Ever wonder what exactly makes up the pieces of the search results you see at Google? Before that question can be answered, the process of how Google delivers results must be understood. There are three key processes in delivering search engine results.
First, Google "crawls" the world wide web and accumulates information about websites and their content. The program Google uses to accomplish this task is referred to as Googelbot. Googlebot uses an algorithmic process to determine which sites to crawl, and how many pages to read from each site. Next Google compiles a massive index of all the words and locations of the sites it crawled.
When a Google user enters a query, Google returns a result they feel is most relevant. The results that are displayed are referred to as Snippets. In general, Google reserves the right to display what they feel is best for their users. However, you have a great deal of control about what is displayed about your agency on Google.
There are three primary components that make up a Snippet.
Title
The first line of the Snippet is the title. The title displayed comes from the title of your webpage. We have found many websites where the designer will overlook this very important step when designing websites for their customers. WebPages not titled will appear in search results with the title as "Untitled" or "Home Page" which does not encourage the consumer to click and learn more. Whereas a title listing your agency name and a slogan or short concise description of what your agency offers would encourage the consumer.
Description
The description listed by Google typically comes from one of three places.
- Open Directory - If for some reason, when Google attempts to "crawl" a site and they are unable to read it, Google will then sometimes rely on the Open Directory Project, which is listed at www.dmoz.org
- Within the Page - Sometimes, Google pulls the description from within the page. Google determines what part of the page it will use so the description gives some context as to what the page contains.
- Meta Description Tag - the most preferred method and where you have the most control of what description is displayed is the Meta Description Tag which is included in the code of your website. By including a Meta Description Tag, you have the ability to dictate what is displayed about your site
Descriptive URLs
The last component displayed is the link to your website or the page on your website that meets the searchers' query. Providing a descriptive URL is another key aspect to converting a searcher. For instance, a URL such as www.sampleinsurancewebsite.com/page.php?id=5134, doesn't tell the searcher they have landed in the right spot, whereas a URL such as http://www.sampleinsurancewebsite.com/automobile/car_insurance_quote.aspx will.
About the author:
AnMarie Bozick, CIC
Communications Director for
Insurance Technologies Corp (ITC)
AnMarie Bozick has been in the insurance industry since 1993. She started her career in Florida working for a multi-line insurance agency. In the late 90s, she opened her own independent agencies in San Antonio. In the next ten years, she grew the agencies to four locations. AnMarie served as the President of AIAT from 2004 - 2006. In 2005, was asked by Texas Department of Insurance to serve on the SB1670 Workgroup that was charged with the implementation of the Uninsured Motorist Verification System passed by the 79th Legislature. In 2006, she decided to sell the agencies and pursue new avenues. After being an ITC customer for the decade she had her own agency, she landed her dream job at ITC as their Communications Director.
Insurance Technologies Corp is a leading provider of automation solutions for the insurance industry. Their website solution,
Insurance Website Builder, provides insurance agents with interactive, professionally designed websites that have built-in search engine optmization features to promote ranking placement with search engines like Google and Yahoo. With no programming knowledge whatsoever, Insurance Website Builder gives insurance agents complete control over the content of their websites. Editing their websites is as easy as using any word processing program. The sites are professionally designed with artwork customized for each agency and include quote forms for any line of insurance increasing conversion rates tremendously. A sample Insurance Website Builder website can be seen at
www.sampleinsurancewebsite.com.