With more businesses moving online because of the coronavirus, it is more important than ever to make sure you have a strong digital presence. In 2019, 65% percent of e-commerce digital traffic was through Google searches, Statista reported. Additionally, 36% of U.S. consumers believe social media is at least as important as other sources when making purchasing decisions, according to Social Media Today.

There is no doubt a digital presence is important for attracting customers. However, with so much uncertainty in the world today, you may have limited time and budget to dedicate to improving your digital tactics. Here are eight free tips and resources to help you use your current resources effectively:

1) Update your Google My Business listing. According to Google, businesses with a verified Google My Business listing are twice as likely to be considered reputable. Once listed on the site, your company information appears in the sidebar of Google searches. Make sure this information includes your website address, phone number, physical address and more. You can also add photos of your company, including your office and employees.

2) Focus on getting Google reviews and improving your rating. Google reviews appear on your Google My Business listing and can make your business look more reputable. Nine out of 10 consumers read online reviews before doing business with a company and 84% find online reviews just as credible as reviews from friends and family, according to Forbes. Today, online reviews have largely taken the place of word of mouth reputation.

Encourage your customers to leave a review of your services on your Google My Business listing. Multiple positive reviews can help your credibility and online visibility.

3) Refresh your Contact Us and About pages on your website. Since more of your business may be moving online, your company information must be clear and accurate. Take the time to make sure the About section on your website is updated. Consider adding staff profiles to help customers get to know the faces at your company, especially while hosting fewer face-to-face meetings.

Have you added new communication channels due to COVID-19? Make sure your Contact Us section lets customers know about the new ways to reach you and make sure phone calls are not directed to an empty desk at the office. 

4) Use Google Analytics to find your most visited content. Make sure your site is connected to Google Analytics to help you assess the performance of your site. Google Analytics can offer key insights such as the number of visitors to your site and how much time they spend on it.

Two areas you might be underutilizing are the Behavior and Acquisition tabs. The Behavior tab tells you how many people are visiting each page on your website and where they are leaving your site. This information can help you improve your sales funnel, identify areas where you might be missing information and better leverage already-high performing content.

The Acquisition tab helps you discover how visitors are finding your site. See what percentage of your visitors are finding your site through search engines such as Google, social media sites, emails or directly typing in your web address. This can help you see which marketing tactics are working well for you. 

5) Check all website pages for unique title tags and page descriptions. When a link appears in a Google search, it includes a title and a short page description known as metadata. When written well, with the right keywords, this is one of the easiest ways to improve your search engine optimization (SEO).

When your site leverages SEO best practices, it helps customers find your site more easily on search engines. The better your SEO, the higher your potential ranking on search engines.

To help find keywords relevant to your business and to measure performance, you can use tools like SEMRush, Ahrefs, or Moz. Most keyword planning tools offer limited free searches or a free trial.

Ask your website manager to review your current pages and make updates. If you don't have a website manager, most content management systems have built-in fields or plugins you can download to add title tags and descriptions. For example, if you host your site on WordPress, you can download the free Yoast plugin to easily update page descriptions and get tips on how to improve each one.

6) Update your social profiles. Just like your website, your social media profile is another way to showcase your agency's identity. Profiles should include your logo, a high-quality cover photo, a link to your website and updated about and contact information.

Your business can be found through social media sites as well as through online searches. Sharing content from your website to your social media channels is also a means of driving more traffic to your site. Because of this, your profiles must be complete, informative and engaging.

Many social media sites limit you to just one link in your profile information. Most businesses will choose their home page as this link. However, keep in mind free services like Linktr.ee and Linkin.bio allow you to add multiple links. This can include your About Us page or interesting posts on your blog. The links don't even have to be from your website—you can share Trusted Choice® or carrier partner content too. When done well, your social media sites can be a valuable resource for your customers.

7) Revisit your social content strategy. While you may have slowed your online activity posting schedule due to COVID-19, social media can be a great extension of your digital presence. It can be an opportunity to share posts highlighting how your agency has changed, showcase your insurance knowledge or answer FAQs.

Take advantage of the Trusted Choice resources with social posts from Content to Share and specific post ideas from the Social Media Calendar.

8) Showcase your expertise with a blog. If you already have a blog on your website, now is a great time to update it, especially if you already have a writer in house. Consider highlighting trends, industry knowledge or ways your agency has been helping out in the community. Don't forget to share these posts on your social media channels. If you don't have an existing blog, consider writing and posting on your LinkedIn company page.

Posting helpful content with your targeted keywords can help your site and company show up in more search results on Google. This content also shows customers that you are a reputable, knowledge source leading them to spend more time on your site and visiting more frequently. When customers do this, it reinforces your value to Google, which also leads to higher search rankings.

If you are a member of Trusted Choice and not sure where to start with your digital updates, consider signing up for a free digital review. Trusted Choice can help identify and prioritize areas for improvement to help you get started.

Kelley Smith is director of traffic generation, Trusted Choice®.

Contact Trusted Choice® to set up a free digital review. Or, check out the full suite of free resources available to all Big “I" members.