Is your clinic's Google Business Profile actually complete?
Updated 9 min readFacts checked
Run through 20 checks covering your clinic's name, category, address, hours, contact links, services, photos, posts, reviews and duplicate listings, each matched to the exact Google Business Profile guideline it comes from. Score each one pass or fix, then work through the printable worksheet below in the order this page suggests, starting with anything that risks suspension.
Key takeaways
- 20 checks, grouped into 6 sections, each tied to the exact Google Business Profile guideline it comes from, not a general rule of thumb.
- Special hours only show up if your regular hours are set to "Open with main hours" first; a saved holiday entry can otherwise stay invisible.
- Google's own advice to avoid duplicate listings is to edit the existing profile's address and list every service on one profile, not to add a new one per branch or service.
- Score yourself on the printable worksheet, then fix suspension risks (name, duplicates) before anything else.
- Google retired its in-profile chat feature in 2024; the official WhatsApp/text field and accessibility attributes are two separate, easy-to-miss settings worth checking on their own.
On this page
Most clinic Google Business Profile guides tell you what a complete profile looks like. Very few give you a way to check your own against it, line by line, with the actual Google rule behind each line. This is that checklist: 20 checks, a score, and an order to fix them in.
Does your clinic's name and category follow Google's rules?
Name and category problems are the most common reasons a clinic listing gets flagged, and both are entirely within your control.
Checks 1 to 4: name and category
1. The profile name matches your clinic's real-world name exactly, as it appears on your signage, website and letterhead.
No taglines, no location descriptors added on. See Google's guidelines for representing your business (opens in a new tab).
2. The name has no extra words added for search, like a specialty, "best", or "24x7".
Google's own guidelines call this out directly, and it's the single most common reason a clinic listing gets suspended. See why a clinic's Google listing gets suspended.
3. The primary category is the single most specific match available, not a generic one like "Doctor".
Google's example: choose "Nail salon" over "Salon". The clinic equivalent is choosing "Dental clinic" over "Doctor" where it fits. See Google's category guidance (opens in a new tab).
4. Additional categories are limited to services genuinely offered, not one per treatment.
Google's guidance says to use as few additional categories as needed, not to add one for every product or service. See Google's category guidance (opens in a new tab).
Are your address, service area and hours accurate?
This is where a patient decides whether to trust the profile enough to visit.
Checks 5 to 9: address, service area and hours
5. The address is a real, staffed location with signage, not a P.O. box or an unstaffed virtual office.
A P.O. box is explicitly unacceptable under Google's guidelines for representing your business (opens in a new tab).
6. There is exactly one profile for this physical location, not two created at different times.
Google's guidelines say not to create more than one page per location. See the guidelines (opens in a new tab); more on duplicates below.
7. A service area is only added if the clinic genuinely visits patients off-site, such as home-collection or home-physio visits.
Service areas are meant for businesses that travel to customers, not as an extra way to show up in nearby areas. See Google's guidance on service areas (opens in a new tab).
8. Regular hours are set for every day the clinic is actually open, and match what's on the door.
See Google's guidance on editing opening hours (opens in a new tab).
9. Holiday and special hours are set for the next known closure, with regular hours set to "Open with main hours" so the special hours actually display.
Special hours cover up to 6 days at a time and won't show at all unless that toggle is set. See Google's guidance on special hours (opens in a new tab).
Can a patient actually reach you from the profile?
A profile that looks complete but sends a patient to a dead number or the wrong website fails at the moment it matters most.
Checks 10 to 12: phone, WhatsApp and website
10. The primary phone number is the one staff actually answer, and matches the number on your website.
Consistent name, address and phone across every listing is part of Google's own guidance (opens in a new tab) on representing your business.
11. If a WhatsApp or text-message contact option is turned on, only one of the two is showing to patients, and whichever number it is stays checked regularly.
This is now an official Google contact field, not just a mention typed into your business description. Google shows the text-message option over WhatsApp when both are added, and says the feature is available in select regions only, so it may not appear on every profile. See Google's guidance on chatting with customers from a Business Profile (opens in a new tab).
12. The website field points to your clinic's own live website, not a Facebook page or a third-party directory profile.
Part of Google's representing-your-business guidance (opens in a new tab).
Does the profile show what your clinic offers?
Keeping these current, and switching on only the features that genuinely apply to your clinic, is the clearest signal that the profile is actively managed, not set up once and forgotten.
Checks 13 to 16: services, photos, attributes and posts
13. The services list matches what the clinic genuinely offers, with plain names and no prices, phone numbers or promotional text in custom service names.
Custom services that break this are automatically rejected. See Google's guidance on managing services (opens in a new tab).
14. At least a few recent, unedited photos of the actual clinic are uploaded, in focus and well lit, along with a logo and a cover photo, not left on Google's placeholder image.
JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, 720x720 px recommended, for both photos and the logo/cover photo. See Google's photo and video guidance (opens in a new tab).
15. Accessibility attributes are set to match the clinic's real, physical features, not left blank or guessed.
Google defines a wheelchair-accessible entrance, restroom or seating area as at least three feet (one metre) wide with no steps, and separately covers accessible parking, an accessible elevator and hearing-assistance features. A clinic on an upper floor with no lift should leave these off rather than guess; a ground-floor, step-free clinic should turn them on, since patients checking Maps for mobility needs see this before they book. See Google's guidance on managing business attributes (opens in a new tab).
16. At least one post has gone up in the last few months, using Update, Offer or Event as fits.
Posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set, so an old post can already read as stale. See Google's guidance on posts (opens in a new tab).
Are your reviews and replies within Google's policy?
This section carries real risk if it's wrong: it touches Google's review policy and a doctor's duty of confidentiality.
Checks 17 and 18: reviews and replies
17. Replies to reviews are written by an owner or manager on the profile, and never confirm or discuss a specific patient's treatment.
Only owners and managers can reply, per Google's guidance on Business Profile owners and managers (opens in a new tab). Confirming treatment details in public risks a doctor's confidentiality duty under NMC regulation 7.14 (opens in a new tab).
18. If the clinic asks patients for reviews, it asks everyone the same way, with nothing offered in return and no selective asking of only happy patients.
Offering incentives and "review gating" (asking only satisfied customers) are both against Google's contributed-content policy (opens in a new tab).
Is your clinic listed once, correctly?
The last two checks catch structural problems: an accidental duplicate, and a doctor's own listing drifting out of step.
Checks 19 and 20: duplicates and practitioner listings
19. Searching the clinic's exact name and area on Google Maps shows only one pin for this location.
Google's own prevention advice is to edit an existing profile's address rather than create a new one, and to list every service on one profile instead of a separate listing per service. See Google's guidance on resolving duplicates (opens in a new tab).
20. If an individual doctor has their own public-facing profile, it's a separate listing from the clinic's, with its own accurate name, address and hours, not a copy that's since gone stale.
Google's guidelines allow individual practitioners at a shared address to have their own profiles when they can be reached directly at that location. See Google's guidelines for representing your business (opens in a new tab). For more than one branch, see setting up profiles for a multi-branch clinic.
What should you fix first?
Twenty failed checks are not twenty equally urgent problems. Work through them in this order.
Step 1: Stop what risks suspension
A keyword-stuffed name (check 2) and a duplicate listing (check 19) are the two most common reasons a profile gets suspended or hidden. Fix these before touching anything else.Step 2: Fix what breaks trust on arrival
Wrong address, wrong hours, a dead phone number, or a website link that goes nowhere (checks 5, 8, 9, 10, 12). These are what a patient hits first.Step 3: Fill in what's missing
Category, service list, photos and a current post (checks 3, 4, 13 to 16). None of these are urgent alone, but together they decide whether the profile looks active.Step 4: Keep it honest and current
Reviews asked for fairly, replies written carefully, and a quarterly recheck of the whole list (checks 17, 18, 20).
Where's the printable score sheet?
Score your own clinic once you've read the checks above, then use the table below to see what to do next.
| Score out of 20 | What it likely means | Suggested next step |
|---|---|---|
| 18 to 20 | The profile is in good shape. | Recheck quarterly; keep posts and photos current. |
| 13 to 17 | The basics are fine, with some real gaps. | Work through Step 1 and Step 2 from the list above first. |
| 7 to 12 | Real risk of lost enquiries, or a suspension waiting to happen. | Work through Steps 1 to 3 this week, in order. |
| 0 to 6 | The profile needs a rebuild, not a touch-up. | Start at Step 1 before changing anything else. |
This scoring is a practical guide from this checklist, not a scale Google publishes.
Worksheet
20-point Google Business Profile audit: score sheet
Print this page. Mark each check pass or fix, and add a priority (1 to 3) for anything that needs work.
Print this page to get the sheet
| Check | Pass | Needs fix | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Name matches real-world signage | |||
| 2. No keywords or extra words in the name | |||
| 3. Primary category is the most specific match | |||
| 4. Additional categories limited to real services | |||
| 5. Address is real, staffed, and signed | |||
| 6. Only one profile for this location | |||
| 7. Service area used only if genuinely applicable | |||
| 8. Regular hours match the door, every day | |||
| 9. Holiday hours set, main-hours toggle correct | |||
| 10. Primary phone matches the number staff answer | |||
| 11. WhatsApp/text field, only one shown, checked regularly | |||
| 12. Website field links to the live clinic site | |||
| 13. Services list matches real offerings | |||
| 14. Recent, unedited photos, plus logo and cover photo | |||
| 15. Accessibility attributes match real features | |||
| 16. A post has gone up in the last few months | |||
| 17. Review replies are careful and confidentiality-safe | |||
| 18. Review requests are fair, not gated or paid for | |||
| 19. Google Maps search shows only one listing | |||
| 20. Any individual doctor listing is separate, current |
20 out of 20 filled in with 'Pass' is the goal. Anything marked 'Needs fix' goes onto the priority order in the section above.
For the deeper reasoning behind any single check, the full Google Business Profile guide for doctors and clinics covers setup and upkeep in more depth, and the photos guide and suspension guide go further into checks 14, 2 and 19.
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Common questions
How often should a clinic re-run this audit?
Once a quarter is enough for a stable clinic, and immediately after any real change: a new address, new hours, a new doctor joining, or a rebrand. Google's own guidelines don't set a review schedule; this is a practical interval, not a Google rule.
Does adding more categories help a clinic rank higher on Google Maps?
Google's own category guidance says to choose one specific primary category and use as few additional categories as the business genuinely needs, not one for every product or service. Loading up on categories works against that guidance rather than with it.
Can I ask patients for Google reviews at all?
Yes. Google's policy allows asking for reviews as long as you don't offer anything in exchange and don't selectively ask only satisfied patients while skipping others, a practice called review gating that the policy specifically prohibits.
What's the fastest way to check if my clinic has a duplicate listing?
Search your clinic's exact name and area on Google Maps from a browser where you aren't signed in to your own account, and check whether more than one pin appears for the same address. Google's duplicate-resolution page covers what to do if you find one.
Does Google Business Profile still have a built-in chat feature for messaging patients?
No. Google retired the in-profile chat and call-history feature on 31 July 2024, so a guide that tells you to turn on Google chat is out of date. Some profiles instead show an official WhatsApp or text-message contact field, though Google says this is available in select regions only, and if both are added, only the text-message option shows to patients.
Who is allowed to reply to a review on the clinic's profile?
Only owners and managers added to the Business Profile can create posts and reply to reviews; a Site Manager role cannot, per Google's own help page on Business Profile owners and managers. If a staff member needs to reply, they need to be added as a manager first.
Facts checked against the sources listed on this page.
Sources
- 1.Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 2.Google Business Profile Help: Manage your business category (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 3.Google Business Profile Help: Manage your service areas (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 4.Google Business Profile Help: Edit your opening hours (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 5.Google Business Profile Help: How to set special hours (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 6.Google Business Profile Help: Manage your services (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 7.Google Business Profile Help: Manage your Business Profile photos & videos (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 8.Google Business Profile Help: Create & manage posts on your Business Profile (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 9.Google: Prohibited and restricted content, contributed content policy (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 10.Google Business Profile Help: Manage customer reviews (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 11.Google Business Profile Help: Resolve duplicate profiles & ownership issues (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 12.Google Business Profile Help: Manage your Business Profile owners and managers (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 13.Indian Kanoon: Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 (regulation 7.14) (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 14.Google Business Profile Help: Manage your business attributes (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 15.Google Business Profile Help: Chat with customers from your Business Profile (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 16.Google Business Profile Help: Changes to Google Business Profile chat and call history (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 17.Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business with a video recording (checked 17 Sep 2026)
Update log
- : published.
- : expanded with an accessibility-attributes check, corrected the WhatsApp check against Google's current official contact field, added a note on the retired Google chat feature and on video re-verification, all sourced to Google's own help pages.