Insurance websites need to be mobile-friendly. But being mobilefriendly means more than simply creating a site that can be viewedon a smartphone. After all, even websites that are out-of-datecan usually render on a mobile device.

Websites that are not mobile-friendly are difficult to read,hard to use, and many advanced functions don't work at all. That'sa problem. With mobile searches overtaking desktop searches inrecent years, insurance agency owners andmarketers should spend more time thinking about themobile aspect of their insurance websites.

A mobile friendly site incorporates all of the following:

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   1. It is easy to navigate.

   2. The forms in it are easy to use.

   3. The website automatically resizes itself appropriately for themobile device.

   4. The videos on the website play correctly on the mobiledevice.

   5. The text is easy to read and resizes as needed.

   6. The social media sharing icons are readily available.

   7. The site is not a one page site — so it is optimizedfor search engine optimization (SEO).

   8. It uses smaller images for a minimalist design and fasterloading speeds.

   9. There are resources available and these work correctly for thesite. For example: a blog, white papers, recorded webinars,etc.

   10. The site is developed for substance, function and design.

   11. And stay away from "trendy website designs" which may look cool,but are difficult to use.

When agents and brokers review their insurance websites, theyneed to scrutinize and test it on an iPhone, Android and tablet.Think about the website as if you, the agent or broker, were theclient.

From this perspective, ask yourself these questions:

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  • How does it look and operate?

  • Do the pages render well (format properly)?

  • Do the pages load quickly?

  • Is the text easy to read?

  • Would clients and prospects be able to use it if they weretraveling?

  • Could they navigate to all pages easily?

  • Do the information and claim forms work well?

Agencies, brokers and wholesalers that have not reviewed theirwebsites for mobile compatibility should make it a priority.Websites are not like fine wine … They do not age well!

Related: 5 ways insurance agencies can improve theirwebsites