According to the 2010 Big I Agency Universe study, almost 40 percent ofindependent agencies are effectively marketing their businesses onthe Internet. A pivotal part of that effort involves launching andmaintaining an attractive website.

But even though today's technology allows even the mostbasic of mom-and-pop shops to have a cutting-edge webpage, we stillhear about business sites that are nothing more than “animatedbrochures”—with boring graphics, outdated content and, worst ofall, no personality.

In no special order, here are seven of the best agency websites.We'll be sharing more examples in the coming weeks.

Seely & Durland Insurance, Warwick, NY

www.seely-durland.com

The website, updated at the beginning of this year, iscurrently in its fifth rendition, said Stu Durland, vice presidentand co-owner. Regular blogs, a quarterly newsletter and regulartweaks keep content fresh. The agency is currently working on newlanding pages for several target market campaigns. But thewebpage's most important element is the interactive clicks (autorating for five carriers, wedding and event insurance via Travelersand more) that create value for the client. And the website is onlypart of an overall social media campaign to build engagement. “Ourgoal is to increase hits to our website. It's been a slow process,but with the changes we've made with this revamp, I believe it's avery viable tool for clients and prospects,” Durland said. “Theclient needs interaction and change to have them return.”

R&R Insurance, Waukesha, WI

www.myknowledgebroker.com

The agency's new website, launched in February, was designed tobe more user friendly, a resource for customers that showcases thepersonality of R&R's sales force and provides testimonials,said Stephanie Katzfey, creative marketing specialist. The site'sblog, My Knowledge Center, is updated almost daily, and visitorscan register for the agency's free live quarterly seminars onsubjects such as workers' comp and cyberliability, through thewebsite as well. R&R measures the website's success throughpage hits and has seen significant growth in interest on bothpersonal and commercial lines information. “It's not the hard sell,we're real people here and we share with our customers,” Katzfeysaid.

McClain Insurance Services, Everett, WA

www.autohomeboat.com

Although the site was launched in February 2010, links to theagency's daily Twitter feeds and Facebook postings help keep thiswebsite fresh, said President Claudia McClain. The agency alsoregularly freshens the site with banner headlines and breaking newsupdates, such as when McClain was featured in a Progressivecommercial. The number of sales gleaned from website leads hasincreased dramatically over time. In July alone, 12 of the agency's69 policies came exclusively from the website, and in the last 6weeks, they've gotten several leads from Ireland and Scotland.“We're in a high-tech area of country, and these folks expect thatyou put forward a clean and usable web presence or they'll go tothe next person on the list,” McClain said.

The Murray Group, Albany, NY

www.murraygrp.com

The Murray Group's Ryan Hanley is bullish about social mediamarketing for agents and has developed a powerful presence in theblogosphere on the subject of insurance. His agency has had awebpage since 2002, and its most recent version was launched inJanuary of this year. He firmly believes in the importance of dailyupdates, whether it's blog posts or videos packagedthrough YouTube. Recently Hanley challenged himself to produce “100videos in 100 days,” answering 100 insurance questions asked bycustomers or people he knows through social media. Each video tookhim an average of 15 minutes to produce, post and upload onYouTube. During those 100 days, the agency made $4,975 in revenuedirectly from the campaign, he said. This year alone, 23 percent ofhis revenues have come from the website.

Paradiso Financial & Insurance Services, StaffordSprings, CT

www.paradisoinsurance.com

Another proponent of video, agency owner Chris Paradiso hasbuilt his website around his personal lines agency's identity of“we care.” The agency is heavily involved in community servicesactivities, including a local food pantry and women's shelter. Thewebsite's landing page is revamped every 60 to 90 days, and blogsare updated daily. Branding emphasizes military/veterans (thePOW-MIA logo is prominently featured on the landing page), andvideos, whether insurance educational or focusing on events likeMothers' Day or veterans, involve the agency's staffers and arecharacterized by a homemade, highly personal feel. Paradisobelieves this is what sets the agency apart: “We're not selling on'great service' or insurance as a commodity. In fact, we don't sellanything on the website.”

Byrnes Agency Inc., Dayville, CT

www.byrnesagency.com

Realizing the importance of social media marketing and a strongwebpage presence, the agency “started from scratch” and updated theentire website and social media content last year, said PresidentJay Byrnes. The agency contracts with Neilson MarketingServices to update the site based on an hourlyarrangement. Byrnes provides the geographic region and businesssegment, and Neilson fills in content based on the agency'srequirements. Byrnes believes the most important element of thepage is search engine optimization: “If people can't find you,your page is almost useless. Our challenge is to get and stay onpage one.” And it seems to be working: Based on Google analytics,the agency's traffic count and online quoting activity are up everymonth.

The Thompson Group, Parker City, IN

www.thethompsongroup.net

Self-described “insurance ninja” Anson Thompson is a creativemarketer who is big on producing videos and fresh content for theagency's almost 2-year-old website. Over the next 30 days, Thompsonplans a “major overhaul,” with new color and logo, based on theneed to incorporate a satellite office in Indianapolis. The agencycan shoot a video in about 10 minutes, and Thompson repurposes blogposts by linking them to Twitter and Facebook. He considers thewebpage “a revenue and retention tool, point of difference” andlead generator, “one tool in a rather large tool box.”