We attend a lot of industry events for title and escrow agents and lawyers. Sometimes the folks we talk with say something like “we already have a website company” when asked about their current marketing strategy.
That is a good thing because just a few short years ago, many title insurance agents and attorneys didn’t even have a website.
However, the industry is shifting due to the drastic increase in cyber fraud where people are losing their deposits on their home purchases due to wiring them to the wrong account.
In fact, as a result, in a regulated industry such as insurance or law, not all websites are created equal.
Here are 4 ways that your website provider or marketing agency should be helping your title company or law firm stay secure and compliant.
1- Security
One big topic over the last 5-7 years has been privacy and security online. As such, Google started rewarding sites with SSL certificates by helping them rank higher. SSL, or secure socket layer, simply encrypts your website so if someone submits a web form, for example, it keeps their data private.
SSL certificates used to be only for e-commerce websites but now they are strongly encouraged for every website online.
Every TitleTap website not only includes an SSL certificate for no additional charge, but we also have 4 different means of spam prevention built into every web form and a web application firewall to help deter cyber attacks.
In fact, our firewall blocks about 1,000 hack attempts blocked per site, per month.
Most website designers and marketing agencies don’t include this as part of their plan because they don’t understand how important it is to be protected in your business.
2- Compliance
The second thing that the majority of general marketing agencies and most freelancers don’t understand about Title Insurance and Law is that they both are regulated industries.
Title insurance is overseen by several federal and state agencies such as The Department of Insurance and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In fact, the American Land Title Association (ALTA) even has a recommendation of being in compliance with their 7 Pillars to operate your title, escrow, or settlement service.
One of those recommendations is that your business’ systems are SSAE SOC 2 compliant.
The good news is that our web servers have been SOC 2 audited, yet most well-known website providers like GoDaddy have publicly said that they are not compliant.
Moreover, if you are an attorney, some states have regulations that you keep track of your marketing campaigns. Your website may be classified as one of those campaigns.
It is nice to know that your website provider knows these things and has your back, so you are not having to keep track while trying to operate your law firm.
3- Content & SEO
Many small business owners undervalue the importance of quality content on their websites. In fact, it is the most common part of the process for website development to be slowed to a halt.
The design looks great but what do we actually want to say?
What specific content might actually attract the business I want?
These questions are most often an afterthought, but they actually make a huge difference on your website.
That is one of the reasons why every TitleTap website comes with industry starter page content. This content includes text to advertise popular practice areas an attorney might want to include on their website and some of the most common services title agents typically offer to their customers.
Of course, this text can be adjusted but we’ve found that it is often easier and faster for busy professionals to edit their content instead of writing it from scratch.
That being said, there is also an option to get custom content from a professional content writer on our team.
In addition, most of our plans actually come with a library of up to 125 blog posts that act as FAQs for common Google searches related to the industry.
So, when your competitors have only 7-10 pages on their website, focused on their services, you get what they have plus dozens if not 100 pages on commonly searched questions with answers.
This alone helps your website rank higher in search results.
Regardless, wherever you get your content for your website, be sure the person is very familiar with your business and the type of customers you are trying to reach.
4- Ongoing Updates & Support
If you are an attorney or a title agent, then you already know that you tend to wear a lot of hats. Your website shouldn’t be one of them.
In fact, your valuable time is better spent working on files or billable hours.
Every website we build includes ongoing updates such as security updates or changes to the website each month.
This way when you have a staff change, you add a new practice area, or your office moves, our team can handle those updates on your behalf. Simply email us and within a couple of days, your changes will be complete.
Conclusion
As you can see there is a lot of value in working with someone who understands your business. It’s no different than calling a general handyman to fix your air conditioner. They might know how to fix it, but wouldn’t you rather have someone who only deals with air conditioners so that it is fixed correctly?
Don’t settle for anything less than marketing and website professionals who truly understand your business. Request a quick call to see how TitleTap can work for your business!