And you're in good company, with the vast majority of brokers relying on their aggregator to produce a cookie-cutter website that does little to attract or win new business.

Here are three reasons why it's crucial to invest in a high-quality website that converts.

To meet customer expectations

When customers do their due diligence on you - as they invariably will - they expect to see a high-quality website.

Don't disappoint them.

A good website will communicate your credibility in an instant, showcasing your expertise and social proof.

Looks matter, and a slick website shows the world you know what you're doing. In fact it takes just 50 milliseconds to form an opinion of a website, and by extension: a business.

To be found by people when they search Google

Make it easy for your future customers to find you when they Google 'mortgage broker in [suburb]'.

A website (provided it's been setup with local SEO in mind) should improve your visibility to new audiences. 

For tips on how to improve your search rankings, check out our three quick and easy methods you can do yourself.

To keep ownership of all content and audience lists

We are big fans of social media for its potential to help brokers (and us!) attract, win and retain more business.

HOWEVER...the aim should be to add your followers to your CRM so you can keep in touch outside the social media platform.

Your website is where you can convert followers to prospects with the help of lead magnets and mailing list signup forms.

Did you know: We produce high-converting, SEO-friendly, responsive websites that are tailored to finance and legal customers - and that breathe life into your brand and help you win more business. Find out more here.

While most SEO enhancements require significant investment and expertise to get right, there are ways to improve your local SEO that don't require any technical know-how. Here, we take you through three ways to improve your online visibility to people in your local area.

We're going to assume you have a Google My Business account (and if you don't, we recommend setting one up immediately. Doing so is free of charge, but it will take a few weeks for Google to verify your address, so it pays to start now).

The key is making sure your Google My Business profile features location-specific content and that you're actively maintaining your profile.

Publish posts to Google My Business – with location-specific content

You can publish short posts (fewer than 1,500 characters), videos, gifs, and photos. Besides providing your audience with relevant information, publishing content to your Google My Business profile signals that you're actively delivering value to your audience. Google feeds this information into the algorithm, to the benefit of your search engine results.

Where you can, try to mention your geographic location, so that when people in your area search for terms related to your business, your business listing is shown to them.

Respond to reviews – with location-specific comments

Responding to reviews is simply good practice to show your customers you appreciate them taking the time to help with your marketing efforts. As a bonus, responding to your Google My Business reviews can enhance your local SEO. We recommend something like this:

Thank you for providing your feedback on our mortgage broker services in [suburb, state]. We're delighted you had such a positive experience with us and look forward to working with you again.

Best regards, [your name] and the [full business name] team.

Publish high-quality content – that's location-specific

We see a lot of websites for mortgage and finance brokers that only publish generic syndicated content, thereby missing opportunities to maximise local SEO. To let Google know that your services are targeted to people in your area, your content must mention your location. This is why our weekly article subscription service allows for customisation to your local area.