The Latest News From Melon Local

Stay in the know with the latest news in digital marketing, best practices and updates from Melon Local.

How AI Determines Which Business Is the Best

You know your business is the best. But when someone asks AI (Artificial Intelligence) for the best business nearby, does your name come up? And if another business gets recommended, what made AI choose it over yours? Let’s look at how ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity find business information and

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Melon Local team member highlighting the importance of choosing the right social media platform for insurance marketing success

Using the Right Social Platform as an Insurance Agent

In the marketing world, we often hear the mantra: “Be where your customers are.” Well, more often than not, this can be on social media. As of 2024, over 4.9 billion people use social media, with the average time spent on at least one platform being around 144 minutes. Whether you’re on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, it’s not just about being present — it’s about being present in the right

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Cara Kornegay, Client Success Manager at Melon Local, featured in a “Melon of the Month” spotlight graphic.

Melon Spotlight: Cara Kornegay

Welcome to our first-ever Melon Spotlight, in which we will be highlighting One in a Melon team members making a difference in the digital marketing space. This time, we caught up with Cara Kornegay, one of our many talented Client Success Managers whose enthusiasm for digital marketing is as infectious as it is insightful. Check out our video interview with Cara as she shares a mix of fun personal anecdotes

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Melon Local team member sharing organic search optimization best practices and common SEO mistakes to avoid

4 Do’s and Don’ts of Organic Search Optimization

Did you know that the number one organic search result at the top of a page is 10 times more likely to receive a click compared to a page in the number 10 spot? Whether you’re a small-town insurance agent or run a multi-state agency, a smart approach to organic search optimization can expand your digital reach and garner fresh, quality leads. Unlike paid search, focusing on your organic reach

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Man speaking into a microphone beside the headline “Google Local Map Pack” on a Melon Minute blog graphic.

Ranking Factors on Google’s Local Map Pack

Ever searched for a nearby business on Google and seen a map with highlighted results at the top? That’s the Google Local Map Pack, a handy tool that shows relevant businesses based on your search. This dynamic feature, also known as the Google 3-Pack, Google Maps Pack and Google Local Pack, pulls info from Google Maps to give you a quick snapshot of nearby options. Each listing includes the business’s

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Portrait of insurance agent Amy Davis featured in Melon Local's Interview with an Agent series

Interview with an Agent: Amy Davis

Raised in Pennsylvania, Amy Davis was deeply inspired by her grandfather, a local insurance agent who took a personalized approach to customer service. After earning her degree from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Amy ventured to Texas, fueled by a profound desire to support individuals and engage with the community. With a six-year tenure at a local agency under her belt, she decided to emulate her grandfather’s legacy by launching

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Portrait of insurance agent Nick Mongeau featured in Melon Local's 5 Things I Love About Melon Local interview series

5 Things I Love About Melon Local — Feat. Nick Mongeau

San Fernando insurance agent Nick Mongeau is a natural conversationalist who enjoys educating people in his community about finding the right insurance coverage. Since opening his agency in 2020, his office has grown to serve over a thousand households across the San Fernando Valley, including the areas of Pacoima, Mission Hills, Sylmar, and Granada Hills. Realizing the importance of having a comprehensive approach to digital advertising, he tried working with

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Whitney Green-Olson celebrates being named a Vegas Inc. 2024 40 Under 40 honoree and poses with family and friends.

Melon Local’s CEO Named a Vegas Inc 2024 40 Under 40 Honoree

Whitney Green-Olson, CEO and Co-Founder of the Las Vegas-based digital marketing agency, Melon Local, was recognized by Vegas Inc as one of its 2024 40 Under 40 honorees. Vegas Inc’s 40 Under 40 awards celebrate the achievements of young leaders from various industries. Recipients were selected by a panel of judges based on their work ethic, community devotion, and exceptional leadership throughout Southern Nevada. “Being recognized as one of the

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Person taking a team photo with a smartphone to demonstrate Google Business Profile photo best practices

Photo Best Practices for Google Business Profile

A picture can really be worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to the photos you choose to upload on your Google Business Profile (GBP). Well, at least according to the search engine, businesses that add photos to their GBPs receive 42 percent more requests for directions on Google Maps and 35 percent more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t. Although images don’t directly influence your

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Melon Local paid search specialist working on Google Ads campaign optimization and performance strategy

10 Strategies for Higher Performing Google Ads

In the fiercely competitive digital insurance marketing space, the secret to making your Google ads stand out isn’t just a hefty budget — it’s through strategic planning and understanding the search engine’s Quality and Optimization Score system. Let’s dive into how Google measures the quality and optimization of an ad and some strategies you can incorporate into your paid search campaigns. How Google’s Quality & Optimization Score System Works Think

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Latest Blog Posts

Melon Local team members posing together in the office to celebrate company culture, teamwork and a positive workplace environment

The Power of Positivity at Melon Local

From earning our Google Premier Partner status in early 2022 to increasing the number of our clients from 200 to 1,500 over a two-year period, we owe the majority of our success to creating a positive environment inside and outside our office! “Our culture is what has set Melon Local apart during and after the Covid remote work era,” says our CEO Whitney Green. “I have always been passionate about

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Smartphone displaying the Google Business Profile app with tips for optimizing a Google Business Profile

Utilizing Your Google Business Profile as an Insurance Agent

Having a fully optimized Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the most important things you can do as part of your insurance marketing strategy.  There’s no reason not to have a GBP, considering Google is the most visited website and search engine in the world, and it’s free to create.  Think of your profile as a Yellow Pages listing that features everything people need to know about your business,

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Portrait of insurance agent Dennis Holland featured in Melon Local's Interview with an Agent series

Interview with an Agent: Dennis Holland

Before becoming an insurance agent, Dennis Holland had a rewarding 10-year career in credit lending. However, when the owners decided to shut things down, Dennis found a new career working for a friend and insurance agent in ​​Alpharetta, GA. Three years later, he was given the opportunity to take over a retiring agent’s office in nearby Cumming, GA. Since opening his agency on June 1, 2021, Dennis has been able

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Woman holding a laptop while comparing search advertising and display advertising strategies for insurance marketing

Search Ads Versus Display Ads in Insurance Advertising

When it comes to incorporating online ads in your insurance advertising campaigns, having the right display and search ads can make a difference in growing your agency. While both of these ad formats should be utilized by your agency, they each have specific advantages for different types of campaigns. You can also waste a decent chunk of your advertising budget if you’re not using the right ad types for your

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Man holding an Instagram like icon to represent social media engagement and audience interaction on Instagram

20 Ways to Use Instagram in Your Insurance Marketing Strategy

With over 1 billion users across the globe, Instagram is one of the most popular social media networks in the world and one of the best social media platforms to implement your insurance marketing strategy. Besides being a popular outlet for sharing video and photo content, it’s one of the biggest platforms for digital marketing, with over an outstanding 25 million active business accounts. If that’s not convincing enough for

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Portrait of insurance agent Dave Christy featured in Melon Local's Interview with an Agent series

Interview with an Agent: Dave Christy

Washington insurance agent Dave Christy is a “numbers guy” at heart.  Originally from Columbus, OH, Dave moved to Washington during high school and graduated from Washington State University with a focus in Math and Communications. After graduation, he put his skills to the test as a stockbroker for several years before becoming a licensed insurance agent in 1994. Following the success of his first agency in Spokane Valley, WA, he

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Man holding an Instagram like icon to represent social media engagement and audience interaction on Instagram

4 Do’s and Don’ts of Using Insurance Keywords

Using the right insurance marketing keywords can make a difference in how well your agency’s website ranks in search engines and can impact your leads.  If you’re not familiar with what keywords are, think of them as GPS coordinates for your Search Engine Optimization or Organic Search Optimization campaigns that help people reach your content online.  Having the right keywords can determine how popular your website is in search algorithms. Search

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Customer using a smartphone to leave a five-star review for a business

6 Ways You Can Generate Reviews for Your Insurance Agency

As part of your insurance marketing strategy and online reputation management, generating and encouraging online reviews is essential.  Online review statistics have shown over 54 percent of online shoppers read at least four product reviews before purchasing a product.  Having a substantial number of positive reviews is crucial for adding credibility to your agency’s reputation. On the other hand, negative reviews can also help you determine any unmet needs of

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Person using a tablet to perform a Google search, representing search engine optimization and online visibility

What to Know About Google’s Responsive Search Ads

Google will no longer serve new expanded text ads starting June 30, 2022 The world of paid advertising is constantly evolving, especially with Google, which is continuously updating how it runs its ad programs. If your business revolves around insurance marketing – let alone any kind of marketing – you should be aware of Google’s plans to scrap expanded text ads to instead focus on responsive search ads on June

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