Insurance is a competitive market. When your potential cusotmers search online, they have dozens of options. The #1 fastest and most effective way to boost your agency’s online presence so you can stand out from your competitors is to generate positive Google reviews.
92% of consumers say that they consult online reviews before making a purchase decision. Google reviews can either be one of your business’s most powerful marketing tools, or you can get left behind.
Why are Google Reviews Important?
Rank Higher on Google
When someone searches on Google for insurance (for example, “insurance agents near me”), Google displays what they call a “Map Pack”, which is simply a list of the top few businesses that Google’s algorithm has determined are the best fit for the search. Google’s support page explains that the algorithm is looking for 3 things when determining which businesses to show:
- Distance – How close is the business’s address to the searcher’s location?
- Relevance – Does the information Google has about the business match the user’s search intent and is the business active and up-to-date?
- Prominence – How legitimate is the business in Google’s eyes?
Google reviews are one of the strongest indicators to Google of how relevant and prominent a business is. Having recent reviews lets Google know that your business is actively doing business with customers (relevant). Having a large volume of positive reviews let’s Google know that your services are reliable and that many customers like you (you’re prominent), so they can be confident that showing you in the search results will be helpful to searchers.
Improving your relevance and prominence by getting consistent positive reviews can help you show up in more search results.
Be Chosen by More Customers
Even once you’re showing up in Google search results, if you don’t have strong reviews, consumers aren’t going to choose to do business with you. The fastest and most effective way to get the attention of new potential customers is to have a strong profile of Google reviews.
The average insurance agency on Google has:
- 39 reviews (agencies ranked in the top 3 average 47)
- A 4.5-Star Rating
- New reviews each month
Which of the following businesses would you choose if you were looking for an insurance agent in Mount Pleasant, MI?
The answer here is obvious. Ryan Schlicht has a lower star rating than the other 2 agencies. General Agency Company has 5 stars, but only 5 total reviews, making them look small or inactive. Mt Pleasant Agency has a high volume of mostly positive reviews, making them attractive to searchers (and apparently to Google, since they’re appearing first in the results).
Having a strong Google reviews profile makes you more likely to convert search traffic into conversations with potential customers.
How to Get More Google Reviews
That’s a conversation for another day. You can check out our guide here to read our recommendations for how you can easily get more reviews from your current customers.
At Lift Local, we’ve built a tool specifically for insurance agents that completely automates the process of generating Google reviews. All you have to do is upload a list of your customers’ email addresses, and then the system will send email requests to help you start consistently getting new positive Google reviews each month. Contact us for more information.