Norton Insurance Brokers wanted to grow their digital market share for travel insurance terms to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and generate more leads. Despite the conventional wisdom of targeting broader, high-volume search terms, our data analysis revealed a counterintuitive opportunity: focusing specifically on travel insurance broker terms would deliver significantly higher returns, despite the smaller audience size.

The Challenge

Norton faced several challenges in a highly competitive travel insurance market:

• Low visibility in search results for general travel insurance terms

• Difficulty competing with larger, established insurance providers

• Limited resources to target broad, highly competitive keywords

• Need to differentiate from direct-to-consumer insurance offerings

• Low conversion rates from general travel insurance traffic

The company needed a strategy that would maximize its ROI while aligning with its brand positioning as specialist insurance brokers.

Our Hypothesis

We proposed a focused approach: Narrowing their target from generalised travel insurance terms to travel insurance broker terms would provide much more return for the business, despite addressing a significantly smaller audience.

This hypothesis was based on:

1. Initial data showing higher conversion propensity from broker-specific searchers

2. Less competition for broker-specific terms

3. Better alignment with Norton's brand positioning

4. Emerging opportunities in AI Overviews for niche terms

Methodology

Our strategic approach consisted of three key components:

1. Conversion Propensity Analysis

We identified that users arriving via broker-based keywords had a significantly stronger propensity to convert via seeking a travel insurance quote. This indicated that while the audience was smaller, it was much more qualified and likely to become a customer.

2. Keyword Opportunity Assessment

We conducted in-depth keyword research and competitive analysis, discovering much stronger potential to rank well and gain online market share via organic rankings for broker terms. We also identified growing opportunities for featured snippets and AI Overviews in this specific niche.

3. Brand Alignment Evaluation

We analyzed how this focused strategy would reinforce Norton's positioning in the market. The approach strongly aligned with their brand values, highlighting the unique benefits and expertise that come with insuring through a specialist broker rather than direct providers.

Implementation

Based on our methodology, we implemented a comprehensive strategy:

Content Strategy Refinement

• Created in-depth content focused specifically on the value of using insurance brokers

• Developed targeted landing pages addressing broker-specific search queries

• Optimised existing content to better highlight broker advantages

• Created FAQ sections specifically designed to capture featured snippets

Technical SEO Enhancements

• Implemented structured data markup to enhance SERP presence for broker terms

• Improved site architecture to strengthen topical authority around brokerage expertise

• Enhanced page speed and mobile experience to improve rankings

• Implemented internal linking strategy focusing on broker-relevant content

User Experience Optimisation

• Simplified the quote request process for users searching for broker services

• Added trust signals highlighting Norton's expertise as specialised brokers

• Incorporated testimonials from clients who benefited from broker expertise

• Improved calls-to-action specific to the broker-seeking audience

Results

The narrowed focus strategy delivered exceptional results across all key metrics:

Market Share Growth

• 600% growth in organic market share year-over-year

• Improved from 1.2% to 8.3% of the broker-specific search market

• Enhanced visibility in featured snippets and AI Overviews

• Significant improvement in SERP positioning for targeted terms

Traffic Increase

• 600% increase in quarterly organic traffic year-over-year

• Growth from just 15 visits (Dec-Feb) to 105 visits (Jun-Aug)

• Higher quality traffic with better engagement metrics

• Increased time on site and pages per session

Lead Generation

• 360% growth in quarterly organic leads year-over-year

• Increased from 6 leads to 28 leads per quarter

• Higher conversion rate from broker-specific traffic

• Improved lead quality and customer acquisition cost

Key Insights

This case study demonstrates several important principles:

1. Quality Over Quantity: Targeting a smaller, more qualified audience can deliver superior results compared to pursuing high-volume, competitive terms.

2. Alignment with Brand Position: SEO strategies are most effective when they reinforce rather than dilute a brand's unique value proposition.

3. Propensity-Based Targeting: Understanding user conversion propensity by keyword type can reveal high-ROI opportunities that aren't obvious from traffic volume alone.

4. Strategic Specialization: In competitive markets, specialization can create more significant opportunities for visibility and market share growth.

Long-Term Impact

The success of this focused strategy has had lasting effects on Norton's digital marketing approach:

• Established a sustainable competitive advantage in a specific market segment

• Created a blueprint for expanding into other niche insurance products

• Built authority and expertise signals that continue to strengthen their search presence

• Developed a more efficient lead generation model with higher conversion rates

By challenging conventional wisdom and focusing on a narrower but more qualified audience, we helped Norton achieve remarkable growth that continues to drive their business forward.