Building an Insurance Affiliate Website with WordPress
In today’s world, insurance is something that almost everyone needs to consider. Whether you are a personal injury lawyer seeking extra clients, an insurance agent looking to develop an online presence, or an individual seeking supplemental protection, you can easily find the information you need on the internet.
Since insurance is such a crucial part of everyone’s life, it is imperative to develop effective online strategies to attract and retain clients. With that in mind, lets examine how you can build a successful insurance affiliate website using WordPress.
Why WordPress?
WordPress is a free, open-source content management system that can be easily installed and customized to fit any need. It is a popular choice with bloggers, podcasters, and online businesses who need to create and maintain a website. In short, it is ideal for those who want to build a website quickly and affordably without having to hire a web developer.
The main reason why I chose WordPress is because of its versatility. With so much functionality built-in, it is very easy to use and navigate. In addition, many free themes and plugins are available for download from WordPress.org which provides even more functionality.
Setting Up Your WordPress Blog
One of the first things you will need to do is to set up your WordPress blog. You can start by registering your domain name and picking a blogging platform. WordPress.com is owned by Automattic which is where most WordPress bloggers publish their content. You can read more about Automattic and why they are the preferred choice for most WordPress users here. Once you have your WordPress account set up, the next step is to install the WordPress software from your dashboard. Once installed, navigate to the Settings tab and enter your details.
You will need to decide whether you want a free or premium version of WordPress. The pricing for WordPress is quite flexible as you can choose between a free version named “Personal” or a “Business” edition. For the sake of this tutorial, we will be using the Personal version.
As you can see in the screenshot below, the WordPress dashboard displays a lot of useful information about your blog. The green “S” in the corner next to “Statista” indicates that this is a “Statistically Significant Blog,” which is a great sign that readers are finding your content valuable and likely to convert. To publish content, just click on the “New Post” button in the upper right-hand side of the dashboard.
Why Do I Need a Domain Name And a Website Host?
You can use a free domain name like “honeybadgerlegal.com” and install the WordPress software to create a blog. However, if you want to truly succeed as an online entrepreneur, you will need to take the step further and buy a domain name that is relevant to your niche. In this case, we will be using “honeybadgerlegal.com” as our domain name since we will be promoting legal services online.
A domain name is like the street address of your website. Whenever someone clicks on a link to your website (e.g., “http://honeybadgerlegal.com”), the web browser will look up that domain name and determine how to reach the server hosting your blog. In the case of “honeybadgerlegal.com,” the web browser will know that the server is located at the address “http://honeybadgerlegal.com.”
A domain name can be quite valuable. In fact, you can purchase a premium domain name for as little as $2.95 per month with many affordable plans available. This gives you the flexibility to own your own URL (uniform resource locator)—something that you can use to great effect when promoting your legal services online.
Setting Up Your Blog To Achieve Maximum Visibility
When people visit your blog for the first time, they will see a small preview of your blog post before they are directed to the full article. In the case of our website, this is a very important step, especially since we have a fairly detailed article. By ensuring that your readers can’t miss a single piece of important information, we can maximize the chances of the reader engaging with the content and, ultimately, leading to a conversion.
After you have published a blog post, you can continue to engage with your readers by creating more content that is consistent and relevant to what they are searching for. The more you publish, the more people will come back for more.
Making Money With An Online Insurer
If you are an insurance agent looking to build an affiliate website with a focus on online insurance, you can take advantage of the massive industry that is seeking to establish online platforms to reach consumers.
The main reason why insurers and insurance companies are turning to digital marketing is because it is so effective in terms of driving website traffic and converting this traffic into paying customers. What is more, the internet makes it much easier for insurers to engage with customers via emails, online chat rooms, and social media channels.
One of the most popular and effective digital marketing techniques is search engine optimization (SEO). SEO involves using various methods to increase the volume of organic (i.e., unpaid and naturally occurring) website traffic to your blog or website via the search engines.
You can write compelling articles and build a fantastic community around your blog, all while making money from an online insurer.
How Important Is Domain Authority?
Back in the day, SEO was all about stuffing your keywords into your articles and hoping that the search engines would pick up on your content. While this strategy can still serve as a starting point, it is far from the complete picture.
In 2018, Google introduced a new algorithm that directly affects the authority of a website. Known as the “Covidien Update,” the algorithm downgrades websites that are deemed as being “low-quality.” While there is no scientific evidence that this algorithm is specifically targeted at ranking websites based on their popularity, some SEOs believe that it is.
As a result of the Algorithm Update, domain authority (DA) is once again taking on a new significance. DA indicates the “trust” that Google has in your website. When Google deems that you are lying about something, your DA will take a significant hit.
In short, Google does not like it when they think that you are trying to mislead people and, as a result, may punish your website with a lower search ranking. Since the goal of your website is to generate leads and sales, this can be a serious blow to your bottom line.
Making Money With Affiliate Marketing
Another way that you can make money from an online insurer is through affiliate marketing. The basic idea behind affiliate marketing is to place affiliate links on your website (e.g., a link to an online retailer that sells a specific product). When a consumer clicks on one of these links and makes a purchase, you will earn a commission.
To make the most out of affiliate marketing, you will need to have a substantial following on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Once you develop a decent following, you can use your status to promote various products and services that you believe in. The beauty of this strategy is that you only need to convince people to click on a link and make a purchase; you don’t need to convince them to become a paying customer. What’s more, you don’t need to possess a specific set of skills to be able to succeed in affiliate marketing—you just need to have a social media account and the willingness to try.
Since most insurance companies and agents are located in the US, the chances are that you will be promoting products and services relating to insurance. Whether you are selling legal services or auto parts, you can develop a niche following and then begin to build a profitable business around affiliate marketing.
The Difference In Building A Brand Following On Social Media
The main point of this lesson is to illuminate the differences between having a huge following on social media and actually turning this following into a profitable business. To put it simply, the first step is to build a brand identity that is easily recognizable and trusted by your target audience. Once you have established a solid base of followers on social media, you can begin to engage with them and draw them into a community.