When you plug a search query into Google, millions of results populate in the blink of an eye. Depending on your query, the format of the search engine results page, or SERP, can vary. If you were to submit a search for a local restaurant, then you’re likely to see Google Business Profile listings at the top of the page. If you search for a pair of leather boots, then you might see a ribbon of shopping ads at the top of the page.
In insurance marketing, a large part of what we do is try to earn the attention of potential, eligible customers by ensuring your agency comes up for relevant searches. When a customer types in “insurance in Boise,” we want your Boise insurance agency to be at the top of that SERP! This is especially important considering a whopping 75% of web users don’t scroll past the first page of search results. This means failing to get your agency on Google’s first page could cost you a ton of leads.
To better understand how customers are finding your business online, let’s break down the basic structure of Google’s search engine results pages by the types of results most relevant to your agency.
What is a SERP?
SERP is short for Search Engine Results Page. This refers to any single page that populates in response to your search query. The term SERP is not specific to Google and can refer to any search engine results page on any search platform.
What Are Organic Search Results?
Organic search results are the webpages that Google’s incredibly intelligent algorithm has deemed most relevant to the search query (more on this mysterious algorithm here). Most organic search results have earned their place on Google’s first page by optimizing for search. Search engine optimization, better known as SEO, is a great addition to your insurance marketing plan because it helps you appear as an organic result for relevant keyword searches.
There are three primary types of searches. Typically, certain types of searches will produce more organic results than the other.
- Informational – When a web user types in a search query like “what is Pangea” or “how to care for a monstera,” this is considered an informational search. This type of search is likely to produce the most organic results.
- Navigational – This type of search occurs when a web user is looking for a specific website. This is also going to populate a significant number of organic results. It may also produce competitors’ advertisements.
- Transactional – Transactional searches happen when a web user shows buyer’s intent. This type of search is likely to produce paid ads along with organic results.
What Are Paid Search Results?
Paid search results are digital advertisements. These PPC, or pay-per-click, ads require the advertiser to pay a fee each time a web user clicks on their ad. Regular text ads will appear at the top of the page with the designation “ad” to the left of the URL. Shopping ads will appear as blocks of product photos at the top of the SERP as well.
As we mentioned earlier, people are unlikely to click to the second page of search results, and even less likely still to open the third page! Paid advertising gives us the opportunity to get our clients’ agencies in front of potential customers right when and where they’re searching for insurance. Read more about PPC for insurance marketing here.
To maximize the effectiveness of paid advertising, the ad should funnel web users to a landing page or a specific page on a website that relates to their search query. So, if you typed in “windshield repair in Houston,” the ad should ideally lead you to a page about window repair in Houston. Afterall, if you’re looking for windshield repair, you don’t want to be led to a page about used cars for sale.
What is Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile listings are a type of organic search result. These are most likely to appear when you search for a local business. The name of the business will appear alongside a rating and pertinent information about the business, such as the address and hours. The business name is clickable and will lead web users directly to the business’s website.
We advise our clients to include Google Business Profile optimization to their insurance marketing strategy. Since many of your potential clients are searching for insurance based on location, this is an excellent way to capture new policyholders.
Why Do I Need to Know All This?
Understanding how results appear on Google’s SERPs can help clarify the purpose of core insurance marketing strategies like SEO and PPC. Now that you know where an advertisement appears on a SERP, you can see why these ads attract so many leads. We make it a part of our job to keep our clients informed about how we’re marketing their agency and what kind of results those efforts yield. To see for yourself what Melon Local can do, schedule a demo with us now.