► travel insurance online - nz seo reach 2014

Which websites are maximising their market share?

Searching for Travel Insurance Online

Copyright © FIRST., part of the BeyondD Pty Ltd Group. http://www.firstdigital.co.nz

2

Calculating share of search

• Rankings Based Reach (RBR)* provides a simple way to compare a

website’s search engine rankings with its competitors.

• RBR is an estimate of the percentage of available search traffic a

website will receive for a set of phrases – this gives the sites share

of search or reach.

• It is weighted based on the popularity of each search phrase and the

relative click through rate (CTR) of each ranking position.

Source: Rankings Based Reach (RBR) is a methodology developed by First, http://www.firstdigital.co.nz

http://www.firstdigital.co.nz/



3

Selected sites

Leading New Zealand travel insurance sites were selected for Ranking Based Reach

(RBR) performance analysis.

Sites

1cover.co.nz kiwibank.co.nz

aa.co.nz nzi.co.nz

airnewzealand.co.nz pic.co.nz

ami.co.nz southerncross.co.nz

amp.co.nz state.co.nz

anz.co.nz statravel.co.nz

asb.co.nz tower.co.nz

bnz.co.nz travelinsurancedirect.co.nz

crombielockwood.co.nz tsbbank.co.nz

flightcentre.co.nz webjet.co.nz

harveyworld.co.nz westpac.co.nz

houseoftravel.co.nz



4

What are people searching for?

Source: Google Keyword Tool, New Zealand exact match, June 2014

In order to investigate which websites are leading in search we researched frequently used

travel insurance - related phrases.

Search Phrase

Local

searches

per month

travel insurance 9900

cheap travel insurance 480

best travel insurance 90

cheapest travel insurance 90

travel insurance comparison 90

travel health insurance 40

travel insurance for australia 20

travel medical insurance 20

holiday travel insurance 10

what does travel insurance cover 10

Total searches per month

10,750

Total searches per year

129,000



5

Google: Search engine results page 1 What the consumer sees: The top of the Google search results page for a search on “travel insurance”

Air New Zealand, and

STA Travel are also

very prominent within

paid search. In total

there are 11

companies ranking in

the paid search

results.

That represents the

maximum allowable

amount for the 1st

Page and is an

indicator that this

market is highly

competitive.

Southerncross (SCTI),

1Cover and Travel

Insurance Direct are

consistently ranking in

the top 3 positions for

the paid search results

for the term “travel

insurance”.

In the organic search

results a large variety

of the analysed

companies rank on

Google’s first page

Despite ranking well

for organic listings,

Southern Cross are

still investing heavily in

Paid Advertising which

allows them to

dominate the first page

with multiple listings



6

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

paid organic

Source: Chikita, 2010 (Organic Search) & Accuracast 2009 (Paid Search)

35% of users click

on the top organic

search result

Almost 95% of organic

traffic goes to the top 10

results

The importance of top rankings

Search engine position

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f clic

ks



7

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Ran

kin

gs B

ased

Reach

Rankings Based Reach: Natural Search

Source of ranking data: Google New Zealand, www.google.co.nz, June 2014. * includes all websites under the relevant domain name (eg, including www.)

MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY

The RBR is below 2% for nearly half of all

analysed companies, which means that

there is a lot of room for improvement.

The RBR leader is Southern Cross

which reaches a fantastic RBR of

more than 90%. The closest

followers are AA and State. ANZ,

BNZ and Kiwibank rank on 8th, 9th

and 10th position.

Bigger insurance companies such as

Southern Cross, AA and State are

very present within search compared

to the smaller players who will need

sustained focus, if they want to

compete online.



8

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Ran

kin

gs B

ased

Reach

Rankings Based Reach: Natural Search (Mobile)

Source of ranking data: Google New Zealand, www.google.co.nz, June 2014.

* includes all websites under the relevant domain name (eg, including www.)

MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY

A majority of companies are de facto not visible in

mobile search. There is a lot of room for

improvement.

Southern Cross also

maintains its leading

RBR position in mobile

search.

In mobile search, it is more important

than ever to rank on the first page.

Smart phones are frequently used as

shopping tools with 74% of NZ users

having researched a product or

service on their mobile device*.

*Source: Scary eCommerce Statistics , www.ecommerce.org.nz, June 2014.


http://www.ecommerce.org.nz/


9

Search trends: Brand search volume

Source: Relative total keyword performance on a normalised scale 1 to 100, Google Trends, New Zealand, June 2014

The chart illustrates that bigger players such as State and Tower show higher brand search volumes, compared to “smaller“ players, like Flight

Centre and STA Travel.

To combat being left behind, runner-up companies need to drive consumer brand recognition via search, display, social and email

campaigns.



10

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

Yes No

Consumer Research: Do Kiwis travel insured?

This representative survey was carried out by 3Di Research on

the Great Sites platform June 2014 (n=1,889).

Question 1: Have you ever applied for travel insurance?

A large proportion (more than

80%) of Kiwis have applied for

travel insurance already.

One out of five respondents

mentioned that they have

never applied for a travel

insurance so far. This

number is surprisingly high.



11

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

45.00%

50.00%

I don’t travel I take the risk of being uninsured

Too expensive Insured through my Bank or Credit Card

Company

Do not cover my health conditions

Buying process too difficult

Consumer Research: Being uninsured

Question 2: Why did you never apply for travel insurance so far?


the Great Sites platform June 2014 (n=371).

The main reason was the fact that

respondents just did not travel,

followed by a significant amount of

people who mentioned to take the

risk when travelling or said it was

too expensive.



12

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

Directly go to the website of a

known insurance provider

Call my known insurance provider

Search for insurance

information on Google

Seek recommen-dations from

friends or family

Visit the physical branch of a

known insurance provider

Visit other insurance related websites (such

as interest.co.nz)

My Doctor Other (please specify)

Consumer Research: Finding information

Question 3: Typically, where is the first place you go to find

information or advice about a travel insurance?



Most Kiwis go to the website of

a known insurance provider to

find information concerning

travel insurance. A significant amount of

respondents mentioned

that they would find advice

or information through

their travel agent.



13

3.50

3.70

3.90

4.10

4.30

4.50

Reputation and credibility

Transparent policy

Price Convenience (ease of dealing, quick and prompt

etc)

Range of cover options

Responsiveness of agent

Discount packages (for more than one

insurance at the same provider)

Professional advice

Consumer Research: Most important when considering an insurance

Question 4: What is most important to you when considering

a travel insurance? (Rank the following on a scale of 1-5, 1

being least important, 5 of great importance)



Interestingly, Kiwis perceive

reputation and credibility as

most important when

considering travel insurance,

followed by a transparent

policy and the price.

Surprisingly,

professional advice is

the least important

factor mentioned by

respondents.



14

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

Online Make a branch visit Via a call centre Other (please specify)

Consumer Research: How do Kiwis apply for insurances?

Question 5: How do you usually apply for travel insurance?



By far most Kiwis apply online

for a travel insurance. Only 1

out of 9 directly phone a call

centre.

Most respondents in the

“Other” section mentioned

that they would contact

their travel agent or they

would receive cover when

using their credit card for

buying a trip.



15

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

45.00%

I am happy with the service

Explain options clearer Be more concerned about the customer

Staff should be better trained to give qualified

advice

Deal with sensitive information better

Consumer Research: Improvements to be made

Question 6: What, if anything, would you like to see travel

insurance providers do to improve their services?



42% of all respondents are

happy with the service, travel

insurance providers offer.

Improvements can be made

through explaining options clearer

and also by being more concerned

about the customer.


• Currently, Southern Cross stands out in the search landscape followed by AA, and State

capturing a big proportion of the demand thanks to prominent organic and paid search

presence.

• An Insurance Council research of 3000 New Zealanders who travelled overseas last year

found 22 per cent of those who went to China and 18 per cent of those who went to

Australia had no insurance at all.* Educating travellers on the necessity of being insured

abroad should form part of a key customer acquisition strategy.

• Search results are broadly dispersed among a wide range of competitors, even more so in

mobile. In this competitive insurance market, retailers are missing out on what is probably

the most cost effective marketing channel by not investing in a robust and smart search

strategy.

• Surprisingly, in our survey we revealed that Kiwis think reputation and credibility is the most

important factor when considering travel insurance, followed by a transparent policy and the

price. Companies need to continually improve their trustworthiness, especially through

online touch points.

• Nearly 6 out of 10 Kiwis apply online for a travel insurance, which shows the high

importance of being visible online and of offering a great user experience.

• A considered digital strategy that integrates both organic and paid search should be

a key customer acquisition and revenue driver for travel insurance providers.

Summary &

Observations

Travel insurance

* Source: NZ's top travel insurers, http://www.nzherald.co.nz, June 2014

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/


17

About FIRST.

Respected digital veterans are the foundation our agency is built upon: each team holds

a core capability that feeds into a business’ digital requirements. Our expertise in digital

has been built on over 14 years’ experience in digital strategy, analytics, conversion,

search marketing and digital campaigns.

FIRST, our award-winning team of internet marketers, has helped over 300 companies

across 100 industries achieve digital success. We provide companies with a digital

roadmap to success centered around a “digitally led” sales and marketing strategy.

Our services span search (SEO and SEM), email, performance media, conversion

optimisation and advanced analytics. Most importantly, our work is underpinned by a

focus on delivering the return on investment our clients expect.



18

Contact us

Contact FIRST to find out more.

Phone +64 (9) 920 1740

Email [email protected]

Web http://www.firstdigital.co.nz

http://www.linkedin.com/company/first-digital

http://www.firstdigital.co.nz/blog


Our Vision

To be highly sought after for

making a measurable

difference

Our Mission

We’re a team focused on

transforming businesses and

creating market leaders

through digital marketing.

We innovate, test and

optimise to create a

competitive advantage to

dominate the digital channel.

Our data-driven approach

will keep things simple and

make a measurable

difference.

Our Focus

As a Google Certified

Analytics Partner (GACP),

and Certified Optimizely

Partner we focus on smart

customer acquisition using

search and performance

media, maximising

conversion using best

practice CRO and helping

NZ businesses making the

best possible decisions

based on accurate,

actionable web analytics.

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