Insurance websites need to be mobile friendly, but being mobile friendly means more than simply creating a site that can be viewed on a smartphone. After all, even out of date websites can usually render on a mobile device. The problem is, sites which are not mobile friendly are difficult to read, hard to use and many advanced functions don’t work at all. And with mobile searches overtaking PC searches over the last couple of years, insurance agency owners and marketers should spend more time, in fact a lot more time, thinking about the mobile aspect of their insurance websites.
A mobile friendly site incorporates all of the following:
- Easy to navigate
- Forms are easy to use
- Automatically sizes appropriately for the mobile device
- Video plays correctly on the mobile device
- Text is easy to read, and resizes as needed
- Social media (sharing) icons are readily available
- Site is not a one page site – so it is SEO optimized
- Uses smaller images for minimalist design and faster load speeds
- Resources are available and work correctly for the site (blog, white papers, recorded webinars, etc.)
- Site is developed for substance, function and design
- Stay away from “trendy websites” which may look cool, but are difficult to use
When agents and brokers review their insurance websites, they need to scrutinize it on an iPhone, Android and tablet. Think about the website as if you, the agent or broker, were the client. From this perspective ask yourself questions like these:
- How does it look and operate?
- Do the pages render well (format properly)?
- Do the pages load quickly?
- Is the text easy to read?
- Would clients and prospects be able to use it if they were traveling?
- Could they navigate to all pages easily?
- Do information and claim forms work well?
Agencies, brokers and wholesalers that have not reviewed their websites for mobile compatibility should make it a priority. Websites are not like fine wine, they do not age well! Websites seeking help to improve their insurance websites should reach out to the StartUpSelling team for assistance at (518) 222-6392.