Stage 3: Starting Your Website

Once you have established your marketing plan and refined your message, you are ready to create your website.

Your Website

Your website should be the cornerstone for all information coming from your agency.

If you don’t have a website, there’s no time like the present to get started! Some great options for a starter website are Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace or Weebly. These sites offer easy-to-use platforms without needing to know how to code to get started. If you are looking for a more comprehensive website, consider working with on of Big I’s preferred partners. ITC, Forge 3, Titan Web,Advisor Evolved and Marketing 360 all support the Big I and know how to make a high-quality insurance agency website.

Now that you have your website set up, it’s time to optimize it.

Prioritize your top-visited webpages

On average, users spend about 15 seconds on a website, according to Tony Haile of Chartbeat. What does this mean for you? This means that those visiting your website don’t want to have to spend a lot of time searching for what they’re looking for. If they have to spend too much time searching, they might go elsewhere to find the information easier. The most visited web pages should be the easiest to find. If they’re not, it’s time to rearrange your layout.

Check your analytics

A Google Analytics account will help you to understand what pages are most visited on your website so you can better tailor your content for what your audience needs. (For more information about setting up a Google Analytics account and learning how to use it, go to page 26.)

Keep visitors engaged

Your website should be visually appealing. Break up large chunks of text with applicable images to keep your website visitors interested.

Ensure your website is mobile-friendly

Test your website on a mobile device. According to Statistica, over 52 percent of all web traffic worldwide is done on a mobile device. Testing your website on a mobile device will help you to see what over half of your website visitors will be seeing when they visit your website.

Have a complete website

An ideal website has multiple sections, an “About Us” page sharing your story and background, a page for each general coverage (Home, Auto, Hobby Farm, Small Business, etc.) which are organized in a way that is easy for the visitor to navigate, a “Contact Us” page with information on how a visitor can inquire about a quote and any other pages you think are necessary such as a “Meet Our Team” page. Including all these web pages will answer the 5 W’s and how (Who, what, where, when, why and how). They know who (your agency), what (type of insurance coverage), where (your address/location should be included), when (anytime someone visits the website), why (your About Us page and homepage) and how (Contact Us or quick quote page) A customer on your website should have no difficulty having their common questions answered after reading and you should feel compelled to request a quote to start the process. Once you have your website completed, reach out to Mallory Cornell (mallory@iiaw.com) to have the IIAW review your website for E&O exposures.