Google has officially added auto insurance to its suite of Google Compare aggregators in the U.S. with the launch of Google Compare for auto insurance in the state of California today.
"Whether you’re a national insurance provider or one local to California, people searching for car insurance on their phone or computer can find you along with an apples-to-apples comparison of other providers -- all in as little as 5 minutes," Jerry Dischler, VP of product management for the search engine giant's AdWords division, says in a blog entry. "As Google Compare for car insurance rolls out to more states, we’ll also be introducing ratings and reviews, as well as local agent support for providers with agent networks."
MetLife Auto & Home, Mercury Insurance, Kemper Specialty, and 21st Century are among the 14 carriers launching on the platform.
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The Google Compare brand is already assigned in the U.S. to a credit-card comparison site, and an auto insurance version has been live in the U.K. for some time. The company also runs mortgage and travel insurance aggregators in the UK, as well as credit cards, and is rumored to be considering mortgage comparison in the U.S. as well.
BOLT Solutions, a provider of insurance distribution technology, also announced that it is working with some launch partners on integration with Google.
"Google's broad distribution reach makes it a natural fit, albeit a distribution channel that is quite different than to what our industry is accustomed," said Eric Gewirtzman, CEO of Bolt, in a statement. "We see this move by Google as a tremendous opportunity for carriers to reach out and offer products to a wealth of buyers for which they may not otherwise have access."
