![Page 1: Your Website Doesn’t Have to be LousyYOUR WEBSITE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LOUSY CONSIDERATIONS ON TAKING YOUR WEBSITE FROM LOUSY TO LOVELY. Melissa Murphy, CISR, CIC Marketing Specialist](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022070803/5f030f747e708231d4075657/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Your Website Doesn’t Have to be Lousy
SPONSORED BY
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YOUR WEBSITE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LOUSY
CONSIDERATIONS ON TAKING YOUR WEBSITE FROM LOUSY TO LOVELY.
Melissa Murphy, CISR, CICMarketing Specialist MAIA
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KNOW YOUR GOAL(S)
BUILDING BLOCKS
Make informed decisions and create a vision.
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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR WEBSITE?Be Found
Increase Search Engine Rank (SEO)
Lead GenerationSales Tool
Establish Your ExpertiseAnswer Insurance Questions
Contact InformationIntroduce the Team
Communicate with ClientsTransact Business
Partner with Other Businesses
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BASIC ELEMENTSReflect Your Brand
Design Simplicity & Consistency
Pleasing Images and Colors
Works across Web Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, IE)
Easy to Navigate
Useful Content
Quick Loading Time
Speaks to Your Clients & Potential Clients
Current
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NEXT LEVEL ELEMENTSDynamic Content
Interaction
Personalization
Social Media Crossover
Mobile & Tablet Compatibility
Quoting & Sales Functions
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BEWARE
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ELEMENTS TO AVOIDIncorrect/Outdated Information & Typos
Overdoing the Design
Flash, Sounds, Music, Excessive Pop-ups
Awkwardly Sized Images & Logos
Changing Basic Functionality
Confusing Navigation
Jargon & Acronyms
Text Only
oh no, they didn’t!
Marvis Contemporary ToothpasteLeoneck Hotel
NVEnergize
and yet, they did!
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LOOK AROUNDKnow what’s going on with… Your Carriers | Your Competitors | National
IIABA ACT Resources
• www.independentagent.com/ACTTrust Choice Offers
• Marketing Reimbursement Program $500Vetted Syndicated (RSS) ContentListing in the Trusted Choice DatabaseBranding Information & Research
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SPY WITH SEARCHGoogle it:
lay-terms
commonly asked questions
“car insurance + a location”
“workers comp + a location”
“boat insurance + a location”
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IMAGESWeb-friendly format (.jpg or .gif).
your logo, companies, associationsperiodically logos change!correct size
Proper PermissionsPurchase Stock PhotographyFree Stock
stock.xchg (http://www.sxc.hu)
Your OwnRelationship BusinessTesting reveals a 95% Conversion Rate when a REAL photo is used **
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CONTENTName, location(s), areas you serve, phone and emails
Keyword Rich Pages
• Lines of Business & Niche Markets • Staff Introductions with Contact Info• Carriers, Associations & Organization Affiliations• Claims Reporting Information • Offer
• Get a Quote\New Business Applications\Contact Form• Testimonials• Insurance Information & FAQ’s (Blog)• Video (+75% of internet users are watching online video)
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KNOW THYSELF
GETTING CLOSER
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ASK YOUR TEAM…What are their ideas?
What do they want/value in a site?
What would help them do their jobs better?
What will their roles be in this process?
Who is the project lead?
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ASK YOUR CLIENTS…Who is the site for?
potential or existing customers
What is your current client base like?
young/mobile or old/landline
What will your client base look like in 5 years?
how will they find you?how will they want to do business?
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KNOW WHAT YOU NEEDThe budget is _________.
The timeline is _________.
Have your logo/tag line ready.
The basic functionality you require.
Have a list of several sites you admire.
How interactive you want the site to be.
How often you anticipate making changes.
How you want to interact with your developer.
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GETTING A PROPOSAL
TIME TO SPEAK TO A PROFESSIONAL
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FIND YOUR WEB DEVELOPERGet a recommendation
Approach some local businesses with great sites
Contact other agents (try other states)
Try a site like elance.com (not an endorsement)
Interview a few people. Call the references.Judge their response time and their work. Be very comfortable with the person/team AND their preferred method of communication.
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WHOLE PACKAGE DEALSContract for a whole package…
Agency Revolution
Astonish Results
Project CAP
Hubspot
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DO IT YOURSELF
ARE YOU CRAZY?
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CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:Budget
Technical Skills
Scope
Time (and interest level)
Support
DIY Means: More Work - More Control
Less Cost - Less Choice
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APPROACH OF CHOICE• Free and open source blogging tool and a
dynamic content management system (CMS).
• You will need hosting service in addition to the domain.
• A small-business friendly web developer might use Wordpress, too.
• Often SEO optimized.
• Make changes and create dynamic content on your own.
• Use plugins to enhance the look and add functionality.
• Easily add media content.
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WORDPRESS EXAMPLES
Massahu.org
Metro South Insurance Agents Association
The Murray Group
JDC Insurance Group
Hartzler Digital Media
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THEMESTheme is the overall template structure of the site
Range from very rigid to very customizableFree – least customizable Ready to Purchase – LOTS of options Custom– employ a designer to build your options
Most optimized for SEOelegantthemes.comsolostream.com
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DASHBOARDAccess Administrative Functions
View Stats
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WIDGETS & PLUGINSAdd Content Extras in your sidebars, footers and headers:
• Insurance Information (Personal & Commercial FAQ, Safety Tips, Disaster Preparedness, Auto Accident Refresher)
trustedchoice.com/agentbroker• Blog• Facebook• Video Components• Live Chat http://www.livechatinc.com
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MONITOR & TWEAKWatch Your Stats, Clicks and Bounce Rates
do they correspond with your newsletters, facebookposts, direct mailings, national news, weather, the full moon?
Google Analytics Add free google software to get a more robust picture
of where your web traffic comes from.
Visualize Visitor’s Movement on Your Siteclicktale.com (not an endorsement)
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RESOURCESInsurance Specific
• Steve Anderson – technology & automation• How Search Works• Agents Council on Technology • Insurance-Forums
Marketing & WP Specific• WP Beginner• WP Codex• Hubspot Blog • 7 Essentials Tips for Wordpress• Duct Tape Marketing