Today is November 1, and for many insurance offices the phone starts ringing differently. People who need help with a Marketplace plan do what everyone does when they need a local professional: they search Google, open two or three results and decide who to call.
That decision happens before they talk to you. Your profile and your website are what they see.
What we can say for sure
HealthCare.gov says plans and prices for 2027 are available to preview shortly before Open Enrollment starts on November 1. It also lists, on its dates page, the other deadlines that matter for coverage. We do not repeat those dates here, because they are the kind of detail that must be read on the official page on the day someone needs it.
That is the first rule for your own pages: do not copy a deadline onto your website unless you commit to checking it. CMS guidance for agents and brokers on Marketplace advertising says the 2027 payment notice prohibits miscommunicating enrollment timelines and deadlines. Whatever you write, make it easy to confirm. A link to HealthCare.gov is safer than a date typed by hand.
What your profile and website do not need to say
They do not need to explain plans, compare them or promise savings. That conversation belongs in a call or an appointment, where you can ask about the person's situation and follow the rules that apply to you.
What they need is to make the first step easy.
What the customer asks, and where the answer goes
| What the customer asks | Where the answer goes |
|---|---|
| "Do you help with the Marketplace?" | The first lines of your profile description and your home page |
| "Do you speak Spanish?" | The profile, the home page and the services page |
| "How do I get an appointment?" | A booking button in the profile and a short page that explains the steps |
| "What do I bring?" | A short list on its own page, the same every season |
| "When are you open?" | Hours in the profile and on the site, identical |
| "Is the official site where I enroll?" | A line that points to HealthCare.gov for dates and enrollment |
| "Can I trust you?" | Your license information, written exactly as it is |
Your Google profile, step by step
Google's help for services says you can organize services and add descriptions. Use that for the real work you do.
- Category. Keep the one that matches how people describe you. Check it once more before the season.
- Services. List what you help with in plain words, one line each. Avoid naming plans.
- Description. Who you help, the languages you speak and how to start. Two or three short sentences.
- Hours. If you extend hours or add weekends, say so, and add the end date only when you are sure of it.
- Photos. Real photos of the office entrance and the reception area help someone who has never been there.
- Booking link. Point it at a page that actually works on a phone.
Your website, step by step
- One page for the season, with the process: first conversation, what you ask, what to bring, what happens next.
- Languages near the top, in both languages if you serve both.
- A form that someone reads. Decide who looks at requests and how fast, and say so. A form that sends an email nobody opens is worse than no form.
- Consent. If a form lets someone ask to be contacted, ask your agency how consent must be captured. A CMS tip sheet updated in July 2026 says simply checking a box in an online form would likely not be sufficient evidence of consumer consent.
- A line that points to HealthCare.gov for official dates and enrollment.
A simple order for a busy day
You do not have to do everything today. If you only have an hour:
- Open your profile on your phone and read it as a stranger.
- Check that hours, phone and booking link match on the profile and the website.
- Add one line about languages and one about how to book.
- Write the "what to bring" list.
- Put a calendar reminder to look at both again in December.
Why this is not a one-day job
A profile and a site set up in a morning are out of date by the next change in hours, the next review or the next question you hear three times in one week. Keep a note of what customers ask this month. Those questions are the next line in your profile, the next block on your page and the next answer to a review.
AI can draft the text in a minute. It does not know your office, and it may sound surer about plans than you can be. Someone who knows the rules reads it before it goes live.
Questions to ask anyone who manages your profile or website
- How will you learn what my clients ask before you write anything?
- Who checks that dates and wording match the official pages?
- Who answers the form requests, and how fast?
- How will the profile and site stay current as the season moves?
- Will the profile, domain and accounts stay in my name?
The short version
Open Enrollment starts today, and people check Google before they call. Say who you help, in which languages, how to book, when you are open and what to bring, and point to HealthCare.gov for official dates. Keep plan advice for the conversation.
To see what a new customer sees today, request an audit or look at our Google profile service.