I spent many hours in November looking at how banks and credit unions position insurance offerings online (our report here). Many banks don't even mention insurance. And those that do often bury it under an "investments & insurance" tab. Wells Fargo is the most notable example (screenshot below).

While I understand the need to keep navigation choices to a manageable number, these two really shouldn't be lumped together. It's like Amazon having one tab for "Shoes and Goats." It's confusing for both the shoe buyer and goat shopper.

Although a number of investments contain an insurance component (e.g., annuities), for most shoppers, this is unclear. Usually investing comes first, so it's unlikely the auto insurance shopper is going to pay much attention to a navigation item beginning with "investments." That's the furthest thing from the mind of someone trying to save a few bucks to keep the family fleet running.

Bottom line: If you are serious about selling insurance, it needs proper attention in website layout and navigation. Notice how Wescom Credit Union (Pasadena, CA) splits investments and insurance into two categories, with appropriate calls to action at the bottom of each column (second screenshot). The CU has some work to do on the landing page (it's cluttered and hard to find the quote I was promised), but it's still better than most.

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Before: Wells Fargo's personal homepage with combined "Investing & Insurance" category (13 Jan 2012)

After: Wescom Credit Union has separate columns for insurance and investments 

Wescom CU insurance landing page (link)
Note: The only thing that stands out on this page is the Purina Care pet insurance. The all-important quote function is buried at the bottom.

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Notes:
1. Image courtesy of 1st Guard Truck Insurance 
2. See last month's Online Banking Report Selling Insurance Online (for FIs) for more info.