Google launched Google Compare only last year on March 5th, 2015
In an unexpected move, various news outlets are reporting that the Alphabet Company (formerly known as Google) will announce today that it will be shutting down its year-old auto insurance comparison-shopping site Google Compare. Both the Wall Street Journal and Insurance Journal, both who spoke with people familiar with the matter, said the internet giant has decided that its comparison-shopping site for auto insurance, in addition to its credit cards and mortgage sites all will be “going dark” next month, on or about March 23rd.
The Insurance Journal, which broke the news after speaking with several of Google Compare’s partners, including Google’s partner Coverhound.com, said the plan was to shutter all three sites in order to retool them and make them more user-friendly by improving the total “customer experience.”
While various partners said they had been informed of the news, others like Compare.com, told the Insurance Journal that the announcement came as a complete surprise. In addition, others found it surprising that Google had decided to shutter its auto insurance comparison-shopping site in the U.K. as that site, which was the first to go live two years ago, had been performing well.
The original aim of Google Compare
Originally, Google Compare’s aim was to be an auto insurance comparison-shopping site rather than a direct writer of auto insurance. In announcing its launch last year Jerry Dischler, Vice President of Product Management, AdWords explained the idea behind the creation of Google Compare.
“Whether it’s buying the right car insurance or finding the best credit card, people want an easy way to understand and compare financial products online. In fact, when it comes to buying car insurance, 80% of drivers think they’d find a better policy if they could compare more than two providers.* That’s why today we’re introducing Google Compare for car insurance in California, with more states to follow. This represents the newest addition to a suite of Google Compare products designed to help people make confident, more informed financial decisions.”
Further updates as they happen
As we first stated above, Google is expected to make an official announcement about the fate of Google Compare later today. Agency Checklists will continue to keep Massachusetts insurance professionals updated on the fate of Google Compare.
