From October 15 to December 7, a lot of people start looking for "a Medicare agent near me." Most of them will not call the first name they see. They open a few profiles, look for a language they feel comfortable in, check who is open and decide who looks easy to talk to.
This article is about what your Google profile should answer in that moment. It is not about plans, and it gives no Medicare or insurance advice.
Why the profile matters this week
Medicare.gov says Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7 and is the time each year when people can make changes to their coverage. That is a fixed window. The person searching knows there is a deadline and wants a quick answer to simple questions before picking up the phone.
Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that complete, detailed business information helps it match you to relevant searches. A thin profile does not give Google, or the customer, much to work with.
What a person wants to know before they call
Put yourself in their place. They are nervous about getting something wrong and they do not want to be pushed. Before they dial, they are asking:
| What the customer asks themselves | Where the answer goes |
|---|---|
| "Do you speak Spanish?" | Description, services and the profile's other text |
| "Are you open on Saturdays this season?" | Hours and special hours |
| "Can I book, or do I have to call?" | The booking link and the first lines of the description |
| "What happens in the first meeting?" | A post and the website |
| "Do you charge for the consultation?" | Say it plainly, only if you can answer it truthfully |
| "What do I need to bring?" | A post or the website's FAQ |
This is the thesis of the whole blog in one table: every doubt your customers have is raw material. Each one needs a home.
Fill in the profile, section by section
Services
Google's help explains that you can add services, group them in categories and add descriptions. Use the words your customers use. List what you really do, in plain language, and describe what the visit looks like instead of describing products.
Description
Google's help for the description asks you to describe what you offer and what makes you different, without links or HTML, and within 750 characters. It also says the description should describe the business as a whole, not list everything you sell. That fits an agent's office well: who you help, in which languages, how you work and where you are.
Hours and special hours
If you extend your hours during enrollment, say it in special hours so it shows on Google. If you are closed on certain days, say that too. A person who arrives at a locked door during a deadline does not come back.
Reviews
Prominence includes the reviews you have. Ask clients who were happy with the service to leave a review, and reply to each one calmly. Do not offer anything in exchange for a review. Do not copy review text into ads or posts without checking the rules that apply to you.
A note on Medicare wording
Medicare marketing has its own rules, and they can apply to a profile, a post, a website and an ad. This article does not tell you what you may or may not say. Before you publish anything that mentions plans, benefits, comparisons or testimonials, check it with your agency or your FMO. The profile can do its job without any of that: say who you help, how a first meeting works, what to bring and how to book.
Check it like a stranger would
When you finish, open your profile on your phone, in a private window, and read it as if you had never heard of your office. Can you tell in five seconds what you do and for whom? Can you tell which language you speak? Is it obvious how to book? Ask someone outside the business to do the same. If they hesitate, a customer in the middle of enrollment season will hesitate too.
This is not a one-afternoon job
Open Enrollment ends on December 7. The Marketplace has its own dates, and the year-end holidays change your hours again. A profile that was perfect in September can be wrong in November. The work is to keep the profile faithful to the office you actually run, week by week, and to write down the new questions clients bring each season so you can answer them in the profile.
Questions to ask anyone who offers to manage your profile
- Will you learn how my office works, and who my customers are, before you change anything?
- How will you handle Medicare wording, and who reviews it with my agency or FMO?
- Who writes the services and the posts, and how do they stay accurate?
- How will special hours and holiday hours be kept current?
- Will the profile stay in my name, with me as owner?
The short version
During Open Enrollment, your Google profile should answer the first questions a nervous customer has: what you help with, in which languages, when you are open, how to book and what happens in the first meeting. Keep the wording about plans out unless your agency or FMO has reviewed it. Then keep the profile current, because the questions change every season.
To see what a stranger sees on your profile today, request an audit or look at our Google profile service.