Comparison sites - are they worth using?
1 commentYou may well have wondered whether home insurance price comparison sites are all they’re cracked up to be. It seems, however, that they are inferior to comparable sites for motor insurance, according to a recent report by Defaqto, the independent provider of research into financial services. Their sixth annual report, “Home Insurance – Aggregation or aggravation” looked at 28 comparison sites and concluded that, in the home insurance market, it is definitely a case of “Buyer beware!”
Defaqto looked in depth at the service provided by the various sites, which included the big names, Comparethemarket, Confused.com, Gocompare, Tesco Compare, and Moneysupermarket. The report uncovered various pitfalls for those using the aggregators.
Firstly, no single comparison site covers the entire market, despite what you may think from reading the websites. Secondly, the large majority of sites are only capable of comparing prices rather than the small print. Thirdly, the comparisons are only as good as the assumptions made, when obtaining the quotes from insurance companies or brokers. They may not fit the bill precisely for you and it is therefore crucial for customers to check the quote carefully, in particular the level of excess on the policy. Fourthly, Defaqto concludes that many of the sites do not allow the customer to tailor the quote to their needs, for example obtaining cover for possessions taken out of the home such as cameras, watches and the like. If you do not take the time to check the small print, you could well find yourself out of pocket should a loss occur.
Mike Powell, a consultant at Defaqto, goes as far as saying that this could well be considered “poor practice” by the FSA. In his opinion there are only five true comparison sites, with the balance obtaining quotes through intermediaries which could be done easily by the client through a broker.
Comments
I discovered your website on a search for “compare home insurance”. Reviewing your website, pages such as http://www.homeinsuranceguide.org.uk/providers.html could offer additional information for your readers with a link to uSwitch enabling them to compare home insurance.
While our client benefits from this link, so there can be a boost to your own site’s value. As uSwitch currently rank no.2 in Google for this phrase, you would be promoting your own site by association.
Google in particular factors in co-citation, and related sites, as part of the multiple factors it includes within its algorithm. By linking to uSwitch along with your current links to More Than and Tesco, you would be positioning your site as a “hub site”, referencing the authority sites on the topic.
If you are happy to place a link I have provided the URL, description and anchor text below. We would of course also be happy to provide a logo if you want a graphical element.
URL
http://www.uswitch.com/home-insurance/
anchor text
uswitch compare home insurance
description
uSwitch's service is totally independent, impartial and free. Search over 40 insurer schemes. Compare home insurance quotes online now from uSwitch and you'll be guaranteed to save at least against your current renewal.
I would be delighted to discuss in further detail any aspect of the website awareness campaign: I can be reached on torquil@mediaconnect.co.uk or by phone +441312084997.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me.
