There are a number of crucial benefits your company’s website provides.  Most importantly, it is likely the most cost effective advertising medium to promote your company and the services it provides.  Occasionally however, the Webmaster powers-that-be will also promote services the company doesn’t normally provide… or ever provide.  I refer to this as “website embellishment”. 

Your potential and current customers aren’t the only visitors of your website.  Did you know that your insurance underwriters also visit it?  As a matter of fact, your company’s website is likely the first item reviewed by underwriters that are considering quoting or writing your business insurance policies.  As far as most industry underwriters are concerned, your website is the gospel of your business.  If a service is listed on the website, then the underwriters must assume that service is provided.

An underwriter’s primary responsibility is to consider the risk of a business from an insurability standpoint.  The more services provided by a business, the more risks that have to be considered by the underwriters.  Some risks are deemed uninsurable by certain insurance companies.  If your website indicates services/risks that fall into this category, then the underwriters will simply decline to provide an offer of coverage.  How many declinations is your company receiving because of services that are indicated, but are rarely provided, if ever?  Each declination your business receives for this reason is the loss of a potentially better insurance product that could also be more cost effective for your business.

Of course there are insurance companies that are willing write coverage for the services you could or might provide, even when others won’t.  While the aforementioned insurance companies will simply decline to offer a quote, these other insurance companies may offer a quote at a potentially higher premium cost to off-set the increased risk.  Does your business fall into this category?  Are you paying inflated premiums for these services that you could provide or might provide, but likely never will? 

The bottom line is, well… the bottom line.  Your website should be helping your business grow.  It should be used to draw customers to your business, provide a convenience to existing customers, and provide an overall positive presence for your business.  It should be increasing your bottom line.  From an insurance standpoint though, if your website is "embellished", it may likely be costing your bottom line.