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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Portrait of insurance agent Kira Schnell-Harrison featured in Melon Local's Interview with an Agent series

Interview with an Agent: Kira Schnell-Harrison

Before she became an insurance agent, Kira Schnell-Harrison was a competitive synchronized figure skater. Kira grew up ice skating in Wisconsin and, at one point, qualified for Team USA. After her skating career, she worked in various roles in the consumer goods industry before opening her Chicago-area insurance agency in 2019.  Although she doesn’t compete anymore, she still coaches ice skating and applies the same experience to managing her insurance

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Woman holding a magnifying glass and laptop to represent organic search optimization and SEO research

What is Organic Search Optimization?

You’ve likely heard of Search Engine Optimization, but have you ever heard of Organic Search Optimization? If not, we’d love to explain! Melon Local offers an exclusive Organic Search Optimization (OSO) insurance marketing package which can boost your web presence by focusing on your organic content.  There are many ways your insurance agency can benefit from this package, including being listed in the most popular business directory listings and having

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Woman reacting to Facebook notifications on a smartphone, representing audience engagement and social media interaction on Facebook

20 Ways to Use Facebook in Your Insurance Marketing Strategy

If there’s any social media that’s necessary for your insurance marketing strategy, it’s Facebook.  With over 2.45 billion monthly users, Facebook is a great platform for making fun and engaging insurance social media posts. It also has the power to boost your agency’s visibility, drive leads, add value to your customers and strengthen your relationship with them and your local community.  Whether you’re just starting off or you’ve been using

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Portrait of insurance agent Kevin Hayward featured in Melon Local's Interview with an Agent series

Interview with an Agent: Kevin Hayward

Kevin Hayward originally envisioned himself as a newspaper writer. He studied communication and was an active freelance writer for his local newspaper, but soon realized he had a passion for the insurance industry.  After earning his bachelor’s degree, Kevin entered the insurance world as a claims agent in 2007. He worked his way up the company ladder and became a public affairs specialist and wrote articles for the insurance company’s

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Business professional holding a computer keyboard to represent choosing an SEO-friendly domain name for a website

7 Tips for Choosing an SEO-Friendly Domain Name

Having an SEO-friendly domain name can make a huge difference in the overall success of your insurance agency’s marketing strategy. So, why is it so crucial for your insurance agency to choose the right domain name? Well, it helps:  Define your brand Increase your click-through rate Generate more leads Boost your traffic Give credibility to your agency If your domain is too long or complicated, chances are it will be

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Smiling customer expressing appreciation for a positive business experience

10 Ways Your Insurance Agency Can Show Customer Appreciation

Just because your insurance agency sells someone a new policy doesn’t mean that things end there. The insurance industry is all about nurturing long-term relationships, and like any healthy relationship, there needs to be a balance of mutual appreciation between you and your customers.  Reciprocity is crucial to your agency’s long-term success and, in turn, makes your customers more likely to return the favor through additional sales, reviews and referrals.

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Google Premier Partner graphic featuring the Google logo and Melon Local branding celebrating Melon Local's 2022 Premier Partner status

Melon Local Named 2022 Google Premier Partner

All of us at Melon Local are ecstatic to announce that our insurance marketing agency has achieved 2022 Google Premier Partner status in the Google Partners program! Okay, so what does this mean exactly? It means Google now ranks Melon Local in the top 3% of all Google Partners and distinguishes us as a top industry performer. That’s a pretty big deal! This February, Google recognized the achievements of Melon

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Golden 2022 balloons held in the air to represent insurance marketing trends and planning for the new year

2022 Insurance Marketing Trends You Need to Know

Welcome, 2022! Every year, we like to kick things off by examining what’s new in the world of insurance marketing. Digital marketing is always evolving. Technology advances, customer behavior changes, and marketers who stay agile have the best chance of getting ahead.  To help you create an insurance marketing strategy for 2022, we’ve rounded up some of the most popular trends for your industry. We made sure that each of

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Interview with insurance agent Jason Wade featured in Melon Local's Interview with an Agent series

Interview with an Agent: Jason Wade

With a background in education administration, you may wonder how insurance agent Jason Wade found his way to the industry. With a head for business and a desire to find independence, Jason found that an insurance agency was the perfect way for him to flex his entrepreneurial muscles.  From the get-go, Jason decided to take on his own marketing efforts, but he knew there was a better way. After some

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Latest Blog Posts

A Melon Local team member with a laptop gives a thumbs up in a blog focused on how AI determines which business is best.

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 what you can do to help your business get found! First, What Does “Best” Actually Mean? Let’s say someone asked

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Melon Spotlight: Ashley Errisson

Ashley Errisson knows every agency has different needs, and she’s here to help find the right fit at Melon Local. From checking in with our clients to helping them choose the right marketing package, Ashley keeps communication and follow-through at the heart of what she does. We caught up with Ashley to talk about how she supports clients, what makes the Melon Local experience so adaptable and how she enjoys

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Melon Local team posts for 7-year company Melonversary photo.

Melon Local Celebrates 7 Years

Seven years, countless conversations, and a Patch that keeps growing! This November, Melon Local celebrates seven years of helping businesses get noticed, connect with customers and take their next step toward growth. Along the way, we’ve welcomed new Melons, built new ways to support our clients and made plenty of memories worth celebrating. But to appreciate how far we’ve come, let’s rewind a little. Where Our Roots Took Hold Melon

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A Melon Local team member screams next to blog text that describes the topic of the blog: 7 Digital Marketing Mistakes That Might Haunt You.

7 Digital Marketing Mistakes That Can Haunt Your Business

Candy, costume parties and spooky decorations are all part of October’s fun. But digital marketing mistakes? Those can haunt your business year-round, quietly draining your budget and making it harder for customers to find you. At Melon Local, we want you to know where your marketing dollars are going and what they’re doing for your business. Let’s take a look at seven digital marketing mistakes that can quietly hold your

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: Graphic reading “Still marketing like it’s 2025?” beside a man in a dark green suit with his arms crossed.

Is Your Digital Marketing Strategy Keeping Up with the Times?

Maybe you’re actively running Google ads. Maybe your business still appears in search. Maybe social posts are still going out. Your website may still bring in traffic. But just because your business is doing all these things doesn’t mean your marketing is keeping up with the times. The way your customers find, research and choose local businesses continues to change as search results evolve, competition shifts and new AI platforms

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Melon Local CEO Whitney Green-Olson and Executive Assistant Cass Fehr pose together at the BizX Tampa Bay 2026 award ceremony.

Melon Local Named Best Overall Company at BizX 2026 Tampa Bay

Another year, another big win for the Melon Patch! We’re proud to announce that Melon Local was named Best Overall Company at BizX 2026 Tampa Bay, hosted by ActionCOACH. The recognition comes nearly a year after Melon Local earned Best Service-Based Business Over 10 Employees at BizX North America 2025, making this year’s honor an especially meaningful win for our entire team. From continuing to grow our team and services

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Employees of Melon Local pose for a photo at brighton SEO & Hero Conf.

4 Melon Local Perspectives on brightonSEO & HeroConf

Unless you live under a rock, you know AI is changing everything in the digital marketing space. But when we sent several of our team members to brightonSEO & HeroConf San Diego, it wasn’t just another convention filled with the typical cliche talking points about how AI is changing everything. Instead, our team walked away with real, in-depth strategies and started planning how we can improve everything from how our

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Chad Stevens, Melon Local Software Engineering Manager, is featured with a headshot for a Melon Spotlight about his career with Melon Local.

Melon Spotlight: Chad Stevens

Even though he’s usually working remotely 400 miles away from our Las Vegas HQ, Chad’s behind-the-scenes impact on The Patch has made him an invaluable part of Melon Local’s success. As our Software Engineering Manager, he helps transform big ideas into scalable solutions that keep our systems running smoothly. Thoughtful, steady and always focused on finding the best path forward, his work may happen behind the scenes, but its impact

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Melon Spotlight: Michael Long

Meet our latest Melon Spotlight, Michael Long, our Principal of Paid Search Analytics & Optimization. After previously being featured as a Melon Spotlight during his time as Director of Client Success, Michael has continued to grow alongside Melon Local, stepping into a role where his strategic mindset and passion for performance help drive stronger results for our clients. Today, his expertise in paid search analytics and campaign optimization plays an

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