Everything You Need to Know about Google’s G2 Certification for Insurance Agents

As of June 2nd, 2021, all private health insurance companies that plan on advertising on Google require a G2 Certification. Let’s go through the essentials, including what a G2 Certification is, who needs it, and how you can get it.

What is a G2 Certification?

A G2 Certification is an application process that verifies a health insurance company’s eligibility to advertise online in all jurisdictions where they do business. Any entity licensed to sell or promote health insurance and Affordable Care Act plans needs this certification to advertise with Google. The following are examples of entities that require this certification to advertise:

• Private health insurance providers (government entities are exempt from this process)
• Managed care organizations
•  Individual agents/brokers
• Third-party administrators

How much does the G2 Certification cost?

There are two associated payments with the G2 Certification: the one-time application fee, and the annual certification/monitoring fee. Both fees scale based on the number of states or locales you’re applying to advertise in. The following are the application fees you can expect from this application (taken from the G2 website):

The annual monitoring fee breaks down like this:

• 0-20 licensed states/locales = $39 per state/locale up to 20
• 21-40 licensed states/locales = $780 + $29 per state/locale over 20
• 41+ licensed states/locales = $1360 + $19 per state/locale over 40

What does the application process entail?

To help you get an idea of what this process entails, you can review the following steps:

1. Submit your application fee for the current number of states you currently have valid documentation for. If the number of states or locales that you service changes, you can contact this email address for further instructions: [email protected]
2. Receive and complete the application that G2 sends to you. You’ll need the following information to complete it:
3. Business identification information (name, DBA, website, contact information, NAIC/NPN code)
4. Valid documentation for each state or locale you’re applying for (license copy, Certificate of Authority, Letter of Certification)
5. Proof of ACA qualification, if applicable
6. Submit the application and await approval. This can take up to 14 days.
7. If your application is approved, you can then submit your first annual certification fee.
8. G2 sends your unique certification, which you can then submit to Google’s healthcare advertiser application. (You’ll still need to obtain a Google certification to begin advertising.)

How do I start advertising?

Once you have your G2 Certification, you can schedule a meeting with a 1GS marketing strategist to start setting up your company’s unique marketing funnel. We’ll bring the research and the resources — all you have to bring is your certification.