Fix the basics before anything clever. For most clinics, that means checking you control the profile, then getting the business name, primary category, address, opening hours, phone number and booking link exactly right. After that, add your services and real photos, and start answering reviews. Posts, questions and other extras come later, if at all.
Below is the order we work through on a clinic profile, and why each step matters.
Step 0: Make sure you control the profile
Search for your clinic on Google and Google Maps. If a profile appears, check who manages it. Someone may have created it years ago, an old staff member may still be the owner, or an agency may have set it up under its own account.
You want the profile owned by an account the clinic controls, with other people added as managers. If you cannot get access, Google has a process for requesting ownership. It can take some time, so start early.
While you are searching, look for duplicates: a second listing at an old address, or separate listings that should be one. Duplicates split your reviews and confuse both Google and patients.
Step 1: The business name
Use your real business name, exactly as it appears on your sign, your website and your paperwork. Do not add keywords or locations that are not part of the name. "Riverside Physiotherapy" is fine. "Riverside Physiotherapy, Best Sports Injury Clinic Downtown" is not, and Google's guidelines say so. Profiles with stuffed names can be edited by Google or suspended.
Want a second pair of eyes on your own setup?
Step 2: The primary category
The primary category is one of the strongest signals about what your clinic is. Choose the most specific category that describes the clinic as a whole. If you are a dental clinic, choose a dental category rather than a general medical one.
You can add extra categories for other things you genuinely do. Do not add categories for services you only offer occasionally, just to appear in more searches.
If you are not sure which categories competitors use, look at a few local clinics similar to yours. It gives you a sense of the options.
Step 3: Address, area and phone
- Address: It should match your website and your sign exactly. If patients visit you, show the address.
- Service area: If you only visit patients and do not see them at a premises, you can hide the address and set a service area instead.
- Phone: Use a number that is answered during opening hours. If you use a call tracking number, make sure your main number is still recorded on the profile as an additional number, and that both reach the clinic.
Step 4: Opening hours, including the awkward ones
Wrong hours are one of the quickest ways to lose a patient's trust. Set your regular hours, then:
- Add special hours for public holidays and closures, ahead of time
- Use the extra hours options if they are offered for your category, for example for phone lines or walk-ins
- Check the hours after any change at the clinic
Step 5: The booking link and contact options
Add the link that takes patients straight to booking, not to your home page. If you take bookings by phone or messaging, make sure those options are clear and work on a phone. Test the link yourself on a phone, the way a patient would.
Step 6: Services and description
List the services you offer, using the words patients use. Write a short description of the clinic: who you are, what you treat, where you are and who you see. Keep it factual. Avoid promises, comparisons or claims you would not put in an ad. The same health advertising caution applies here. There is more on that in Health ads on Google: what clinics should know first.
Step 7: Real photos
Add photos that help a new patient feel they know what to expect:
- The outside of the building, so people can find the door
- Reception and a treatment room
- The team, if they are happy to be shown
- Parking or nearby landmarks, if it helps
Use your own photos, not stock images. Keep patients out of them unless you have clear written consent, and check your local rules on patient images.
Step 8: Reviews, handled calmly
Reply to reviews, good and bad, briefly and politely. In a clinic, be careful never to confirm that the reviewer is a patient or mention anything about their care. A short reply that thanks them, or invites them to get in touch directly, is enough.
Ask every patient for a review in the same way. Do not offer rewards, and do not only ask the people you expect to be happy. Both go against Google's policies.
What can wait
Posts, product listings and other features can be useful, but they will not make up for a wrong category or wrong hours. Get steps 0 to 8 right first, then decide whether the extras are worth your time.
A short checklist
- ☐ Profile owned by the clinic's account, duplicates checked
- ☐ Business name matches the real name, no keywords added
- ☐ Most specific primary category chosen
- ☐ Address, service area and phone checked
- ☐ Regular and holiday hours correct
- ☐ Booking link goes straight to booking, tested on a phone
- ☐ Services listed in patients' words
- ☐ Real photos added, with consent where needed
- ☐ Review replies short and careful
Frequently asked questions
Should each practitioner have their own profile?
Google allows separate profiles for individual practitioners in some cases, and has guidelines on when this is appropriate. It can also split reviews and cause confusion. Read Google's current guidance on practitioner listings before creating one.
Why did my profile change without me doing anything?
Google can update profile details using information from other sources and suggestions from users. Check your profile regularly and correct anything that is wrong.
Will a better profile get me to the top of Maps?
Nobody can promise that. Google says local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence. A complete, accurate profile helps with relevance, but distance from the searcher is outside your control.
Want us to look at your profile?
SeenSilver's free website review is a one-page review of your website and how you show up on Google, including your Google Business Profile, written in plain words, with no obligation. You can get your free review here. Clinics can see how this fits into our wider work on the for clinics page.
Want a second pair of eyes on your own setup?