An insurance comparison partnership can connect your brand, your audience or your products to a regulated platform that already operates at scale.
Building and operating a comparison platform means putting the technology, customer journeys, Insurance Provider relationships, regulatory setup and data responsibilities in place. A partnership gives you access to those capabilities without having to build and operate the platform yourself. You bring the audience or the product, while Seopa provides the comparison technology, provider panel, and regulated setup.
The Seopa platform has operated since 2005. It powers the journeys behind Quotezone.co.uk, CompareNI.com and hundreds of partner brands, including Mail Finance, PistonHeads and Totally Money. Today, it processes nine million quotes a year for four million UK customers.
This guide explains how to put your brand or products onto a UK insurance comparison platform, including the three routes available, the commercial models and the regulatory responsibilities.
Insurance comparison partnership models: Three routes to market
Seopa operates one core platform with three different entry points. You can choose the one that fits your commercial model.
White label / co-branded
This route gives the partner a branded comparison journey that reflects its identity across the customer experience, while Seopa provides the platform and is clearly identified as the comparison provider.
Seopa offers a white label co-branded solution, which differs from a pure white label. The difference that matters is transparency: a co-brand lets the customer see who is providing the comparison, which is what the FCA and other regulators expect from a comparison service. The Seopa platform runs behind your branding to handle the panel, the quote logic, the provider connections and the data.
Panel placement
Panel placement is the supply side of a partnership, designed for insurance providers. You supply the product and the price, and Seopa runs the comparison.
Your product joins a live panel across Quotezone, CompareNI and hundreds of partner sites. Every quote represents live demand from someone comparing that exact cover at that moment. This places your products in front of high-intent customers who are ready to convert, without the need to buy the traffic yourself.
The affiliate scheme
The affiliate scheme is the lightest way onto the platform, offering a simple route to revenue with no front end to build.
You place a branded link or banner on your website. When a reader follows it to Quotezone or CompareNI, you earn commission on the quotes and leads that convert. Everything after the click runs on Seopa’s side, meaning there are no quote journeys to build and no provider contracts to negotiate.
Managing FCA permissions and regulatory compliance
Arranging insurance through comparison is a regulated activity. Seopa’s FCA authorisation and compliance framework support each of the three partnership routes, though the setup differs depending on whether you are bringing an audience or supplying a product. The exact regulatory and data responsibilities are agreed before launch.
Seopa Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (firm reference 313860) and has been on the register since 2003. For white label / co-branded and affiliate partners, the regulatory setup typically follows one of two paths:
- Partners without FCA permission: A partner that does not hold its own FCA permission is usually appointed as an Introducer Appointed Representative under Seopa’s authorisation. This arrangement still carries some regulatory responsibility on both sides.
- Partners with FCA permission: A partner that already holds the relevant permission can operate the regulated activity under its own registration.
Panel placement works differently. An Insurance Provider supplying an insurance product for quoting is almost always regulated in its own right, so it operates under its own FCA permission rather than under Seopa’s.
Seopa typically hosts the regulated comparison journey and acts as the data controller by default, registered with the ICO under Z8733752. The business is also ISO 27001 certified for information security. Financial promotion sign-off, fair presentation and each party’s exact responsibilities are agreed in the contract before launch.
Commercial models and partnership agreements
The commercial model depends on the route, the products in scope and how customers reach the platform.
- Under the white label / co-branded route, partners earn commission when a customer purchases through the comparison journey carried on their site.
- Under the affiliate route, partners earn commission on the quotes and leads generated by referred customers when they convert through Quotezone or CompareNI.
- For panel placement, the commercial terms are agreed around the products being quoted and the relevant quote model.
The chosen route, products, commercial structure, data responsibilities and regulatory responsibilities are recorded in the agreement before launch. Partners taking several products, or combining routes, can manage them under a single relationship.
How to launch an insurance comparison partnership
Every partnership starts with a conversation about your commercial model, audience, products and the route that best fits what you want to achieve. From there, Seopa works with you through the commercial, technical and regulatory steps required to launch.
Discovery call
The partnerships team reviews your commercial model, audience and product set, then recommends the most suitable route or combination of routes. The call also covers the products in scope, the regulatory setup and how responsibilities are likely to be divided between Seopa and the partner.
Commercial agreement
The commercial agreement covers the selected route, the products in scope, the commission or fee structure, data controller responsibilities and the proposed launch timeline. Partners can take several products or combine routes under a single commercial relationship.
Due diligence
Due diligence usually runs alongside the commercial agreement, giving both parties the opportunity to confirm that the proposed partnership is a suitable fit.
Configuration and integration
The work required at this stage depends on the chosen route. For white label / co-branded partners, Seopa configures a branded comparison journey that reflects the partner’s identity across the customer experience. The journey is usually hosted on a branded subdomain, while Seopa provides the platform and is clearly identified as the comparison provider. For panel members, this stage covers product, integration and pricing onboarding. For affiliates, it covers the creation and testing of the tracking links used for each placement.
Compliance sign-off
Financial promotion materials and customer-facing wording are reviewed against the responsibilities set out in the agreement.
The exact regulatory, data and customer-facing responsibilities of each party are confirmed before launch.
Go live and reporting
The route determines the launch timeline. Standard partner routes can launch quickly, while a tailored white label / co-branded journey is scoped to its own requirements. Reporting is available from launch and is scoped to the partnership. Depending on the route, this can include quote volume, clickthrough, conversion, product performance and revenue. Partners also receive a dedicated contact at Seopa across commercial, technical and compliance matters.
Find the right route onto the Seopa platform
Whether you want to launch insurance comparison under your own brand, put your products in front of in-market shoppers or earn revenue from an audience you already have, Seopa provides a route onto the same regulated comparison platform.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three routes onto an insurance comparison platform?
The three routes are white label / co-branded, panel placement and affiliate.
White label / co-branded gives the partner a branded comparison journey that reflects its identity across the customer experience. The journey is most commonly hosted on a branded subdomain, while Seopa provides the platform and is clearly identified as the comparison provider.
Panel placement allows an Insurance Provider to put its products in front of in-market shoppers across Quotezone, CompareNI and hundreds of partner sites.
Affiliate allows a brand or publisher to send its audience to Quotezone or CompareNI and earn commission on the quotes and leads that convert, with no comparison journey to build.
Partners can combine products or routes under a single commercial relationship.
Do I need my own FCA authorisation to partner with Seopa?
It depends on the route. For white label / co-branded and affiliate partners, you do not necessarily need your own FCA authorisation. A partner that does not hold its own permission is usually appointed as an Introducer Appointed Representative under Seopa’s authorisation, an arrangement that still carries some regulatory responsibility on both sides. A partner that already holds the relevant permission can carry out the regulated activity under its own registration. Panel placement is different. An Insurance Provider supplying a product for quoting is almost always regulated in its own right and operates under its own FCA permission.
The route and exact responsibilities of each party are agreed in the contract before launch.
Who runs the comparison journey and holds the customer data?
Seopa runs the comparison journey, the panel, the quote logic and the Insurance Provider connections.
Seopa typically acts as the data controller by default and is registered with the ICO under registration number Z8733752. The business is also ISO 27001 certified for information security.
Each party’s exact data and regulatory responsibilities are agreed in the contract before launch. A co-brand / white label partner retains its brand and its relationship with its audience.
How many Insurance Providers and products are on the platform?
The platform has 300+ insurance and finance provider relationships and covers 60+ insurance, utilities and financial products across six main categories, alongside additional financial and miscellaneous products.
It processes 9 million quotes a year and serves 4 million UK customers. Seopa has been authorised and regulated by the FCA since 2003, and its insurance comparison platform has operated since 2005.
How does an insurance comparison partnership start?
Every partnership begins with a discovery call covering the partner’s commercial model, audience and product set.
The partnerships team recommends the most suitable route or combination of routes and explains how the regulatory responsibilities are likely to be divided. The commercial agreement then records the products, commercial structure, data responsibilities and regulatory responsibilities before configuration and launch begin.