Google Business Profile & Local SEO

The Google map pack is the group of three businesses Google shows alongside a map when someone searches for a local service, such as ‘physio near me’ or ‘dentist in Norwood’. It sits above the regular results and gets a large share of the clicks, so ranking there is one of the most valuable things a local practice can do.

Google decides who appears using three broad signals: how relevant your profile is to the search, how close you are to the person searching, and how prominent your practice is online. Prominence draws on things like your reviews, how complete and accurate your profile is, and the strength of your website. You can’t change where your practice sits, but you can influence relevance and prominence.

That is where we focus. We tidy up your profile, categories and services, make your details consistent across the web and strengthen the local pages on your site. Positions depend on your competition, so we track them over time and report honestly on movement.

Yes. Clinics can ask patients to leave a review on Google, as long as you don’t offer incentives, pressure them or only ask the patients you expect to be happy. What you can’t do is use those reviews in your own advertising, such as on your website or social media.

The reasoning comes from the National Law, which bans testimonials in health advertising. A review that a patient posts on Google sits on a platform you don’t control, so it isn’t treated as your advertising. Once you copy it onto your website, share it in a post or quote it in an ad, it becomes a testimonial, and that is where practices get into trouble.

In practice, keep the request simple and the same for everyone. A short message after an appointment saying you welcome feedback on Google is usually enough. Avoid wording that hints at the kind of review you want, and never reward staff or patients for reviews. If you are unsure about a particular approach, we can talk it through with you.

Calmly, and offline. We help you write a short, professional reply that doesn’t confirm the person is a patient or discuss any clinical details, and invites them to contact the practice directly. If a review breaches Google’s policies, we help you request its removal.

The careful wording matters because even confirming that someone attended your practice can disclose personal information under the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles. A defensive or detailed reply can also read badly to the many people who see the review later. A brief, polite response that acknowledges the concern and offers a direct line to the practice manager usually serves you best.

Not every negative review can be removed. Google will generally only act on reviews that break its policies, such as spam, conflicts of interest or offensive content, and a review feeling unfair is not enough on its own. Where a review raises a serious complaint or a possible legal issue, we suggest speaking with your indemnity insurer before replying.

Profile improvements can show results within a few weeks, but steady map pack rankings usually take three to six months. It depends on your competition, how many reviews you have and how established your website is.

The early changes tend to come from fixing things Google can read straight away: the right categories, accurate hours, a complete services list and consistent contact details. Longer-term movement depends on signals that build slowly, such as a steady flow of genuine reviews, local pages on your website and a consistent presence across directories. A new practice in a busy suburb will usually take longer than an established one in a quieter area.

Rankings also vary depending on where the searcher is standing, so a single check from your front desk doesn’t tell the whole story. We track your visibility across the area you serve and report what is changing and why. If progress is slower than expected, we look at what competitors are doing and adjust the plan with you.

Usually not. Google expects one listing per practice location, and for most practices a single, well-managed profile for each site is the right approach. Practitioners can have their own listings in some cases, and we will tell you if that applies to you.

Google’s guidelines do allow individual listings for some public-facing professionals, but they come with trade-offs. Several listings at the same address can compete with each other and split your reviews, and a listing can stay live after a practitioner leaves, which then needs to be managed or removed. For a busy practice, one strong profile is usually easier to keep accurate.

When a practitioner listing might make sense, for example a specialist who consults from more than one location, we look at how patients search, what already exists on Google and how the listings would be maintained. We then recommend a setup and, if you go ahead, make sure each listing points to the right practice and stays consistent with your website.

We set up a simple, neutral process that asks patients for feedback without incentives or pressure, and without steering them towards clinical detail. Asking for reviews is allowed; the aim is to make the request fair, consistent and easy for your team to run.

Usually that means one standard message, sent after an appointment or handed over at reception, with a direct link to your Google profile. Everyone gets the same request, rather than only the patients your team expects to be happy. The wording thanks the patient for visiting and invites honest feedback, without suggesting a star rating or asking them to describe their treatment.

• No discounts, prizes or other rewards for reviews
• No repeated chasing that could feel like pressure
• SMS or email requests sent in line with the Spam Act and your patients’ consent

We write the message, help your team fit it into their routine and check it sits comfortably with the advertising rules and your privacy obligations.

We update your Google Business Profile and key directories together so your details match everywhere, and we look for old listings that need merging or removing. A change of address or phone number is a common cause of lost visibility, so it is worth handling carefully.

Google compares your details across your profile, your website and the directories that list your practice. When those sources disagree, it becomes less confident about which is correct, and patients can end up calling a disconnected number or turning up at your old rooms. A move can also prompt Google to ask you to verify the new address, which can briefly affect how the profile shows.

The best time to tell us is before the change happens. We can then plan the timing, update your website and profile on the day, work through the main health and business directories, and keep an eye out for an old listing reappearing. If the change has already happened, we start by finding where the old details still show.

We can request removal or merging through Google, and report listings that break its policies. It can take some persistence, and we keep you updated along the way.

Duplicates are common in healthcare. They often come from an old address, a practitioner who set up their own listing years ago, or a listing Google created automatically from directory data. They split your reviews, confuse patients and can stop your main profile ranking as well as it should. Incorrect listings, such as wrong hours or a closed location still showing as open, cause similar problems.

We start by finding every listing linked to your practice, then work out which one should stay. Where we can claim a listing, we fix or merge it directly. Where we can’t, we use Google’s reporting and support channels and provide the evidence they ask for. Google sets its own timelines and doesn’t always act on the first request, so we follow up and let you know where each request stands.

Pick one primary category that matches your main service, then add relevant secondary ones. The primary category carries the most weight, and the wrong one can keep you out of the map pack for the searches that matter most to you.

Google offers a fixed list of categories, and the closest match isn’t always obvious. A practice might be choosing between a general medical category and a specific specialty, and each choice shapes which searches you can appear for. Secondary categories should reflect services you genuinely provide, not ones you hope to rank for, because irrelevant categories can confuse Google and patients alike.

We review the categories your competitors use, how patients search for your services and what you actually offer, then recommend a primary category and a short list of secondary ones. We also make sure the services section of your profile and your website support those choices. Categories are worth revisiting when you add a service or Google introduces new options that fit your practice better.

Add accurate photos of your premises, entrance, parking and team (with consent), plus regular posts about practice news. We avoid patient images and treatment results.

Good photos help patients feel prepared before their first visit. A clear shot of the street frontage, the entrance, accessible entry and the waiting room answers practical questions and can ease nerves. Team photos put faces to names, but each staff member should agree to their photo being used. Posts work well for updates such as new practitioners, changed hours, public holiday closures or a new service.

• Keep photos current, and replace them after a fit-out or move
• Write posts in plain, factual language
• Leave out outcome claims, and only use patient or before-and-after photos with consent and matching conditions

Your profile is advertising under the National Law, so the same rules apply as on your website. We can plan and write posts for you, check them against the guidelines and suggest a realistic posting rhythm your team can keep up.

Yes. We check and correct your practice name, address and phone number across the main directories so your details match everywhere. This consistency is often called NAP, and it is one of the signals Google uses to confirm your practice is genuine and located where it says it is.

For healthcare, the directories that matter include general business listings as well as health-specific ones your patients already use. Over time these listings drift: an old phone number stays on one site, a former practitioner is still listed on another, or a suite number is missing. Each mismatch is small, but together they can weaken your local visibility and send patients to the wrong place.

We start by finding where your practice appears, fix what we can access directly and request corrections where we can’t. Some directories update quickly and others take longer, so we recheck the important ones. If your details change later, we update them together so they stay consistent.

Yes. Your Google Business Profile can show opening hours, a services list and a booking link, and all three are worth keeping up to date, because wrong details cost you patients’ trust.

Hours should include public holidays and any regular changes, such as late nights or Saturday sessions. Google lets you set special hours ahead of time, which helps avoid patients arriving to a closed door. The services list helps Google match you to relevant searches and tells patients what you offer, so describe services plainly and accurately. A booking link takes people straight to your online booking system, which suits patients who prefer not to call.

We set these up, check that services are described in a way that fits the advertising rules, and test the booking link so it lands on the right page. Then we help you keep them current, especially around holidays, practitioner changes and new services. If your booking system changes, the link needs updating too, so let us know.