A haulage firm in Tyseley needs fleet cover renewed before its current policy lapses. A restaurant group opening a third site in the Jewellery Quarter wants someone to review its commercial combined policy. A landlord with a handful of flats in Edgbaston has had enough of renewing online every year and wants a broker who will actually pick up the phone. All of them search before they call. Most of them ask Google, some ask an AI assistant, and the broker who shows up at that moment gets the conversation. The others never know there was one.
You have seen the problem and you are looking for someone to make your brokerage more visible. The market is crowded: digital agencies, freelancers, consultants, ad resellers, all promising more leads. This guide helps you sort them using an owner's criteria rather than a technician's.
What a broker actually needs from a partner
Broking has a quirk. You are selling trust and advice on products most clients only half understand, and you are competing with comparison sites that have trained the public to look at price first. The commercial clients you really want are not shopping for the cheapest premium; they want someone who will fight their corner when a claim comes in. Your visibility therefore needs to bring in serious enquiries (SMEs, fleets, property owners, professional indemnity, group cover) rather than people hunting for a cheaper car insurance quote.
A good partner understands that from the first meeting. If they talk about followers, impressions or traffic and never mention enquiries, lead quality or retention, they are not working on your revenue.
The criteria that matter
They commit to what they control
A credible provider commits to delivery: what was agreed goes live, on schedule, and you can see it. They do not commit to what Google or an AI assistant decides, because nobody controls that. Be very wary of anyone who says you will appear first for a given search. Our guide on first-place promises explains why that claim should end the conversation.
Results are measured on your side, not theirs
Insist on following results in your own Search Console, Google's free tool, with access held in your firm's name. Their own reports are welcome, but you must be able to check without relying on them.
They understand a regulated business
As an FCA-authorised firm, everything published in your name has to be fair, clear and not misleading. A provider who writes about insurance the way they write about a coffee shop can create compliance headaches your compliance officer will not thank you for.
They limit conflicts of interest
Ask how many other brokers they work with in the West Midlands. If they serve three of your direct competitors, they cannot honestly push for your place on the same searches.
They talk about payback
A good partner asks what a client is worth to you over several renewal cycles, how commission recurs and how many new accounts it would take to cover the investment. If those questions never come up, you are being sold activity, not outcomes.
Red flags
- A promised ranking position or a promised number of new clients.
- A contract with no specific deliverables or timetable, described in vague terms like digital support.
- No access to your own data, or reports you cannot verify.
- A very low price with no defined term, which often means a one-off job with no follow-through.
- A visibility provider who is hard to find online themselves. That alone deserves a question.
What to get in writing
Before you sign, make sure the proposal or contract spells out:
- What will be delivered and when, in language a managing director can follow, and what happens if it is late.
- Reporting frequency and content, dated, with indicators you can check yourself.
- The term of the commitment and the review point at which you can judge the trend.
- Ownership of your website, your copy and your accounts if you ever move provider.
- Their policy on competitors: how many brokers they will take on in your area.
For a wider view of the risk, our guide on what being invisible costs an insurance broker shows what is at stake when a brokerage cannot be found.
How Traffic Engine measures up
Traffic Engine is Kolonell's service for making your brokerage visible when clients search for a broker, on Google and in AI assistant answers. It was designed to pass the checklist above: a delivery commitment with the following month free if what your plan includes is not live on time, a dated report every week, results in your own Search Console and a measured review at three months. Kolonell ran the approach on its own website first, and the curves are published on the offer page.
Insurance broking is capped at 3 seats per area. You start with a Visibility Audit at £590, deducted from the £1,300 setup if you go ahead within 30 days. Monthly plans are Presence at £940, Momentum at £1,600 and Flood at £3,000, on a 12-month commitment; Momentum Exclusive at £3,300 and Flood Exclusive at £5,050 lock out every competitor in your sector while it is still open. See the offer and the seats still available in Birmingham.
Your next step
Compare at least two proposals against the same checklist and ask each provider the same questions. Before you meet anyone, measure your starting point with the free website score, so you know whether you are being sold a fix for a real problem. For a full read of where you stand against other Birmingham brokers, the Visibility Audit delivers it within 48 working hours. For the general version of this checklist, read how to choose a visibility partner.