SEO for insurance companies

The insurance industry is hugely competitive in every country, with numerous providers vying for the attention of potential customers. Consumers usually start their search for insurance online, whether it is car insurance, home contents insurance, or business insurance.

SEO is a crucial tool to ensure that your insurance company is visible in search engines such as Google. In this article, I explain how you can develop a strong SEO strategy to improve your ranking and attract more customers as an insurance company..

The challenge of SEO in the insurance industry

Insurance falls under Your Money, Your Life (YMYL) categories, which means Google is extra strict in rating websites in this industry. They want to show only the most reliable and authoritative sites, because misinformation can have serious financial consequences for users. Therefore, insurance companies must get their EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) right to be successful in search engines.

EEAT: Expertise, authority and trust for insurers

To me, the most important thing for any insurer. E-E-A-T(see my full article here). Google values content that comes from recognized experts and companies with strong reputations.

  • Show expertise: Make sure your Web site has content written by qualified professionals, such as financial experts and insurance experts. Include biographies of your contributors that clearly highlight their qualifications and experience.
  • Build authority: Increase your authority by getting backlinks from reliable and relevant sources, such as government agencies, financial publications and authoritative websites in the insurance industry. Getting mentions in leading media or publishing white papers can also contribute to your authority.
  • Gain trust: Customers need to know that their personal information is safe and that they are dealing with a trustworthy insurance company. Provide clear privacy and security policy pages. Displaying labels, certifications and customer reviews reinforces trust.

Read my full article on E-E-A-T and on YMYL pages/websites to get a full picture of this.

Local SEO for insurance companies

Although many insurance policies are sold nationally, local SEO can still be an important part of your strategy. This is especially true for smaller insurance brokers or offices that operate locally.

  • Google My Business: Optimize your Google My Business profile to be more visible to local customers. Add your business details, such as business hours, contact information and a brief description of your services. Provide regular updates and encourage customers to leave reviews.
  • Location-specific pages: Create specific landing pages for different regions in which you operate. For example, if you have an office in multiple cities, create separate pages such as “Insurance company in Rotterdam” or “Car insurance in Utrecht.” This will help you rank better in local searches.

This strategy within locations does become less and less in wealthier countries. Here, it is becoming easier and easier to take out insurance policies digitally or by phone.

Content creation for insurance companies

Insurance can be complex products, so content creation provides an excellent opportunity to educate potential customers and help them make informed decisions.

  • Informational guides and blogs: Write blogs and guides that clarify complicated insurance products. Articles such as “How to choose the best health insurance?” or “What exactly does household insurance cover?” help customers make more informed choices and attract traffic to your site.
  • Case Studies and Success Stories: Showcase success stories in which you have helped clients. These can be case studies of businesses you have protected from harm or individuals you have helped after an accident. This builds trust and shows that you are knowledgeable and helpful.
  • Seasonal content: Respond to seasonal insurance needs, such as travel insurance in the summer or storm damage insurance in the fall. By scheduling this content, you can be present at the right time when customers are looking for specific insurance.

For insurance, I see a clear distinction between some short tail search terms such as “health insurance” and “travel insurance” and informational search terms that people are searching for. Try to balance this (especially look at the level of competition for each search term, this can add up quickly the more volume there is on it).

I know from experience that many insurance providers invest millions a year in this and put a lot of smart people on it. For an overview of (especially) the level of competition, see the chart below. Some keywords are virtually unachievable; regardless of budget.

Conversion-oriented SEO for insurance

SEO is more than just getting traffic to your website; it must also lead to conversions. Insurance is often a product that requires some explanation, so you need to make sure your website can easily guide potential customers in their decision making.

  • Clear CTAs: Make sure each page has clear call-to-actions, such as “Get a quote” or “Call us for advice.” These CTAs should always be visible, especially on mobile devices where many customers begin their search.
  • Comparison tools and calculators: Customers often want to know how your insurance compares to that of other providers. Consider offering comparison tools and premium calculators that help customers find the best insurance for their needs.
  • Simple quote requests: Make sure the quotation process is simple and that customers can quickly receive a price quote. Ask for only the required information and possibly offer a chat feature for quick questions.

Conversion is ultimately the most important thing you are going for. So make sure the website provides a good customer journey for each search and landing page from Google.

Technical SEO and security

In the insurance industry, a technically solid and secure website is essential for both SEO and building trust with customers. Customers need to know that their data is safe when they engage with your company.

  • SSL certificate: A secure website (HTTPS) is absolutely essential, especially in the insurance industry where customers share sensitive personal and financial information. Search engines prefer secure websites, and customers are more likely to share their data with you.
  • Website speed and mobile-friendliness: Many customers start their insurance search on their smartphones. Make sure your website loads quickly and is easily navigable on mobile devices. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to improve load times and fix errors.
  • Crawl errors and duplicate content: Perform regular technical SEO audits to identify and fix broken links, duplicate content, and crawl errors. This will keep your website healthy and prevent your SEO performance from suffering.

Link building and online reviews

As in other industries, backlinks and online reviews are valuable tools to strengthen your authority and trust.

  • Customer reviews: Actively ask customers to leave reviews on platforms such as Google, Trustpilot or specialized insurance websites. Positive reviews not only improve your visibility, but also build trust with potential customers.
  • Guest blogging and partnerships: Consider partnering with financial Web sites and blogs to write guest articles that lead to your Web site. This can help gain valuable backlinks and demonstrate your expertise within the insurance industry.

Conclusion

SEO for insurance companies requires a strategy that revolves around trust, expertise and ease of use. By focusing on EEAT, local SEO, valuable content creation and technical optimizations, you can ensure that your insurance company becomes more visible in search engines. This leads not only to more traffic, but also to more qualified leads and customers. Make sure your SEO strategy is constantly evaluated and adjusted to strengthen your online presence and stay ahead of your competitors.

Senior SEO-specialist

Ralf van Veen

Senior SEO-specialist
Five stars
My clients give me a 5.0 on Google out of 78 reviews

I have been working for 12 years as an independent SEO specialist for companies (in the Netherlands and abroad) that want to rank higher in Google in a sustainable manner. During this period I have consulted A-brands, set up large-scale international SEO campaigns and coached global development teams in the field of search engine optimization.

With this broad experience within SEO, I have developed the SEO course and helped hundreds of companies with improved findability in Google in a sustainable and transparent way. For this you can consult my portfolio, references and collaborations.

This article was originally published on 21 August 2024. The last update of this article was on 14 January 2025. The content of this page was written and approved by Ralf van Veen. Learn more about the creation of my articles in my editorial guidelines.