Financial service Google Compare being shut down

Google is shutting down another service that you've probably never heard of but sounds great: Google Compare (also known as Google Advisor). The website allows you to obtain quotes from a variety of companies on car insurance, travel insurance, credit cards, and mortgages.

"Despite people turning to Google for financial services information, the Google Compare service itself hasn't driven the success we hoped for," Google wrote in an e-mail sent to partners yesterday. "After a lot of careful consideration, we've decided that focusing more intently on AdWords and future innovations will enable us to provide fresh, comprehensive answers to Google users, and to provide our financial services partners with the best return on investment."

Google explained it had difficulty attracting advertisers to the service, in part due to limited availability of products in the US and UK.

The service will wind down as of February 23, and close completely on March 23.