Broker websites aren’t broken. They’re quietly underperforming.

The WHO2 Global view.

We have been lucky enough to be asked to review a lot of broker websites, ‘the shop window’.

Not just a quick skim or a design critique, but proper reviews as part of our Benchmarq360 assessment process. End to end. Homepage to quote. Product pages, add ons, renewals messaging, contact journeys, and everything in between.

And one thing is consistent. Very few broker websites are bad.

They load quickly. They look professional. The quote journeys usually work. Customers can normally get a price without too much effort.

Yet performance stalls. Conversion rates flatten. Add on penetration is lower than it should be. Customers default to price rather than value. Multi product opportunities are missed.

The issue is rarely a single, obvious failure. It is nearly always a series of small, quiet leaks. 

STRONG FUNCTIONALITY IS NOT THE SAME AS STRONG CONFIDENCE

Most broker websites have solid foundations.

Clean layouts. Sensible question sets. Familiar insurer branding. Journeys that broadly make sense. 

But what Benchmarq360 consistently highlights is the gap between functionality and confidence.

Customers do not experience a website as a set of pages. They experience it as a sequence of decisions. And it is in the moments between those decisions where friction creeps in.

Navigation that does not clearly signal the next step. Calls to action that all look the same, regardless of importance. Pages that subtly change tone, layout, or behaviour mid journey.

Each of these moments forces the customer to pause and reorient.

None of this feels dramatic. That is exactly why it is commercially dangerous. 

INCONSISTENCY IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONVERSION KILLERS

Across benchmarq360 reviews, inconsistency is one of the most common themes we see.

Product value explained differently depending on the page. Add ons presented clearly in one journey and buried in another. Different behaviours between similar products or customer types. 

From a customer’s perspective, inconsistency creates uncertainty. 

From a broker’s perspective, it quietly drives the wrong outcomes:

• Customers hesitate

• Customers buy the cheapest option

• Customers skip optional extras

• Customers leave without fully understanding the value of advice

Consistency is not about design for design’s sake. It is about reducing cognitive load at the moments that matter most. 

CONVERSION DOES NOT COME FROM PUSHING HARDER

Many broker websites still rely on pressure to drive conversion.

More prompts. More reminders. More buttons asking customers to continue, buy now, or get a quote. Benchmarq360 data consistently shows that this approach underperforms.

What works better is clarity:

• Clear hierarchy beats clutter

• Distinct primary actions beat identical buttons

• Transparent pricing beats vague reassurance

Customers are not avoiding decisions. They are avoiding confusion. When add ons take effort to understand, uptake drops. When fees are referenced but not clearly explained, trust weakens. When next steps are visible but not compelling, momentum stalls.

Journeys do not break. They slow. And slow journeys leak value.

The most expensive misses never show up as errors.

Some of the biggest commercial opportunities we identify through Benchmarq360 never appear on a broker’s MI dashboard. They sit in the questions that are never asked.

Simple signals that could identify:

• Additional assets

• Multi product potential

• Renewal stickiness

• Cross sell and retention opportunities

These are not aggressive sales tactics. They are basic intelligence gathering. When a broker website fails to ask relevant, timely questions, it is not being customer centric. It is being commercially passive. 

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR BROKERS

For brokers, digital performance is no longer a marketing issue. It is a core commercial lever.

Small improvements compound quickly at scale:

• A marginal uplift in quote completion

• A modest increase in add on penetration

• Fewer customers defaulting to price only decisions

• Clearer pathways into multi product relationships

None of this requires new insurers, new panels, or lower pricing.

It comes from removing friction that customers never complain about but always feel.

In a market where acquisition costs are rising and margins are under constant pressure, allowing value to leak through avoidable experience issues is one of the most expensive mistakes a broker can make.

Your website is part of your advice proposition.

For many customers, your website is your advice.

It is where trust is formed. Where confidence is tested. Where the value of your role as a broker is either understood or quietly diluted.

A strong insurer panel cannot compensate for a fragmented digital journey. And competitive pricing cannot overcome unnecessary friction. 

THE BROKERS THAT OUTPERFORM ARE NOT REINVENTING EVERYTHING.

They refine:

• they simplify navigation

• they standardise journeys

• they make decisions obvious

• they remove effort at the point customers are ready to say yes

And by doing so, they stop leaking value from the very shop window most customers now judge them by.

The views expressed in this article are those of WHO2 Global Ltd and do not constitute professional advice. All content is for informational purposes only.