Insurance Brands (For young drivers) - How do they do SEO

Consider this: In today's digital age, finding the services you require often starts with a Google search. Even the insurance industry, with its long-standing traditions and paper-based practices, can't escape the impact of the digital revolution. SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is the magic that helps your insurance business stand out in the vast digital landscape. According to Search Engine Journal, 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine. So, it's clear that the insurance industry can't afford to overlook SEO. In fact, it's a must for insurance businesses to thrive and remain competitive.

In this SEO competitor analysis, we look at search terms for 'Car Insurance for young drivers'. Which published; The average cost of car insurance for young drivers has gone up by 50% in the last year, according to new research by Compare the Market.

We have looked at the following brands;

Howdens

Hastings Direct

Admiral Group Plc

Endsleigh

Sterling Insurance

安盛

Adrian Flux

How does each site look on desktop;

How does each site look on mobile;

Visibility in searches relating to Car Insurance for Young Drivers

The graph above shows the visibility of each site using data from SISTRIX. As you can see, Admiral and Axa lead the way which is not surprising given the age of the domains and the fact these guys offer a wide range of insurance products.

Hastings has lost traction following numerous Google updates this year which focuses on content, especially helpful content. This has given the opportunity for Adrian Flux to overtake Hastings, Adrian Flux has stayed consistent.

Howden Insurance looks to have a new site following the merger with A-Plan, we can start to see organic visibility climbing and is now on the same level as Hastings Direct.

At the bottom with much lower organic visibility, we have Endsleigh and Sterling Insurance, huge opportunity for both brands here to expand on organic visibility.

How many keywords does each site rank for?

Admiral, Axa and Adrian Flux seem to tower above the rest for keyword ranking, all have much bigger websites. Looking at one of the unique tools we have here at Embryo , In the UK, there are at least 76,000 commonly used car insurance keywords. These keywords account for 4.5 million searches a month.

Despite most of the demand surrounding ‘young’ and ‘new’ drivers, other keyword topics also have the potential to drive quality traffic to your site.

A large portion of the market share has been claimed by price comparison websites (PCW) such as https://www.moneysupermarket.com/ https://www.confused.com/ and https://www.comparethemarket.com/ take up a large amount of market share on page 1 of Google via Paid and Organic Search.

For all the brands analysed in this report, focusing on 'young drivers' keywords with long-form content that must take into consideration E-E-A-T and YMYL is a huge opportunity to drive enquiries to quote organically, reducing the over-reliance on paid search and the commission fee's from money-saving websites.

How many links point to each site?

We are starting to see a picture here with Admiral, Axa and Adrian Flux all leading the way again.

Let's imagine we have technical and content in a good place, and now we need to get other trustworthy websites linking back to the insurance website, we can also look at link-building and DPR strategies.

*When I refer to links, I count the unique IP addresses of websites that link to each site, which helps to cut out websites and servers where multiple sites and links exist. Serpstat is the chosen link metric for this report.

What is the 'domain rank' for each site?

The domain rank (taken from Serpstat API data) as predicted, Admiral, Axa and Adrian Flux have the strongest DA, although it must be noted that domain rank is not linear. A 50 rating is significantly better than a 45 rating, for example.

Google's August Core Update

Google’s August Core Updates have once again underscored the significance of high-quality, informative content for users, particularly in industries like Healthcare and Finance. In the context of insurance brands, the website should prioritize E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content. It is crucial for the site to demonstrate that its content is crafted by knowledgeable professionals in the insurance industry, incorporating relevant Schema and Structured Data wherever applicable.

Many websites have yet to fully leverage structured data. By implementing it, insurance brands could gain a competitive edge, potentially resulting in increased visibility and enhanced rankings for their online presence.

Final thoughts (Snapshot)

To implement a comprehensive SEO strategy for insurance brands, with a focus on car insurance for young drivers, consider the following steps:

1. Content Optimisation:Create high-quality, informative content that addresses frequently asked questions (FAQs) from young drivers seeking car insurance. Implement a robust keyword strategy by incorporating relevant terms naturally within the content, titles, and meta descriptions. Prioritise E-A-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) principles to establish credibility.
2. Structured Data Implementation:Ensure the utilisation of all relevant Schema markup to enhance search engine understanding of your content. Leverage Structured Data to provide additional context about your insurance products, making it easier for search engines to interpret and display information accurately.
3. Web Vitals Optimisation:Prioritise website speed and user experience to align with Google's Core Web Vitals. Optimise page load times, mobile responsiveness, and overall site performance to improve user satisfaction and search engine rankings.
4. FAQ Integration:Incorporate a dedicated FAQ section addressing common queries from young drivers about car insurance. Use natural language and relevant keywords within the FAQs to enhance search engine visibility for specific queries.
5. Backlinking Strategy:Develop a robust backlinking strategy to build authority and opportunities for high-quality, relevant backlinks from authoritative sources in the insurance and finance industries.
6. Metadata Tactics:Optimise meta titles and descriptions for key pages, including the FAQ section, to entice clicks and improve search engine visibility. Regularly review and update metadata based on changing industry trends and user behaviour.
7. Blog Post Management:Redirect and update links for removed or outdated blog posts to maintain a seamless user experience and prevent broken links. Ensure that redirected pages are relevant to the user's search intent.

By implementing these strategies, insurance brands can enhance their online presence, cater to the needs of young drivers seeking car insurance information, and bolster their overall SEO performance. This holistic approach, incorporating both content and technical optimisations, is crucial for achieving sustained success in the competitive online landscape.