Checking is what you do for a living. Before placing a risk, you read the wording, compare the cover, scrutinise the exclusions. You know a sales promise is only worth what the policy says. Yet when it comes to their own firm's visibility, many brokers sign with a provider on the strength of a polished pitch, then spend months receiving reports they cannot really interpret.
This guide suggests applying to your visibility partner the same discipline you apply to an insurer. Three sources of evidence are enough: a dated report, figures in tools you own, and the enquiries you actually receive.
Why measurement matters so much for a broker
People rarely look for a broker on a whim. A fleet operator renewing commercial vehicle cover, a landlord with a portfolio of rental properties, a small manufacturer needing liability cover for a new contract, a family comparing health plans: each has a specific, often urgent need. They search on Google or ask an AI assistant, compare two or three firms, then request a quote.
Each of those enquiries can turn into a client who renews year after year. That is what makes visibility so valuable for a broker, and it is also why measurement is non-negotiable: you need to know whether the money you invest is bringing in those enquiries, or merely paying for reports.
Evidence one: a dated report, every week
A serious partner tells you what they did, when they did it and what changed as a result. A useful report has a few telling features.
- It is dated and regular. A weekly report on a fixed day lets you follow the trajectory and spot a delay straight away.
- It ties the work to the contract. You should be able to tick off, line by line, what was promised and what is now live.
- It speaks your language. A report packed with jargon you cannot follow is not a report; it is a smokescreen.
We cover what a good one contains in our guide to what a visibility report should show.
Evidence two: figures in your own Google tools
This is the most important point and the one most often overlooked. Results must be visible in tools that belong to you, above all Google Search Console registered to your firm. Your provider should not be the one holding your data.
Why does it matter so much? A dashboard supplied by the provider can show whatever the provider wants. A Google tool in your name shows everyone the same thing: how often your firm appeared in searches, how many people clicked, and for which kinds of searches. If you ever change provider, the history stays with you.
So ask for owner-level access to these tools from day one. A provider who hesitates or refuses is sending you a clear signal.
Evidence three: the enquiries you receive
Online figures are an indicator. Quote requests are the outcome. Build a simple habit in the office: whenever a new enquiry comes in, by phone, web form, email or message, record how the person found you. Within a few months you will know exactly what your online visibility is producing, line by line: motor, property, commercial, health, life.
Keep a realistic view of timing. Visibility builds over time: the first signals usually appear within a few weeks, and progress becomes clear with consistency. Our guide on results at 3, 6 and 12 months helps you judge the trajectory without impatience or complacency.
Bring the three sources together once a month, in the same way you review a client's claims history. Put the weekly reports, the Search Console trend and your enquiry log side by side. If work is being delivered and searches are rising but enquiries stay flat, the issue may lie in how your firm presents itself or in how quickly enquiries get a reply. If nothing is being delivered, the issue lies with the provider. Either way, you will be discussing facts rather than impressions, which is exactly where a broker likes to be.
Red flags
- A promise of the top position. Nobody controls what Google or an AI decides. Whoever promises it is not being straight with you.
- Irregular or undated reports. If you have to chase the report, nobody is preparing it.
- Figures you cannot verify. Screenshots and home-made charts, but no access to your own tools.
- No consequence for delays. A commitment with nothing behind it is not a commitment.
These are questions worth asking before you sign. Our guide on questions to ask before signing offers a full list.
How Traffic Engine lets you check
Traffic Engine is Kolonell's service for making your firm visible when people search for a broker, on Google and in AI assistant answers. It was built to be audited: a dated report every week, results tracked in your own Search Console, a measured review at three months. The guarantee is in writing: what your plan includes goes live on schedule, or the following month is free. Kolonell guarantees delivery and measurement, not what Google or an AI decides.
Kolonell applied the approach to its own website first, and the Search Console curves for kolonell.com are published on the offer page and updated every day. You start with the Visibility Audit at $750, deducted from the $1,650 setup if you begin within 30 days; plans run from Presence at $1,200 to Flood at $3,850 a month, with 3 seats per sector and area. View the offer and the published evidence.