Google is one of the biggest, most recognizable names in the world. You hear about Google in commercials, in movies, in music, and it's probably all the younger generation talks about when discussing net-based terms. Google is absolutely huge, and they're not just a fad that's passing by, long in the tooth and slippery on the tongue. Their tools and gadgets released are actually extremely useful to most businesses, even the insurance industry. In fact, Google has tools that help customers looking for insurance find and compare insurers. Well, at least that's what Google offers to the global market. For the US-based market, Google Compare, which is the name of the fancy tool, is just now making its way to the US.
Like most things to come from Google, time will tell whether or not it's truly effective. But, of course, like most things Google, the odds of Compare being a great tool are overwhelming. One couldn't say it's a lock, but one could say that if it's from Google, then there's a great chance it's a pretty nifty tool to have.
What This Means For Insurers
For right now Google Compare is available to Californians. In a nutshell, this is a service that allows Californians to compare different companies. For instance, let's say someone in Cali wants an affordable, quality auto insurance package, but they don't feel like individually researching each company to find it. By using Google Compare, the user can compare up to 13 auto insurers in a side-by-side fashion, weighing their pros and cons and learning about each insurer. The same holds true with any type of insurance. Compare will literally compare different companies, and the user performing the search will be able to find out which insurer is the right fit without having to put in so much leg work.
But while this might be a great thing for big-name insurers who are already advertised all over the place and whose names and data Google will be able to find with relative ease, what about the small, independent agencies? There's a double-edged sword aspect of this. On the sharp end that may cut you, small agencies have to face the fact that they will not be promoted as heavily as larger agencies. While Google will still be able to compare small companies against larger companies, the data will be limited and results may be skewed toward the larger companies. On the end of that sword used to swipe at the competition, there are still advantages with Google for smaller companies. For instance, small companies have the local angle working for them. For instance, local businesses are given preferences automatically with Google's inclination toward local businesses and matching them up with customers from that zip code. So, while there are some negatives here that weigh in favor of big corporations, the smaller businesses aren't exactly being left out in the cold.
When it's all said and done, and Google Compare makes it way all throughout the US, the benefits will be firmly in the corner of insurance companies whose digital presence is greater than smaller, traditional companies. So, here's yet another reason to move more of your business online. With Compare, you definitely want to be one of the companies pulled up for comparison.
