For many patients, Google is your front door. Is yours locked?
Your Google Business Profile often appears before your website. Here is how to set it up properly.
Is this you? Tap any that are true.
Most people reading this tick at least one.
It only takes one to cost you.
- steps
- 7
- steps
- to start
- 15 minutes
- to start
- scorecard
- Free
- scorecard
The short answer
For many patients who search your name or specialty, your Google Business Profile can appear before your website. Claim it, complete every field within Google's rules for individual practitioners, add real photos and a booking link, and ask every patient for a review. It is free, takes about two hours, and verification can take from a few days to about two weeks if Google sends a postcard.
What good looks like
Your reviews, before and after
Mr Sam Patel, Consultant Orthopaedic surgery
- Improved: ★★★★★ Example · 48 reviews
- Improved: Every clinic listed · photos · replies to reviews
Reply from the owner
Illustrative sample, not a real person or result. Your own audit uses your real details.
7 steps
Do it yourself: step by step
0 of 7 done
Search your name, specialty and town on Google and Google Maps. Note any profile for you, any duplicates, and any hospital profile that lists you
- Time
- 15 minutes
- Typical cost
- £0
- Who does it
- You or your secretary
Done when: You have a list of every profile that mentions you
This problem is Solvable.
Copy this checklist
Google Business Profile completion checklist
Free to copy, adapt and use. No sign-up.
Google Business Profile checklist
Set-up
- Searched name + specialty + town on Google and Maps
- Existing profile claimed, or new practitioner profile created
- Verified
- Duplicates reported for merge or removal
- Admin access held in your own Google account (add your secretary as a manager, not owner)
Fields
- Name: [Title] [First name] [Surname], with no keywords, specialty or location in the name
- Primary category: the most specific match for your specialty in Google's list
- Secondary categories: only if they describe what you are, not what you treat
- Address: [clinic address], exactly as on the hospital's own listing
- Hours: when your phone is answered: [ ]
- Phone: [number answered by you or your secretary]
- Website: [your own page, not the hospital homepage]
- Appointment link: [booking page or enquiry form]
- Services: [list of main conditions and procedures]
- Description: see below
Description (edit and paste)
"[Title] [Name] is a consultant [specialty] who sees adults [and children] with [condition 1], [condition 2] and [condition 3]. Clinics at [location 1] and [location 2]. Recognised by [insurers]; self-pay patients welcome. GMC number [number]."
Photos
- Headshot, taken in the last two years
- Clinic entrance (with permission)
- Consulting room (with permission, no patients)
Monthly routine (15 minutes)
- Reply to new reviews (thank, never confirm the person was a patient, offer contact for concerns)
- Check for public edits to your details
- Update holiday or bank holiday hours
- Post one short update, for example a new clinic day or location
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Adding specialty or location keywords to the profile name, which breaks Google's rules and risks suspension.
- Letting the profile show the hospital switchboard, so patients cannot reach you.
- Creating a new profile instead of claiming the existing one, which creates duplicates.
- Linking to the hospital homepage instead of your own page.
- Letting a supplier own the profile, so you lose access when you leave.
Free personal check
Done by Paul Robinson, not software
I'll look at your Google Business Profile as a patient sees it and list what to solve
What I need from you
- Your name and specialty
- The town you practise in
- Your website, if you have one
What you get
- Screenshots of your profile next to nearby consultants
- The fields to add or correct
- Which ones you can do yourself today
Within 2 working days
No sign-in, no sales call. I read every request myself and reply on WhatsApp.
Free tools
Check where you stand
Benchmarks
Practitioners should have their own profile only if public-facing and contactable at the verified location during stated hours, and should not create multiple profiles for specialisations. Practitioner names may include a title or degree, such as Dr
Google Business Profile guidelines for individual practitioners
Source: Google
Fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews are banned for UK businesses since April 2025
CMA guidance on consumer reviews under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (CMA208)
Source: CMA
Paul Robinson
14 years in UK private healthcare
I solve this one for consultants
Want a hand? I'll look at your situation and tell you the three things I'd tackle first.
A few quick questions, about two minutes. I read every one myself and usually reply the same day.
No sales call unless you ask for one. Just a straight answer and what I'd do first.
I reply personally, usually the same day.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a profile if the hospital already has one?
Usually yes. The hospital profile is for the hospital. Your own profile is what shows when patients search your name.
I work at three hospitals. Do I need three profiles?
Only where you are genuinely contactable at each location during stated hours. Do not create profiles you cannot keep accurate.
Can I put my specialty in the name?
No. Google allows a title or qualification, but not keywords. Use the category and description for specialty.
How do I get rid of a duplicate?
Claim it if you can, then ask Google to merge or remove it through the profile's support options.
Can my secretary manage it?
Yes, add them as a manager. Keep yourself as owner.
Looking for more reviews?
See: You have no online reviews and it's costing you patients
Last reviewed:
The Solvable community
You're not the only one with this problem.
One problem solved every week, on WhatsApp.
One message a week. No sales messages. Reply STOP any time.