A clinic's Google Business Profile should do three things: help patients find you (accurate category, hours, services and location), help them choose you (real photos, practical details, a booking link), and stay on the right side of the advertising rules for regulated health services. That last part is what makes health different. Ahpra's guidelines restrict testimonials about clinical aspects of care in advertising, which affects what you post, which reviews you republish and how you reply. This guide covers the setup that builds visibility and the habits that keep a health practice compliant.
This article is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Check the current guidelines for your profession or speak to your professional body.
TL;DR:
- Get the basics right: primary category, hours, services in plain language, photos, booking link and practical details such as parking and accessibility.
- Testimonials about clinical aspects are restricted in advertising. Ahpra says comments about customer service or communication style that do not mention clinical aspects are not testimonials.
- Patients can still review you on Google. Ahpra's guidelines say the restriction does not stop patients posting reviews on review platforms.
- Do not republish clinical reviews on your website, social media or Google posts, and keep review replies short and free of treatment details.
- Never offer gifts or discounts for reviews. Google prohibits it, and the National Law requires the terms of any inducement in health advertising to be stated.
Why Does a Google Profile Matter So Much for Health Practices?
For most patients, your Google Business Profile is the first thing they see when they search "physio near me" or "dentist open Saturday". ACMA's 2026 research found 97% of Australian adults went online using a mobile phone in 2025, and 92% did so daily.1 Patients compare a handful of nearby practices on their phone and choose based on location, availability, photos and reviews.
The review bar is high. Starworks analysed 17,703 Australian medical and dental practices and found they averaged 99 Google reviews and a 4.61-star rating.2 Patients are used to seeing well-reviewed, well-presented practices, so a thin profile stands out.
What Should a Clinic Get Right on Its Profile First?
Start with the information Google uses to match you to searches. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that complete, detailed business information helps Google match you to relevant searches.3
Choose an Accurate Primary Category
Pick the category that matches your main service, such as "Physiotherapist", "Dentist", "Psychologist" or "Podiatrist". Whitespark's 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey of local SEO practitioners ranked the primary category as the top factor for map pack rankings.4 Add secondary categories only for services you genuinely provide.
Keep Hours and Contact Details Accurate
Include public holiday changes and any after-hours or Saturday sessions. Whitespark's survey also lists "business is open at time of search" among the most important map ranking factors, so wrong hours can hide you from patients searching at that moment.4 Use a phone number that is answered during opening hours, and add your online booking link.
Describe Services Without Promising Results
List services in plain language. "Physiotherapy for back and neck pain, sports injuries and post-surgery rehabilitation" is factual. "We fix back pain in three visits" creates an expectation of a result, which the advertising rules prohibit.
Add Practical Details Patients Care About
Parking, public transport, wheelchair access, languages spoken, telehealth availability and billing arrangements. These details answer common questions before the patient picks up the phone.
What Do Ahpra's Rules Say About Testimonials and Reviews?
The National Law prohibits advertising a regulated health service in a way that uses testimonials or purported testimonials about the service or business.5 Ahpra's advertising guidelines explain what that means in practice:5
- What counts as a testimonial: recommendations or positive statements about the clinical aspects of a regulated health service used in advertising, such as symptoms, diagnosis, treatment or outcomes.
- What does not: comments about customer service or communication style that do not refer to clinical aspects are not considered testimonials.
- Patients can still post reviews. The restriction does not affect patients sharing information, expressing their views online or posting reviews on review platforms.
- You are responsible for what you control. If you publish or republish reviews on a website or social media account you control, you are responsible for them, including content a staff member or marketing agency publishes for you.
The Dental Board of Australia's version of the guidelines also says advertising must not offer a gift, discount or other inducement unless the terms and conditions are stated, must not create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment, and must not encourage the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of health services.6
How Should a Health Practice Handle Google Reviews?
Handle reviews in a way that respects both the advertising rules and patient privacy. The safest approach has four parts.
- Let patients review you, but do not curate. You can have a Google profile that patients review. Do not filter, select or republish clinical reviews in your own advertising.
- Do not copy reviews elsewhere. Clinical reviews should not be reposted on your website, Google posts, social media or printed material.
- Never offer incentives. Google's policy prohibits offering incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for reviews, and prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews.7
- Brief your agency. If someone else manages your profile, make sure they understand these rules, because content they publish for you is your responsibility.
How Should You Reply to Patient Reviews?
Keep replies short, neutral and free of any clinical detail. A reply that mentions a treatment, a condition or even confirms that the reviewer was a patient can raise privacy concerns as well as advertising ones. Ahpra's guidelines also caution that engaging with reviews on a third-party site may, in some circumstances, be treated as using a testimonial to advertise.
A safe positive reply: "Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate you taking the time." A safe reply to a complaint: "Thank you for raising this. Please contact our practice manager directly on our main number so we can look into it."
Can a Clinic Ask Patients for Google Reviews?
Ahpra's guidelines focus on how practices use reviews in advertising rather than setting out a specific rule on asking for them, so check the latest guidance for your profession. A cautious approach most practices can follow:
- Use a general invitation, such as a sign at reception or a line in an appointment confirmation.
- Send the same invitation to every patient, never only to those you expect to be positive.
- Do not pressure anyone, and do not offer anything in return.
- If you send invitations by SMS or email, follow the Spam Act. ACMA's guidance sets out three core rules: get consent, identify yourself as the sender, and make it easy to unsubscribe.8
What Photos Should a Clinic Upload?
Photos help patients know what to expect and find you on the day. Good options include the building entrance and signage, reception, the waiting area, treatment rooms, the team (with their consent) and parking or accessible entry points.
Avoid before-and-after images that imply a guaranteed outcome, and never include identifiable patients. Ahpra's guidelines restrict advertising that creates unreasonable expectations of treatment, so check the guidance before using any outcome imagery.
What Should a Clinic Use Google Posts For?
Use posts for practical, factual updates: new opening hours, a new practitioner joining, holiday closures, flu vaccination availability or parking changes. Skip patient stories and outcome claims. We cover post types and posting rhythm in Google Business Profile Posts: What to Post to Get More Calls and Walk-Ins.
How Does This Fit With the Rest of a Practice's Marketing?
Your Google profile works alongside your website, your service pages and your reputation. If you run a dental practice, our guide to dental marketing strategies for Australian practices covers the wider picture, and our Hornsby Dental Marketing Benchmark Report shows how local practices compare. For the parts of a profile that influence ranking for every business type, see Google Business Profile Optimisation: What Actually Matters.
Run your profile against this checklist: category, hours, services, photos, booking link, and a quick scan of your posts and review replies for anything that reads like a testimonial or a promise of results. If you would like a second pair of eyes, OZ Media Digital's Local SEO and AI SEO service works with Australian health practices to build local visibility within the advertising rules. Book a free session and we will review your profile with you.
FAQ
Can patients leave Google reviews for my clinic?
Yes. Ahpra's guidelines say the restriction on testimonials does not stop patients sharing information, expressing views online or posting reviews on review platforms such as Google.
Can I share patient reviews on my clinic website?
Not if they refer to clinical aspects such as symptoms, treatment or outcomes. Ahpra says practices are responsible for reviews published or republished on websites and social media they control. Comments only about customer service or communication style are not testimonials.
How should a clinic reply to Google reviews?
Keep replies short and neutral, and do not mention treatments, conditions or confirm the person was a patient. For complaints, invite the person to contact the practice directly.
Can I offer a discount to patients for leaving a review?
No. Google's policy prohibits incentives for reviews, and the National Law requires the terms of any gift, discount or inducement in health advertising to be stated. Linking a reward to a review is best avoided entirely.
What is the best Google Business Profile category for a physio?
Choose the category that matches your main service, such as "Physiotherapist". Whitespark's 2026 survey ranks the primary category as the top map pack ranking factor, so accuracy matters more than picking a broad or impressive-sounding option.
Is my marketing agency responsible for Ahpra compliance?
The advertiser is responsible. Ahpra's guidelines say practices are responsible for content published on their behalf, including by staff or a marketing agency, so make sure anyone managing your profile understands the rules.
