The number of searches made online by UK consumers for home insurance-related products is expected to rise in the early part of 2011, according to new research.
The study, from search marketing and technology firm Greenlight, uses industry data to identify 720 of the most popular search terms used by UK consumers to find providers of home, travel and car insurance.
The report, ‘Insurance Sector Report – October 2010, reveals there were over 1.7 million searches made online in October 2010, for insurance-related products.
Terms pertaining to car insurance were most popular, accounting for more than half (51%) of all insurance-related searches. Travel insurance followed with 29%, then home insurance (20%).
Greenlight predicts home insurance-related searches, which totalled 337,000 in October 2010, will see an increase in early 2011, as homeowners look to reassess their insurance options in the New Year.
The term ‘home insurance’ in particular, of which searches have remained relatively low since April 2010, is tipped to increase in popularity. In October 2010, it accounted for 49,500 searches for home insurance. ‘Contents insurance’ (22,500), was the second most popular term used. Others included ‘buildings insurance’ and ‘home contents insurance’.
Simon Hollingsworth, lead researcher at Greenlight said: “Among other facets that online marketers should consider, identifying the most popular terms used to find insurance products and maximising your website’s visibility for these keywords is crucial as it impacts on how visible you are to consumers in the search results”.
“Furthermore, insurers should also plan for the holiday season, targeting popular travel insurance keywords in order to channel consumers through to their websites.”
Greenlight’s report also charts the 60 most visible insurance websites in both natural* and paid search**.
In natural search, MoneySupermarket was the site most visible to searchers. It secured 73% visibility, well ahead of its nearest rivals GoCompare (43%) and CompareTheMarket (37%).
In paid search however, the picture was different. GoCompare.com was the most visible advertiser, with 61% share of voice. It was closely followed by MoneySupermarket (59%) and Aviva (46%). Greenlight observed a notable entrant into the top 10 of its league table, USwitch. It assumed fifth position, achieving 31% share of voice overall.
The research also found that a notable number of brands do not have Facebook pages and therefore are isolated from social media interaction with consumers, a significant issue for some insurance websites that received negative consumer commentary.
Source: Greenlight
http://www.greenlightsearch.com
