Alexi Papandon, PIA’s vice president of marketing and affiliate relations, explains that the search engine is not tied to sales quotes. Rather, the site works off a series of articles about insurance (currently in development). When an individual seeks a particular keyword or phrase connected to insurance, one of the articles would appear in that search. After clicking on the article, a geographically targeted link to an agent’s microsite will be displayed, showing that the agent is located in their area.

Papandon says this marketing strategy was developed because agents said they needed access to Internet marketing but did not want to go through the expense and effort of redesigning their websites. “This program focuses on the strength of the independent agent and leverages those strengths,” he adds.

The cost for PIA members begins at $1,560 a year ($1,760 for nonmembers) for one microsite line of business, and additional costs are based on the number of microsites an individual buys. The feature is being offered to PIA members as part of the PIA Branding program that provides marketing material for print and radio advertising.

In a statement, Jim Holm, president of Agoragate, says the system does not provide quotes and there is no plan to add that functionality.

“For the last 20 years I’ve been suggesting that agencies avoid quoting over the phone,” says Holm, a managing general agent who led the formation of the program. “They need to meet face-to-face to create a long-term client.”