Your Most Important Free Marketing Asset
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is likely generating more patient calls than your website. When someone searches "dentist near me" or "doctor accepting new patients," Google shows the Local Pack — a map with three listings — before any organic results.
68% of clicks from "near me" healthcare searches go to a Local Pack result. If your profile isn't fully optimised, you're leaving patients on the table every single day.
The Complete Setup Checklist
Business Information
Get the basics right. Inconsistencies here confuse both Google and patients:
- Business name: Exact legal name. Don't stuff keywords (e.g., "Bright Smile Dental - Best Dentist in Denver" will get you penalised)
- Address: Exact match to your website, directories, and signage
- Phone number: Local phone number (not a tracking number as your primary — more on this below)
- Website URL: Your homepage or a dedicated landing page
- Hours: Keep these obsessively accurate. Update for holidays, early closures, and special hours
- Service area: If you serve patients from surrounding areas, define your service radius
Categories
Your primary category is the single most important ranking factor for the Local Pack.
For dentists: Primary: "Dentist." Secondary: "Cosmetic Dentist," "Pediatric Dentist," "Emergency Dental Service," "Dental Implants Provider" (add all that apply)
For medical clinics: Primary: "Medical Clinic" or "Doctor." Secondary: "Family Practice Physician," "Urgent Care Center," etc.
For med spas: Primary: "Medical Spa." Secondary: "Skin Care Clinic," "Laser Hair Removal Service," etc.
Pro tip: Google frequently adds new categories. Check quarterly for new options relevant to your specialties.
Services
The Services section is underutilised by most practices. Add every service you offer with:
- Service name
- Description (2-3 sentences)
- Price or price range (optional but recommended — Google favours transparency)
Attributes
Attributes help patients filter and choose. Select all that apply:
- Accepts new patients
- Wheelchair accessible
- Free parking / Paid parking
- Languages spoken
- Gender of providers
- Insurance accepted
- Online appointments available
- LGBTQ+ friendly
Content That Drives Engagement
Photos and Videos
Profiles with 100+ photos receive 520% more calls than those with fewer than 10. This is one of the highest-ROI activities for your GBP.
Upload monthly:
- Office exterior (helps patients find you)
- Reception area and waiting room
- Treatment rooms
- Team photos (individual and group)
- Equipment and technology
- Before/after results (with patient consent)
- Short video tours (under 60 seconds)
Photo tips:
- Use natural lighting when possible
- Show real patients and staff (not stock photos)
- Geotag photos with your practice location
- Name files descriptively: "dental-implant-procedure-denver.jpg" not "IMG_4392.jpg"
Google Business Posts
Post at least once per week. Post types that work well for healthcare:
- 1What's New: "Now offering same-day crowns with our new CEREC technology"
- 2Offers: "Free teeth whitening with your first comprehensive exam" (include start/end dates)
- 3Events: "Join us for our annual community dental health fair"
- 4Tips: "3 signs you might need a root canal (and when to call us)"
Posts expire after 7 days, so consistency matters. Each post should include:
- An engaging image (not a graphic — real photos perform 2x better)
- A clear CTA button (Book, Learn More, Call Now)
- Relevant keywords naturally included
Q&A Section
Proactively seed your own Q&A section with the questions patients ask most. Don't wait for random people to ask and answer:
- "Do you accept [major insurance providers]?"
- "What are your hours on weekends?"
- "Do you offer payment plans?"
- "How do I schedule a new patient appointment?"
- "Do you treat children?"
Answer each one thoroughly and include relevant links to your website.
Review Management on GBP
Generating Reviews
Google reviews are a direct ranking factor. The quantity, quality, and recency of your reviews all matter.
Target metrics:
- 4.7+ star average
- 100+ total reviews (minimum to be competitive)
- 10-20 new reviews per month (recency signal)
How to ask:
- Train staff to mention reviews at checkout
- Send an automated SMS with your direct review link within 2 hours of appointment
- Include the review link in your post-visit email
- Add a "Review Us" button to your website
Responding to Reviews
Respond to every single review — positive and negative.
For positive reviews:
- Thank the patient by name
- Reference something specific from the review
- Keep it brief and genuine
- Don't be robotic or use the same template for every review
For negative reviews:
- Respond within 24 hours
- Be empathetic, not defensive
- Take the conversation offline
- Never disclose patient information (HIPAA violation)
Advanced GBP Strategies
Tracking Phone Calls
Use a call tracking number as a secondary number on your GBP (the "Additional phone" field), while keeping your real local number as the primary. This lets you track GBP-generated calls without hurting your ranking.
Competitor Analysis
Check your competitors' GBP profiles monthly:
- What categories are they using that you're not?
- How many reviews do they have? What's their response rate?
- What are they posting about?
- What photos are they uploading?
Local Justifications
Google sometimes shows "justifications" — snippets explaining why your profile is relevant to a query. These come from:
- Review content mentioning specific services
- GBP post content
- Website content
- Your services list
To increase justifications, ensure your reviews, posts, and services mention your key treatment areas by name.
Measuring GBP Performance
Check GBP Insights monthly:
| Metric | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Search queries | What terms trigger your profile |
| Profile views | Total visibility |
| Direction requests | Local intent |
| Phone calls | Direct conversions |
| Website clicks | Traffic driven |
| Photo views | Engagement level |
Benchmark: A well-optimised single-location healthcare practice should see 1,000-3,000 profile views and 150-400 actions (calls + directions + website clicks) per month.
The 30-Minute GBP Audit
Do this right now:
- 1Open your Google Business Profile manager
- 2Verify every field is complete and accurate
- 3Check that hours are correct (including holiday hours)
- 4Add any missing services with descriptions
- 5Upload 5 new photos if you have them
- 6Write and publish a post about a current offer or tip
- 7Respond to any unanswered reviews
- 8Seed 3 Q&A entries with common patient questions
These eight steps take under 30 minutes and will immediately improve your local visibility. Then commit to 15 minutes per week to keep your profile active and optimised.
Your Google Business Profile is free. It's the single highest-ROI marketing channel for local healthcare practices. Treat it like the valuable asset it is.