Editorial standards & process
How BizInsuranceCompare sources, produces, fact-checks, and updates every carrier review and buying guide on the site.
Our commitment
BizInsuranceCompare.com is an editorial publication. Our job is to help small business owners understand their insurance options and make better-informed purchase decisions. Everything on this site is produced according to the standards described on this page.
When our analysis benefits a carrier or broker that pays us a commission, we disclose it. When our analysis conflicts with the interests of a carrier or broker that pays us a commission, we publish it anyway. If we ever fail to live up to these standards, tell us at editor@bizinsurancecompare.com and we'll correct it.
Who produces our content
Editorial team
Editor-in-chief: Travis Bunn. Responsible for editorial direction, methodology, and final review of all content. Bio: /about.
Editorial advisor: To be filled when advisor is retained (month 4–6 of operation). Licensed commercial insurance professional who will review carrier analyses, policy explanations, and regulatory content. License number, state, and public lookup link will appear here on retention.
Contributing writers: named contributors will be added here as they join, along with disclosed bios, credentials, and any conflicts of interest.
AI-assisted research and drafting
We use AI tools (Claude and other large language models) to accelerate research, synthesize public data, and generate initial content drafts. Every piece of AI-assisted content is:
- Reviewed for factual accuracy by a human editor
- Fact-checked against primary sources
- Revised for clarity, voice, and editorial judgment
- Signed off by the editor-in-chief or editorial advisor before publication
We believe AI-assisted content produced under editorial oversight is different in kind, and in quality, from AI-generated content published without review. We're transparent about our process because we think readers deserve to know.
How we source information
Primary sources we use regularly
Government and regulatory sources (highest authority)
- U.S. Small Business Administration (sba.gov). Small business statistics, program information, industry definitions
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov). Industry employment and wage data
- U.S. Census Bureau. Industry demographics and establishment counts
- State departments of insurance. State-specific regulatory requirements, licensing data, carrier filings
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Complaint data, financial strength data, model regulations
- NAIC Consumer Information Source. Carrier complaint index data
- U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov). Workers compensation rules, employment requirements
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Workplace safety statistics and claims data
Insurance industry sources
- A.M. Best (ambest.com). Carrier financial strength ratings
- International Risk Management Institute (IRMI). Insurance risk management education and reference material
- Insurance Information Institute (III). Consumer insurance data and statistics
- Insurance Journal. Industry news and trend reporting
- Business Insurance magazine. Industry analysis and carrier coverage
- NAPSLO / WSIA. Wholesale and surplus lines market data
- Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB). Commercial market statistics
Industry-specific sources
- Trade associations relevant to each industry we cover (Associated General Contractors, American Institute of CPAs, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, National Restaurant Association, and others)
- Federal regulatory bodies specific to covered industries (FMCSA for trucking, FDA for food businesses, etc.)
Carrier sources (used carefully)
- Published carrier rate filings
- SEC filings for publicly traded carriers
- Carrier-published policy documents and coverage summaries
- Carrier press releases and public statements
How we handle carrier-provided information
Carrier marketing materials, rate quotes, and policy summaries are useful for understanding what carriers say about their products. They are not used as sole evidence for our ratings or recommendations. Every claim drawn from carrier sources is cross-referenced against independent data (NAIC complaint ratios, A.M. Best ratings, public policy documents, state regulatory filings) before publication.
Citation standards
- Every standard content page includes a minimum of 5 citations to authoritative sources, linked inline
- Priority pages (top-performing content, cornerstone industry guides, flagship research) include 15 or more citations
- Flagship research (carrier scorecard, benchmark report) includes 30 or more citations
- All external source citations are hyperlinked to the source
- Data citations include a "last accessed" date when the source is subject to change
- We do not paraphrase without attribution, and we do not quote without quotation marks
How we produce content
Content planning
Content topics are identified through three channels:
- Reader questions. Common questions small business owners ask about insurance, identified through our contact email, search queries, and community monitoring
- Industry developments. New regulations, emerging risks, new carrier entrants, product updates
- Coverage gaps. Topics where existing public resources are incomplete, out of date, or carrier-biased
Content production workflow
Every piece of content moves through this workflow:
- Brief developed. Scope, target reader, key questions to answer, sources to consult
- Research conducted. Primary sources gathered, relevant data pulled, expert perspectives identified
- First draft produced. Written by the editor or by AI tools under editor direction, always with source citations embedded
- Fact-check pass. Every factual claim verified against sources, citations checked for currency
- Editorial review. Voice, clarity, completeness, alignment with methodology
- Expert review (where applicable). Licensed insurance professional reviews technical accuracy
- Final edit and publication. Editor-in-chief approves for publication
- Monitoring. Content updated on schedule or earlier if source data changes
Update schedule
| Content type | Review frequency | Trigger for early update |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier reviews | Quarterly | Major rate filing, M&A activity, rating change, significant complaint volume shift |
| Policy type guides | Semi-annually | Regulatory change, industry-wide coverage evolution |
| Industry pages | Annually | Major industry regulatory change, significant new carrier entrant |
| State pages | Annually | State regulatory change, new compliance requirement |
| Cost guides | Quarterly | New rate data available, significant carrier pricing change |
| Comparison pages | Quarterly | Either carrier materially changes offering |
| Flagship research | Annually | Published on consistent schedule |
Every page displays a "last updated" date visible to readers. Pages that haven't been reviewed in over 12 months are flagged internally for priority update.
How we handle conflicts of interest
What we earn money from
BizInsuranceCompare.com earns revenue through several channels:
- Affiliate commissions from carriers and aggregators when readers click through our links and purchase coverage
- Lead-generation payments when readers complete quote requests that are routed to partner carriers or aggregators
- Sponsored placements clearly marked as "Sponsored" when a carrier pays for featured placement (disclosed per FTC guidelines on every instance)
- Newsletter sponsorships clearly marked as sponsored content within our email communications
- Licensed brokerage commissions (when applicable) when we are the broker of record on a policy. This is disclosed on relevant pages
What we don't do
- We don't accept payment to remove negative coverage or criticisms
- We don't adjust our ratings based on commission structures. A higher-commission carrier does not receive a higher rating because of it
- We don't write reviews of products we haven't thoroughly researched
- We don't fabricate author personas or credentials
- We don't publish content designed to mislead readers about material differences between carriers or policies
How we select which carriers and products we feature
Our editorial team selects which carriers and products to cover based on:
- Market presence and relevance to small business owners
- Availability of verifiable data for analysis
- Reader demand (measured through search queries and direct questions)
- Editorial judgment about which options matter for the audience
Some carriers and products we cover have affiliate or commission relationships with us. Others do not. A carrier being featured on our site does not imply a commercial relationship, and the existence of a commercial relationship does not determine whether or how we cover that carrier.
How we handle corrections
We will get things wrong. When we do, here's what happens:
- Reader flags an issue via editor@bizinsurancecompare.com or in page comments (when enabled)
- Editorial team investigates. We verify the claim against original sources
- Correction published. If we got something wrong, we correct it immediately, add a correction note at the bottom of the page, and update the "last updated" date
- Material corrections flagged prominently. If the error affected a recommendation or a key factual claim, we note the correction at the top of the page with the date and nature of the correction
Corrections are never silently made. Our editorial integrity depends on being visibly accountable when we're wrong.
How we handle complaints from carriers
Carriers and brokers occasionally disagree with our analysis. Here's how we handle that:
- Reach out to travis@bizinsurancecompare.com with specific claims about what you believe is inaccurate and the sources that support your position
- We investigate against our original sources and any new information you provide
- If we were wrong, we correct it. Publicly, with the date and nature of the correction noted
- If we were right, we stand by the coverage. But we'll explain our reasoning and sourcing in response
- We don't accept payment, threats, or pressure to remove accurate coverage, even if it's unflattering
Our obligation is to readers, not to the companies we cover.
Content we don't publish
- Content designed to mislead readers about material differences between insurance options
- Paid content not disclosed as paid content
- Reviews of products we haven't substantively researched
- Content with fabricated statistics, fabricated quotes, or fabricated case studies
- Claims about specific policies that aren't grounded in publicly available documentation or direct verification
- Anything that would damage a reader's interests in exchange for our financial gain
Questions
If you have questions about how specific content was produced, about our sources for a particular claim, or about how we handled a specific carrier or product, email travis@bizinsurancecompare.com. We respond to all substantive editorial inquiries within five business days.