Independently-owned mortgage broker and franchisor, Mortgage Choice, this month celebrates a number of online milestones including a 17 per cent annual budget increase for search engine optimisation activities.

According to Mortgage Choice CEO, Michael Russell, the leads acquired from online traffic in December 2009 generated 74 per cent of the company’s overall volume.

“We’re just as proud of the fact that January marks the seventh consecutive month Mortgage Choice has ranked number one on Google’s organic search listings for the phrase ‘home loan’, which provides us with a considerable competitive advantage,” he said.

The website is also at the top of the list for other key search terms including ‘mortgage brokers’, ‘home loan brokers’ and ‘home mortgage loans’.

“It means we are more likely to be top of mind for both existing and potential customers and our franchisees’ local pages – their mini-sites within our website – are more likely to be visited by those on search for a home loan,” Russell said.

This is promising news considering Mortgage Choice’s 2009 Property Investors Survey found that the internet was the primary source used by respondents to source property investment knowledge.

Mortgage Choice isn’t just focusing on lead generation. “We’re also fine tuning our electronic loans processing technology. This, along with other IT initiatives, is helping us enhance our highly regarded customer service proposition, positioning Mortgage Choice to better take advantage of acquisition and growth opportunities in 2010,” Russell said.