Google recently announced a major shift in how users will interact with Google Search. The expectation is that instead of typing a few keywords into a small search bar, they'll start interacting with Gemini immediately, using a larger search bar where a full sentence can be entered.
The internet exploded with doomer takes -websites are dead, SEO is dead, the internet is dead. Dead, dead, dead.
There are a few things that have been retired and replaced (like Google Alerts), but SEO, websites and the internet are still kicking. Evolving? Yes. Dead? No.
What Should Insurance Agents Do Now?
Plan Ahead to Get Ahead
Assess whether your website is AI-friendly. If not, get started on some upgrades this summer and get ahead of your competition.
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Recent Google Search Changes
Is this the end of websites?
No. Google can't be everything to everyone, no matter how hard they try.
A percentage of search traffic is purely research:
When is the next Royal's game?
Difference between moth and butterfly?
Can lemon trees grow in Canada?
This update will have the greatest impact on those users. People who make money on the paid ads displayed on a website that is heavily dependent on users visiting their site to read their content probably shouldn't quit their day job.
But service industries like insurance? You absolutely still need a website to promote your brand, provide customer service, establish yourself as an insurance expert and member of your local community, and of course to collect information from leads. The latest update from Google doesn't touch this aspect of an insurance agency website.
Does it matter how my website looks anymore?
Yes. As long as humans have eyes, zero patience, and the attention span of a cat, web design matters.
Google will still end up sending visitors to your website. When a human visitor lands on your website, the experience is the same as it's always been: an instant evaluation of whether this is the result they wanted and do they want to request a quote/contact your agency.
Is SEO dead?
No, but definitely pivoting. A dramatic change from Google that upends the world of SEO is not new. There will be a learning period, a lot of posturing about who knows the most, and a lot of guessing and testing out new strategies. The strategies that prove the most effective will emerge at the other end as the new best practices.
Did I waste my money and time on SEO?
Definitely not. But the focus will be on getting AI agents to cite your website as a source (resulting in more traffic or calls to your agency). These strategies will build on those traditional SEO efforts.
What does SEO look like now?
Content is still important. Focus on adding conversational content focused on what people are asking you.
What are leads and customers asking about? What [insurance] challenges are they facing? What are they seeing on the news that makes them think "Hmm I wonder if my insurance policy...?"
- Are some EVs cheaper to insure than others?
- Should I shop for cheaper insurance after getting a new roof?
- Does home insurance cover chemical storage tank explosions?
- Am I at risk of being dropped by my insurance carrier?
- Does my auto policy cover accidentally setting my car on fire with a bottle rocket on the 4th of July?
The style of your content can be blog articles, FAQs, resource pages - it doesn't really matter what style of page you choose, so long as it matches (answers) what people are searching for (asking in the AI search bar) on Google.
Make sure your site is AI-friendly. Remember when browsing the web from your phone was new? All of a sudden you needed to make sure your website was usable on a tiny screen. This time you'll want to think about how an AI bot consumes the content on your website, which is different than Google search bots.
To make your site easily consumed by an AI agent, your website should be:
- Organized: URL structure is clean and logical, to-the-point content
- Discoverable: Content and files are structured in a way that AIs can consume them efficiently
- Fast: If your website platform doesn't utilize automatic page caching, then your website is not fast.
Sync up your agency's digital record. Review all of the places where your contact information is listed online and make sure that your agency name, phone number, address and website are identical to what is listed on your website.
At a minimum, make sure these other sources of info match your website:
- Google Business page(s)
- Social profiles (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc)
- Insurance Carrier "Find an Agent" profiles
- Insurance industry profiles (ex Trusted Choice)
- Local membership profiles (ex Chamber of Commerce)
Standing out will require more than the basics. We've seen real-world impact on the frequency that a site is cited or linked to in AI-powered search results (via ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, CoPilot, etc) by focusing on things like:
- Use of structured data throughout the website
- Adding directives to the robots.txt file to instruct AI "bots" where and how to find important information on your site
- Strategically placing high-value, influential content (like reviews) on key pages.
The Webtricity SEO+GEO Toolbox has all of the capabilities used by professionals in a comprehensive optimization plan.
Not sure you'd know what your doing with these utilities? One of our website experts can do the setup and put all of the tools to work for you, so you can hit the ground running this summer, well ahead of your competition.
Don't have a Webtricity site yet?
Try it out for an entire month for only $1. You can build the entire website yourself or hire one of our web designers to do the project for you.