In a surprising turn of events, a recent analysis conducted by a leading financial services marketing firm, The Lead Engine, reveals that the demand for "local brokers" has experienced a remarkable surge in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrary to popular belief that remote advisory services have diminished the significance of local marketing, Google search volume figures now indicate that more individuals are actively seeking a "mortgage broker near me" and "mortgage advisor near me" than ever before. The outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 forced widespread lockdowns, prompting a shift towards remote advice, enabling mortgage brokers to assist clients from anywhere in the UK. This newfound flexibility may have initially led some to overlook the importance of local marketing, but the latest data from Google searches suggests otherwise. The analysis of search volumes demonstrates a staggering 20% increase in the number of people actively searching for a local broker from February 2020 (16200 Google searches) and June 2023 (13500 Google searches). This rise signifies a remarkable trend toward favouring proximity and local expertise when seeking mortgage advice.<blockquote>It’s a great reminder that even though you can advise remotely and may not care where your clients are based, there are a growing group of people who still prefer to deal with local brokers.</blockquote>

Alex Curtis

Surprising Trend: More People Seek Local Brokers than Pre-Pandemic

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The Lead Engine

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Many mortgage brokers understand the importance of testimonials on their websites, but new research shows how they are displayed has a huge effect on lead generation. Peterborough-based financial services marketing agency, <a href="https://theleadengine.co.uk">The Lead Engine</a>, recently examined the impact of Google reviews and written testimonials for mortgage brokers.The test, involving a sample of 500 users, compared two web pages with identical content, with the sole difference being the presentation of client feedback. One page featured a dynamic widget showcasing the mortgage broker's total number of Google reviews, including the text from the three most recent reviews.&nbsp;The other page displayed five written testimonials in plain text format. The study defined a lead as an individual who completed a web form with their name, phone number, email, and a message, as well as inbound answered telephone calls.&nbsp; The web page incorporating the Google reviews widget outperformed its counterpart, generating 48 leads from 250 users. The page relying on written testimonials generated 8 leads from the same number of visitors in the same period.Alex Curtis, founder of The Lead Engine, commented:“This test reveals the importance of leveraging third-party review platforms. By integrating a Google reviews widget into their websites, mortgage brokers can provide potential clients with real-time information regarding their reputation and service quality. The transparency and social proof offered by Google reviews increase trust and confidence among visitors, resulting in a considerably higher number of leads.”

Google Reviews Outperform Written Testimonials For Mortgage Brokers

<h3>Many brokers believe that being at the top of #1 of Google's organic search results for relevant keyphrases is the Holy Grail, but that may not be the case according to a new analysis of two client campaigns carried out by Peterborough-based lead generation firm, <a href="https://theleadengine.co.uk">The Lead Engine</a>.</h3>In a recent campaign focused on mortgage advice for medical professionals, lasting six months, a Google ad created by The Lead Engine for a keyphrase for which the client already ranked at the top of #1 of Google in the organic search results received an 18% click-through rate (CTR) over the term of the campaign. In other words, it was clicked almost once every five times it appeared.In comparison, the link to the company's website at the top of the organic search results on Google (and appearing directly below the Google ad) received a 9.38% CTR during the exact same time period. In other words, though it was free, the organic link was roughly half as effective as the paid link.Over the same six-month period, another Google Ad for a client of The Lead Engine offering mortgage advice for a particular type of contractor, received a 15.28% CTR, while the organic link to the client's website — again the top-ranking organic result on #1 of Google — had a lower CTR of 10.65%.Alex Curtis, founder of The Lead Engine, commented:“It's rare to run an ad campaign with a keyphrase that you are already sitting at the top of page one of Google for in the organic results, but this research shows it's worth considering and shouldn't be ruled out. Not only did the ads for these brokers get clicked regularly, but they were clicked more often than the organic results, which appeared very close to them on #1 of Google. This shows that people aren't blind to Google Ads and that investing in SEO, while incredibly valuable, may not be essential to achieving success online. Based on this evidence, a good Google ad campaign can do the heavy lifting for you, although clearly your website then needs to deliver what the visitor wants to see to make it profitable."