What makes a successful website? Jeff Yates, executive directorof the Agents Council for Technology, says a site should possessseveral key traits:

• Rich content
• Attractive and professional look
• Online quoting
• Links to social media
• Blogs
• Use of video
• Online chats
• Customer reviews and testimonials.

Here are four websites that include many of these features andwhich experts say are great examples of creative thinking when itcomes to reaching clients and prospects online.

Vaughn Insurance AgencyCo.
www.GoVaughn.com

If you haven't heard of Henderson, Ky. (population circa27,000), it isn't because Nibby Priest isn't trying. Son of agencyfounder Norris Priest, Nibby has used social media to spread theword about Henderson, his loveof Dolly Parton and the services his agency provides.

The agency launched its current site in 2008, and it's updatedat least weekly with Priest's WordPress blog posts and othercontent. Based on page views, he says, “It seems like themost-often-visited pages are Contact Us and our Staff page. Clientsreally like our 'Chat Now' feature, too.”

And while he isn't sure the site directly helps the agencygenerate revenue, Priest notes that its effective use ofsearch-engine optimization goes a long way toward spreading theword about the agency. “We get many visits to our site from Googleand other search engines,” he says. “When you type 'insurance' and'Henderson, KY,' we are always on top. We get high rankings byhaving an up-to-date site and by posting regularly.”

Kapnick InsuranceGroup
www.Kapnick.com

Adrian, Mich.-based Kapnick does employee benefits, and itswebsite landing page says it all—with custom photos of theagency's employees; descriptions of its insurance specialties; a“My Benny Card” for clients to directly access theiremployee-benefits accounts; and a regularly updated blog columnfeaturing entries on employee health, Workers' Compensation andother topics.

Corporate Communications Manager Renee Carpenter updates theblog daily and posts press releases and videos several times aweek. The site's current version, launched last year, is more“informational” than its predecessor, “but the biggest improvementwas adding the blog,” she says.

Carpenter estimates the agency's revenue has increased about 40percent since the new site's launch.

Preferred InsuranceCenter
www.PreferredCenter.com

The landing page of this agency based in the small Ohio town ofColdwater looks pretty straightforward and businesslike, but clickaround a bit and you'll discover a creative blend of local anddigital, with an active blog and a fun tie-in with flamingos.

And the agency's Facebook presence is “for more than just boringinsurance junk,” says agency marketing consultant Peter vanAartrijk. Most importantly, the pragmatic/fun balance worksperfectly for Preferred's targeted customers. “The main website isa little traditional, which probably works in their small town, butit features easy access to all of the fun stuff,” he says.

The site's basic format was launched in 2010 but is constantlychanging, says agency partner Dan Muhlenkamp. Blogs are updateddaily, and other items are changed on an as-needed basis. “Thewebsite is just one small link in changing up things that has ourrevenue up about 13 percent,” he adds.

NRG Insurance
www.NRGSeattle.com

How can a one-page website be innovative and “powerful”? Theshort answer: When it's perfectly targeted to its niche marketaudience.

Visit this no-nonsense site and you'll find everything you needwithout clicking tabs or being routed to other pages. Yes, there'sa link to the agency's Facebook site, but other than that and ane-mail form, that's it. Even the verbiage is minimalist.

This design is far from accidental, says Michelle Rupp,president of this Seattle-based firm. The current site, updated inJanuary, replaces a version that had all the usual bells andwhistles. The redesign reflects what's going on in the agencyitself, which is currently transitioning from abrick-and-mortar office to one where everyone works remotely. Ruppsays: “The thinking behind the single page is that we wanted tosimplify everything, including processes and customer service, toreflect what's going on with the agency.”

To Rupp, the most valuable aspect of the site is to “have peopleget a hint of who you are. People make emotional decisions; thatidentity should be an instant hit.”