/family/long term clients), and ask them if they would be so kind as to leave you a review. Once you hang up with them, send them a quick email thanking them, but make sure you have the link to leave your agency a review; the easier you make it for them, the more reviews you will receive. If you need help setting up a custom link for obtaining agency reviews, please reach out to my Marketing Manager, Joe, at bestey@paradisoinsruance.com and we’ll get you squared away.
To Do #3: Make obtaining reviews and objective for every sales call that your team makes. Also, feel free to give out incentives to the team if our agency successfully gets reviews.
By making Google reviews apart of your agency’s culture, you will see the positive changes in your agency’s online image, and it will surely pay off! Remember, one key aspect is that if you don’t ASK you don’t get! Good luck everyone, and Happy Marketing!
