Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: There's a lot of ways to earn trust and build trust, but simply just showing up in those search results can be a credibility booster.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: Google Seoul owns over 90% of the search and we know that of that 90%, 46% of them are local searches. Really anybody who's making a buying decision, they want to talk to somebody and majority of the time they want to talk to somebody local.
[00:00:17] Speaker A: We have a way of wanting to be helped by people we already know. If you're coming across as a helpful neighbor, then you're just giving yourself a leg up.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: Google, my business, that is the first thing that people see. But it's prime real estate.
[00:00:30] Speaker A: If an agent is ever going to succeed in their market, then people need to know that they exist. So today we're going to teach you how to make sure that your name shows up when a prospect comes looking. And Jo, we know that SEO stands for Search Engine optimization, but today we're going to take it one step further and talk about what that means at the local level so our agents and advisors can start to show up in their local market when their community needs them. And so let's set the stage here. Jo, when we're talking about local SEO, what does that mean?
[00:00:59] Speaker B: It means that you want your local audience when they're putting in things such as near me, so Medicare agent, near me, life insurance agent, near me, that, that you're popping up. So when you're thinking about search engine optimization, that's coming up across certain keywords. And when you get to the localized level, now you're bringing in your local community. So when Google's trying to figure out who is local, it's going to be things like how far are you from the, you know, from where the user is, what city are you stating that you provide services in and, and items like that that help build your local SEO.
[00:01:28] Speaker A: Okay, so this is no different than me searching for a dry cleaner or a new restaurant through Google Maps. But in this case, we're talking about if someone out there needs Medicare coverage or a life insurance quote. That's what we're talking about here today. And we will get into tactics to ensure that you do show up and those near me searches. But, and we're starting to get into this right now. Jo, why is this so relevant to our audience of agents and advisors?
[00:01:53] Speaker B: Well, whether you're in the annuity space or the Medicare space, life insurance, we know that, you know, it's 50 plus and people that are 50 plus or really anybody who's making a buying decision that that's a little bit more difficult. They want to talk to somebody, they want to and a majority of the time they want to talk to somebody local. They want to call local number. You don't want to call 1-800-number where you're calling a call center and who knows who, who it is that you're speaking to. When you can connect with somebody, it gives you that much more confidence. If you can go meet with them, it gives you that much more confidence. And that's what people, especially that 50 plus, that 65 plus community, that's what they're looking for. They want a trusted source. They can research online all day long, anything that they'd like. But one thing we know, when they're ready to make that buying decision, they want somebody that helps them, you know, finalize and confirm their choices.
[00:02:38] Speaker A: Yeah, and there's a lot of ways to earn trust and build trust, but simply just showing up in those search results can be a credibility booster. It shows that you're active, relevant enough to rank in search and show up when someone asks. And now that we've established local SEO as the practice, let's now talk about the tools that agents and advisors can use to get found. And one in particular is completely free. We talk about it all the time but it can truly be the difference between someone finding you or your competition. So Jo, of course we're talking about a Google business profile. Can you explain what that is?
[00:03:15] Speaker B: Absolutely. So it's it, you mentioned it a second ago. It is a free profile that you can claim on Google. It's connected to Maps. And so if, if I'm in the Clearwater area and I typed in Medicare agent near me, first thing you're going to see is you're going to see that map pull up with those businesses located. Um, usually it's a top three that it shows right away and that is your Google my business profiles that are showing up there. Um, and that's people who, who have claimed their profiles, have optimized their profiles and, and are really showing, hey, this is where I do work and look, I'm located right here in your backyard.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: So it sounds like a Google business profile is essential to ensuring that you're meeting local SEO best practices. And there's a lot of practices that you can put into place to ensure that you're showing up in your community, that people aware that you exist. So what role does a Google business profile play in an overall discoverability strategy for local area?
[00:04:09] Speaker B: It's literally like your fingerprint. So we Know that, you know, Google still owns over 90% of the search, and we know that of that 90%, 46% of them are local searches. So we know people are searching local. And if, you know, okay, when, when our buyers or our clients or potential clients are going to search for somebody locally, I need to pop up there, Google my business. You can go do it yourself right now and go put in Medicare agent, go put in life insurance agent or financial planner near me. You're going to see that Google map pop right up with those listings. That is the first thing that people see. Those organic rankings. Everything else are all now falling below that. But it's prime real estate, and it doesn't cost anything to get to, to do it. The main issue that we see with it is people just aren't populating it and filling it out completely.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:52] Speaker B: So they're leaving, you know, just free opportunity on the table. But it really is if, if you can get in there and really put in there the local area that you service put, your address is going to be in there. Your phone number, your website, make sure your website also states those cities, everything will drive back to those cities, which will help you rank on that Google business profile.
[00:05:12] Speaker A: Yeah. When I think about near me searches, I think about how ingrained those two words have become in Internet culture. It really has become sort of the default search terminology. So much so that there's actually businesses out there that incorporate the. The term near me in their business.
As we were preparing for this podcast, I actually did a Google search of businesses who incorporate near me into their business name. And a dentist office in El Paso, Texas popped up. There's a dental practice out there who leveraged that term for SEO purposes. So I bring that up to illustrate again how default near me searches have become.
So how does our audience become the default answer? We mentioned Google Business Profile, what additional practices and what do they need to do with their Google business profile to ensure that they do show up?
[00:06:02] Speaker B: Yeah, most agents, they're just leaving it half done. So they're going in there and they're doing the basics to get it set up. You have to get verified. And that process can take a little bit. And I feel like, you know, some people go through that process and then they're done and they're like, all right, I'm verified. I'm completely finished. And then they kind of leave it there, and then it goes stale. The fact is, is there's so many different.
There's so many different areas that, where you can optimize that you can be sure that you have your name, your phone number, your address. Obviously you need those. Your website list out all the services that you do. Um, make sure that you have hours. So if you have hours of operation, make sure that's in there. There's plenty of opportunities to do post. Um, if you're going out and you're having a seminar at the local library, post that on the Google my business. Also the reviews, the reviews are critical. And so that's another area when, when people are researching and they're trying to understand, should I call you? That's one more area to optimize that profile. But you see so many people who will set it and forget it and then they're never going back and checking it again.
[00:06:57] Speaker A: Yep. And so we know that if your Google business profile right now hasn't been updated in weeks or months, then that needs to be a top priority, especially as we enter enrollment season because prospects will be searching for agents and they are going to be looking for help. So now is the time to prepare so that when they are searching, you're the one that shows up. Beyond a Google business profile, what other tactics can help agents and advisors be known to their community?
Are there social media platforms or in person events that they could consider as well?
[00:07:31] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely. I mean think about social media alone in the, in the local groups that you could get involved with, making sure that your own social media profile is optimized. So instead of just putting that, you know, that you sell Medicare, make sure that it says that you're, you know, you sell Medicare in the Clearwater area, you can optimize all of those profiles. LinkedIn is a great one. LinkedIn is a, is another one where you can put in there actually where you do business.
If you frequent certain spots, be sure to put that in there. You can always create events on social media profiles. If you're, if you're running seminars and educational events, you can put events into those. The website, your website is your, is your credibility, it's your online presence. And that's really where people can go and see, okay, they're a legitimate location and here's where they're located and put all that information in there. But be sure to put your, those local aspects in there. So if you have your website, don't just have a photo of you. If you're doing seminars, put the photo of you at the local library, put the photo of you at the local mall or wherever it is where you're hanging out or, or where it is that if you live in that area. So they see, okay, this person is local to my area. And it makes them that much more comfortable with you because they realize, okay, you're, you're local, you know, you know, you know this area just like I do. And there's that trust factor that comes into play.
[00:08:43] Speaker A: Yeah, I think anytime you can incorporate yourself with the community and things that matter to, you know, the people in your neighborhood, in your own backyard, that is just another way to build that trust. Because we have a way of wanting to be helped by people we already know. And if you are, if you're coming across as a helpful neighbor, then you're just giving yourself a leg up and a head start when building that trust.
You mentioned websites, and so I do want to make sure that we stop there because there are certain tactics that agents can use to also boost their local visibility through their website. You mentioned some of them. Is there anything that agents can do right now to their website to help them show up better come AEP season?
[00:09:30] Speaker B: Well, I think adding a page that is specific to the city or cities that you service is always a great idea. So if I was a digital marketer in Seminole, which is, you know, where I live, then I would put in their digital marketing services in Seminole, Florida. And then that way it draws right back to Seminole, using Seminole as a keyword with digital marketing. So then there's three keywords I hit. Same thing for anybody that's in the Medicare life insurance industry, Medicare agent in Seminole, Medicare agent in Largo, and all the surrounding areas. Each page you can build out that helps optimize that is going to help the more that you can link. So if you're a member of the community chamber or any chamber of commerce or any of those, then creating profiles on those pages and linking your website to those pages is always going to help because now you're building a local web. The more that you can build your Facebook pages and then you link that back to your website and again, you're just showing that, that you're building a web of your digital presence and it all combines same thing with your Google My business. Your Google my business ties back to your website.
Um, all of that comes together and think about all the channels that you could utilize to build that whole digital web and, and think about the community programs and, and all also.
[00:10:37] Speaker A: Yeah, and, and a lot of what we're talking about right now has to do with traditional SEO and, and showing up in traditional search or near me searches on Google Maps. But Jo, what you just outlined there is also the best practice to show up in AI overviews and generative AI searches and, and help your chances of getting recommended by AI. Because AI is looking for that holistic picture of credibility. Not a single LinkedIn profile or a few blogs on our website, but AI is looking for those that it can deem as authoritative, credible and subject matter experts. So this goes beyond just showing up in traditional search. The practices that you outlined will also increase your chances of showing up in AI.
[00:11:20] Speaker B: I actually just read an article this week which I found really interesting is it said that Reddit last year was getting cited X amount of times. I don't remember the number. And then this year it was, it's been, it's declined actually where I saw YouTube has been taking its spot and so they were saying 5. This study was showing that 5 to 10 minute videos on YouTube where especially if you were to throw in local also is picking up. AI is picking those up now and putting them into, into their results which is really, and it's really interesting. It makes sense so because if you think about it, the AI can see it's a person on their creating it. It's not a slop content.
They can see the person, it's. It's their own thought. It's a short video, so it's not too long of a video and they can tie it together with all their other, you know, online presence. And it makes sense because now you've got the personal brand tied all into it. It's authentic. Which is exactly what AI is trying to provide when it's looking for results. Doesn't want the same thing everybody else is saying. It wants authentic thoughts and it wants who is the leader in this.
So I thought that was a really interesting article recently. So don't discount YouTube and Reddit obviously still comes into play.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: Well time and time again video being paramount to any marketing strategy is validated through new studies, new metrics, new trends and new data. So that's not surprising to me really because we've known that video has been king for so long, it was only a matter of time for AI to catch up and realize how much of a credibility booster it can be.
You also mentioned, Jo, that if you serve multiple communities, multiple cities, sometimes you're licensed in multiple states that could potentially change your local SEO strategies. What advice do you have for those agents that do service multiple communities or even multiple states?
[00:13:01] Speaker B: I think, I think it's showing that the large capacity that you have but making sure that you're also driving home that while you Cover a lot of area.
You have focus on those individual cities where your offices are located. So I think it's great when you can show, hey, here's all of our locations, and then have an individual page for each of those locations that speaks specifically about that area. And it doesn't just have to be one page. You can build a whole web around it. So you can have something for Clearwater, Florida, and then a page for seminars in Clearwater, Florida, and a page for maybe something else that's happening in Clearwater. And then on the exact same website you can have, okay, well now I'm in Austin, Texas and here's our location in Austin, Texas and here's the seminars we're running here. So, so that's where you start to build the web around those keywords and around those cities. And really it's, it's, it's looking at it from a higher level, but then it's also drilling down and making sure that local is always easier to earn than they, than a larger, a larger geographic area. So, so start with those local areas and then build upon it.
[00:14:02] Speaker A: One of the most valuable ways to earn a prospect's trust has nothing to do with anything that we produce ourselves. It's what other people end up saying about us that can really be one of the biggest difference maker. So as we're talking about local SEO and showing up in your local market, how important are those Google reviews?
[00:14:22] Speaker B: I would challenge anybody to think about how many times you've looked at Google reviews or looked at reviews on businesses before you partnered with them. How did it help make your decision? It helps a lot of us. We're constantly looking that up. I go straight to the reviews and I'll sort it by newest. And then I go right to the worst because I just want to see exactly what I'm dealing with, whatever it is, and then I look for those responses. It's critical. People trust people. People trust independent opinions, which is why people love reviews. That's why AI puts so much credit into Reddit and other platforms is because it knows these are real people that are giving their opinions.
So the Google reviews and utilizing that platform is critical. And really the newer that you can have reviews and the sooner you can build it into your process of when you know right after you work with a client of just getting into the, into the habit of asking them for that review, the easier it's going to be. Um, and then it doesn't have to, it's not like you have to sit there and every month say, oh, you know, I've got to send this to these 15 people. Just get it into the process already. To where? Right after they close, send them a link, and it's as simple as that. Google My business will give you a link. You just forward it to them. One hiccup that we always hear is, oh, well, the person doesn't have a Gmail. And the only way to do that is. And I'm like, all right, well, then send them your Facebook review link and send them your Google my business profile link. And if they don't have Google, then they can leave it on Facebook. Most likely. They have Facebook.
[00:15:44] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I want to let our audience know that we are going to be producing an entire episode about referrals and reviews and how you can leverage them, especially during busy seasons like aep.
So stay tuned for that. Now is a great time to subscribe to the Marketing Mentors podcast, so you are in the know when that episode goes live.
Jo, as we talk about AEP and we drive this conversation home today, what would you say to an agent out there as a first step if they haven't really thought about local visibility before?
[00:16:16] Speaker B: Well, I think as everybody's trying to get ahead of AI and trying to optimize their digital presence for AI, one of the first things you need to do is you need to go out and make sure that your name, your phone number, and your address match everywhere that is there. It's been out there a lot. Now that that's a signal to AI about whether, um, whether or not you're consistent across all of your digital channels. So go check your website, go check Google My Business, all your social media channels. If you're in any local directories, check those. Make sure it is the exact same name, address, and phone number in every single one of those. Um, what's happening is if the AI sees inconsistency, it's losing faith in you and it's tossing it and it's like, nope, not gonna. Not gonna recommend that one. So to me, that is most important. Start there. After you get that everywhere, then go back to your Google My business profile. Make sure you fill it out completely, and then post on gives you that area to post, even if it's once a month or once a week, whatever it is, just even once a quarter to start out. Make sure that you're putting some posts on there so when people go check out your profile, they can see that you're. That you've been there recently and that you're relevant.
[00:17:17] Speaker A: Yeah. And another tip that you can take home with you today is Google yourself. Use AI and do a search for Medicare agents in your local area and then investigate what shows up. And if it's not, you determine what is causing the search results that do show up to rank. And you can use what you're finding as a homework assignment to start improving your own efforts as well. Jo, the very last question I want to end on today is what does success look like for an agent if they have a successful local SEO strategy set up?
[00:17:52] Speaker B: I think if you're tracking it. So if you're just starting out, if you go to those profiles, Google, the Google My business profile will give you insights. Go track those, see how many people are clicking on your profile, see how many people are going to your website, start to see that increase. That's really where you want to see that movement is. You want to see that you're popping up and you're getting more impressions and then from there you want to build upon that. So that's the beginning is is to get on the board and then from there just compete with yourself every month to get more and more impressions and get more attention headed your way instead of your competitors.
[00:18:22] Speaker A: I Love it. Get 1% better every day. As I say, you guys, if you need help building your own local visibility, check out the description below because we have a free beginner's guide to local visibility that you can use to start preparing your efforts as enrollment season starts to get closer and closer. But until then, be sure to follow the Amerilife Marketing Mentors and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. For Jo Barker, I'm David Belleville, this is the Amerilife Market Marketing Mentors and we'll see you next time.
