Insurance Agents can Boost SEO with Local Search

March 23, 2010 - PRLog -- JACKSONVILLE, FL March 23, 2010 -- Confluency Solutions today announced the sixth installment in a digital marketing Best Practice series for insurance agents.  A live webinar has been scheduled for April 22, 2010 to help independent insurance agents reclaim the visibility they are losing in their local markets.  The webinar, The Local Search Imperative, identifies the key steps insurance agencies need to take to show up at the top of web searches in Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  The webinar is free but seats are limited; insurance agents can sign up at http://www.confluencysolutions.com.

Recent estimates put the proportion of mobile device web searches with 'local intent' at 87%; and search engine giant Google is serving up more and more internet search results with Google Maps by  calculating a searchers local purpose.  Local insurance agencies have a natural advantage when vying for visibility and business in their communities; but increasingly, as independent insurance agents aren't claiming their Google Maps listings, they become invisible.

"Insurance agencies need to recognize they are losing dozens and dozens of customers each month - often more - because they aren't showing up in Google Maps and other local search engines," said Kevin McDonald, president of Confluency Solutions.  "Local search has been overlooked by many SEO consultancies and is something that every independent insurance agent can - and should - capitalize on right now."

Local search - business listing results presented according to the proximity and relevance of an insurance shopper's web search - are displayed differently in Google Maps, Yahoo Local and Bing Local.  Confluency Solutions' research has indicated that, no matter what the search engine, independent insurance agents are often poorly represented in top local search results.  "The good news is that besting the competition in local search, and getting more new sales, isn't hard or expensive," continued Confluency's McDonald.  "But the window of opportunity to is probably starting to close.  Those insurance agencies who entrench themselves in the local search ecosystem now will solidify their competitive advantage."

Confluency Solutions Best Practice series is designed to help independent insurance agents quickly gain competence with the digital marketing techniques that are so critical to business success today.  The series offers tips and guides to practical, cost-effective techniques that fit the time and budget limitations that local insurance agencies have to work within.

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Confluency Solutions specializes in delivering highly interactive websites and tools for independent insurance agents. For more information about the company, digital insurance marketing, and the Best Practice Series, visit their website at www.confluencysolutions.com.
To sign up for The Local Search Imperative Webinar, click the sign up link on the company home page at http://www.confluencysolutions.com.