Google Business Profile for doctors and clinics in India: set up, keep current, avoid problems
Updated 15 min readFacts checked
A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your clinic on Google Maps and Search, with hours, phone, directions and reviews. Add or claim the clinic at business.google.com, verify it, then keep hours, services and photos accurate. Use the clinic's real name only; adding words like "best dentist" breaks Google's rules.
Key takeaways
- The profile is free. Add or claim your clinic at business.google.com, then verify it with whichever method Google offers you.
- Use the name on your signboard. Words like "best", a list of treatments or the locality in the name go against Google's guidelines.
- A clinic with several doctors can have one listing for the clinic and a separate listing for each doctor who sees patients there.
- Check hours, phone, services and photos every month, including festival holidays. Accurate details matter more than frequent posts.
- Keep the listing owned by the clinic's own Google account. Give staff or an agency manager access, not ownership.
On this page
When a patient looks up your clinic on Google Maps, the profile is what they see: your name, hours, call button and reviews. This guide covers setting it up, keeping it right, and the mistakes that get clinic listings into trouble.
What does a Google Business Profile do for a clinic?
It puts your clinic's basic details where patients already look, on Google Search and Google Maps. A patient can check whether you are open, call, get directions, message you where chat is available, and read reviews, all without opening a website.
Google says local results depend on three things: relevance (how well a profile matches the search), distance (how far the patient is) and prominence (how well known the business is, including links and reviews). It also says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. See Google's page on how local ranking works (opens in a new tab).
You control relevance through complete, accurate details. You cannot change distance. Prominence builds slowly through a real practice and honest reviews. That is why this guide spends more time on accuracy than on tricks. For the specific factors that move a listing up or down in Maps results, see our post on how to rank your clinic higher on Google Maps.
Clinic listing or doctor listing: which one do you need?
Every clinic that sees patients at a real address can have its own listing, and some doctors can have one too. Google calls doctors and dentists "individual practitioners" and sets out the rules in its guidelines for representing your business (opens in a new tab). The table follows that page closely.
| Question | Clinic listing | Individual doctor listing |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | The clinic, at an address where patients are seen during stated hours. | A doctor in a public-facing role who can be contacted directly at that location during stated hours. Support staff should not have one. |
| How it is named | As the clinic is known in the real world, on its signage and stationery. | The doctor's name only, without the clinic's name. A title such as Dr. may be included. |
| Several doctors at one clinic | The clinic has its own listing, separate from the doctors' listings. | Each public-facing doctor can have a separate listing. |
| Only one doctor at a branded clinic | One shared listing, named [Brand]: [Doctor name]. | Google suggests sharing the clinic's listing rather than making a separate one. |
| A doctor with several specialities | Not applicable. | One listing, not one per speciality. |
| A doctor who practises at several clinics | Each clinic keeps its own listing. | Google's page gives no separate rule. Each listing must be at a place where the doctor can be contacted during stated hours. |
| When a doctor leaves | Not covered on Google's guidelines page. | Not covered on Google's guidelines page. |
Source: Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google (checked 17 Sep 2026).Because Google does not spell out what happens when a doctor leaves, agree in writing who owns which listing when a doctor joins the clinic.
In practice, a solo doctor running a named clinic usually needs one listing. A clinic with three consultants can have one clinic listing plus one listing for each consultant who sees patients there. If your clinic runs more than one branch, our post on Google Business Profiles for multi-branch clinics covers setting each one up without duplicating listings.
How do you set up your clinic's profile in 5 steps?
Start at business.google.com and follow five steps. Google says you can add or claim a business at no charge, and it decides which verification methods you are offered.
Step 1: Add or claim the clinic
Free
Go to business.google.com/add. If the clinic already shows on Maps, open it and select Claim this business.Step 2: Real name and main category
Use the name on your signboard. Pick the category that completes "this clinic is a", such as Dentist.Step 3: Address, hours and phone
The address where you see patients, your regular hours, and a number someone answers.Step 4: Verify
Google may offer phone, text, email, video or post. The options are set by Google and cannot be changed.Step 5: Services, photos and links
List real services, add clinic photos, your website and, where Google offers it, a WhatsApp chat link.
Steps follow Google's pages on adding or claiming a Business Profile (opens in a new tab) and verifying your business (opens in a new tab). For every screen and the common mistakes at each step, read our post on how to add your clinic on Google Maps. If you are unsure which category fits, see our post on Google Business Profile categories for doctors, and for what to expect at the verify step, see how to verify a clinic's Google Business Profile.
If someone else already manages the listing
Ask the current owner for access through Google. A former receptionist, an old agency or a relative may have created the listing years ago. Open business.google.com/add, search for the clinic and select Request access.
Google emails the current owner, who has 3 days to respond. If there is no response after 3 days, Google says you may get the option to claim the profile yourself. Details are on Google's page on requesting ownership (opens in a new tab).
Who should own the listing?
The clinic should. Keep ownership on a Google account the clinic controls, and give staff or an outside agency manager access instead.
| Task | Owner | Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Edit hours, services, photos and other details | Yes | Yes |
| Add or remove people who can manage the listing | Yes | No |
| Remove the profile | Yes | No |
| Leave the listing | The primary owner must first transfer primary ownership | Yes |
| Who should hold this role | The clinic, on its own Google account | Staff or an outside agency |
Source: Google Business Profile Help: Manage your Business Profile owners and managers (checked 17 Sep 2026).The last row is our advice. The other rows follow Google's page on owners and managers. A profile can have several owners but only one primary owner.
What should you check every month?
Check that every detail is still true. A wrong holiday timing sends a patient to a closed shutter, and an old phone number rings nowhere. Set aside ten minutes on the same day each month.
Monthly 10-minute check
Hours, including festival holidays.
Use special hours for Diwali, Holi, Eid, Christmas and any other day the clinic closes.
A phone number that someone actually answers.
Google asks for a number that connects to this clinic, not a central helpline, where possible.
The services list.
Remove anything you no longer offer. Google reviews edits before they go live, so check later that the change appeared.
New photos of the clinic.
Signboard, reception, waiting area, equipment. No patients, and no patient records visible on screens.
Replies to new reviews.
Short, polite, and with no patient details.
Posts, if you use them.
Optional. Google archives posts older than 6 months unless a date range is set, and does not allow a phone number inside a post.
The performance numbers, once the basics above are right.
The Performance tab in Business Profile Manager shows calls, website clicks, direction requests, messages and profile views. A sudden drop often flags a wrong number or a suspended listing sooner than a patient complaint would.
Sources: Google's guidelines (opens in a new tab) and its pages on editing your Business Profile (opens in a new tab), posts (opens in a new tab), the posts content policy (opens in a new tab) and performance and insights (opens in a new tab). For post types, specs and sample ideas, see our post on Google Business Profile posts for clinics.
Here is what a missed holiday update can look like from the patient's side.
[Clinic name]
Business account
- Patient: Hi, I found your clinic on Google Maps. It shows open tomorrow, but tomorrow is Diwali. Are you open?7:12 pm
- [Clinic name]: Hello! Sorry for the confusion. The clinic is closed tomorrow for Diwali. We open again on [date] at [opening time]. Would you like a slot?7:14 pm
- Patient: Yes, morning please. My tooth is paining, what medicine should I take?7:15 pm
- [Clinic name]: The doctor will advise you on that, so we will not suggest medicines on chat. If the pain becomes severe, please visit the nearest hospital. [Date] at [time] is free. Shall I book it?7:15 pm
- Patient: Ok, book it7:16 pm
- [Clinic name]: Booked for [date] at [time]. The consultation fee is [fee].7:16 pm
Google also lets a verified profile add a WhatsApp or text chat option, in select regions. If you add a WhatsApp link, make sure messages get answered, including in the evening. See Google's page on chat from your Business Profile (opens in a new tab).
What happened to the public Q&A section?
If you remember a public Question and Answer box on a Business Profile, where any Google user could ask something and any other user could answer, that feature is going away. Google discontinued the Q&A API on 3 November 2025, and started phasing out public Q&A threads under listings from 3 December 2025, moving toward answers Google generates from a profile, its reviews and its website rather than a question a stranger typed and a stranger answered. If a patient once posted a wrong answer on your Q&A and no one corrected it, that thread should fade out with the rest. Keep your services, hours and description accurate now that they may feed an automatic answer directly. See Google's Business Profile Q&A API change log (opens in a new tab).
Keep the same details everywhere
Your name, address, phone and hours should read the same on every page that shows them. Google asks you to represent the clinic as it is known on its signage and stationery. Patients also meet your details on your website, on Practo or JustDial, and in AI tools such as ChatGPT. When two places disagree, patients do not know which to trust.
To see what AI tools currently say about your clinic, try our 5-minute check of whether ChatGPT recommends your clinic. Dental clinics wanting a fuller local SEO plan can also read our 60-day local SEO plan for dental clinics in India.
Worksheet
Match your clinic's details everywhere
Print this, then copy each detail exactly as it appears in each place. Any cell that differs from the signboard is something to fix.
Print this page to get the sheet
| Detail | Signboard | Google profile | Website | Practo, JustDial or other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinic name | ||||
| Address | ||||
| Phone | ||||
| Regular hours | ||||
| Holiday hours | ||||
| Website address |
Nothing you write here is sent anywhere.
What should you not put on your clinic's profile?
Leave out anything that breaks a written rule. Each item below breaks a rule from Google, the NMC or ASCI, and the right-hand column links the rule.
| Don't | Why | Do this instead | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keywords in the name, such as "Best Dentist [City]" | Google does not allow marketing taglines, service details or location details in the name. | Use the name on your signboard. | Google guidelines (opens in a new tab) |
| A virtual office, or a home address where patients are not seen | A virtual office is not eligible. A listing needs a place where patients can reach you during stated hours. | List only the address where you see patients. | Google guidelines (opens in a new tab) |
| Before-and-after pictures or patient photos | Reg. 7.17 bars publishing patients' photographs without their permission. Result pictures also promote the doctor, which reg. 6.1 discourages. A patient's photo is also their personal data, which the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 says may be processed only with valid, specific consent. | Photos of the clinic, signboard, waiting area and equipment. | NMC 2002, reg. 6.1 and 7.17 (opens in a new tab); DPDP Act 2023, ss. 4 and 6 (opens in a new tab) |
| "Best" or "No.1" claims in the description or posts | Reg. 6.1 treats self-advertisement by a doctor as unethical. ASCI says ads must not mislead, and superiority claims need proof. | State services, timings and fees plainly. Reg. 3.7.1 asks doctors to display their fees. | NMC 2002, reg. 6.1 and 3.7.1 (opens in a new tab); ASCI code (opens in a new tab) |
| A discount or free service in return for a review | Google calls incentives for reviews strictly prohibited. | Ask every patient the same way, with nothing offered in return. | Google review tips (opens in a new tab) |
| A phone number typed inside a post | Google's posts policy does not allow a phone number in post content. | Use the call button, which uses your verified number. | Google posts policy (opens in a new tab) |
Not an MBBS clinic? A different code applies to you
Every rule above that cites the NMC covers registered allopathic doctors only. Dentists, and Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and homoeopathy practitioners answer to a different regulator, with its own code of professional conduct.
| Who this is for | Regulator and current code |
|---|---|
| Allopathic doctors (MBBS and higher) | National Medical Commission. Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, cited through this guide. |
| Dentists (BDS, MDS) | Dental Council of India, under the Dentists Act, 1948. Revised Dentists (Code of Ethics) Regulations, 2014. |
| Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa practitioners | National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Ethics and Registration) Regulations, 2023. Regulation 27(b) restricts advertising and publicity that draws attention to the practitioner, and regulation 22(8) calls soliciting patients unethical. |
| Homoeopathy practitioners (BHMS) | National Commission for Homoeopathy (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Code of Ethics for Practitioners of Homoeopathy) Regulations, 2022, with its own restrictions on advertising and soliciting patients. |
Sources: Indian Kanoon: Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 (checked 17 Sep 2026); Dental Council of India: Revised Dentists (Code of Ethics) Regulations, 2014 (gazette notification) (checked 17 Sep 2026); National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Ethics and Registration) Regulations, 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026); National Commission for Homoeopathy: gazetted rules and regulations (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Code of Ethics for Practitioners of Homoeopathy, 2022) (checked 17 Sep 2026).Wording differs across these codes. If you are not an MBBS clinic, check your own regulator's rules rather than assume the NMC citations on this page apply to you.
What if your listing gets suspended?
Read the reason Google gives, work out the cause, then appeal through Google's appeals tool. While a profile is suspended or disabled, Google says its owners and managers cannot act on it.
- Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool and sign in with the Google account linked to the listing.
- Select the profile, then read the reason and the policy Google names.
- Work out the cause, for example extra words in the name or an address where patients are not seen.
- Submit the appeal. If asked, add evidence such as a business registration, licence, tax certificate or utility bill. The clinic name and address on it should match the profile.
- Follow the status in the appeals tool until Google shares a decision.
Full steps are on Google's pages on fixing suspended or disabled profiles (opens in a new tab) and appealing profile restrictions (opens in a new tab).
How should a clinic handle reviews on its profile?
Ask genuinely, ask every patient the same way, and never offer anything for a review. Google's user-contributed content policy (opens in a new tab) does not allow:
- incentives such as payment, discounts or free services in exchange for a review, or for removing a negative one
- discouraging negative reviews, or asking only the patients you expect to write positive ones
- reviews that come from a conflict of interest, such as current or former staff
Google lets you share a review link or a QR code (opens in a new tab) with patients. When you reply, keep it short and conversational, and keep patient details out of it. Reg. 7.14 of the NMC 2002 code (opens in a new tab) bars a doctor from disclosing a patient's secrets, and a public reply is no exception. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (opens in a new tab) adds a second reason: personal data may be processed only for a lawful purpose such as the person's own consent (sections 4 and 6). A patient chose to publish their own review; a clinic reply that adds their name, condition or treatment goes beyond what they agreed to.
If Google finds fake reviews, it can stop the profile receiving new reviews for a set period, unpublish existing reviews, or show patients a warning that fake reviews were removed. See Google's page on restrictions for policy violations (opens in a new tab).
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Common questions
Is Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Google says you can add or claim your business at no charge, so you do not need to pay anyone to create the listing. Google also says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
Should each doctor have their own listing?
Only a doctor who sees patients in a public-facing role and can be contacted at that clinic during stated hours. Google allows a clinic listing plus a separate listing for each such doctor, named with the doctor's name only. If one doctor is the only practitioner at a branded clinic, Google suggests one shared listing named [Brand]: [Doctor name]. Support staff should not have listings.
Why is my clinic not showing on Google Maps?
Common reasons are that the listing is not verified yet, it has been suspended, or a recent edit is still being reviewed, since Google reviews changes before they go live. Google also ranks local results by relevance, distance and prominence, so a patient searching from farther away may see other clinics first.
How often should a clinic post on its Google Business Profile?
Google does not give a number. Its help page lets you repeat a post weekly or monthly, and it archives posts older than 6 months unless a date range is set. Get hours, phone, services and photos right first. Posts are optional after that.
Can I put "Best Skin Clinic" in the name?
No. Google's guidelines say the name should match how the clinic is known in the real world, and they do not allow marketing taglines or service details in the name. A claim like best also sits badly with the NMC 2002 code on self-advertisement and the ASCI code on misleading claims.
Google profile ko Hindi me kaise banayein?
Steps wahi hain: business.google.com/add kholiye, clinic ka asli naam, category, address aur phone daaliye, phir verify kariye. Screens Hindi mein dekhne ke liye myaccount.google.com/language par apne Google account ki language Hindi kar dijiye. Google ka help page bhi Hindi mein uplabdh hai.
Facts checked against the sources listed on this page.
Sources
- 1.Google Business Profile Help: Add or claim your Business Profile (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 2.Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 3.Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business on Google (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 4.Google Business Profile Help: Request ownership of a Business Profile (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 5.Google Business Profile Help: Manage your Business Profile owners and managers (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 6.Google Business Profile Help: Edit your Business Profile (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 7.Google Business Profile Help: Chat with customers from your Business Profile (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 8.Google Business Profile Help: Create and manage posts on your Business Profile (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 9.Google Business Profile Help: Photos and videos policy and posts content policy (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 10.Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 11.Google Business Profile Help: Fix suspended or disabled profiles (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 12.Google Business Profile Help: Appeal Business Profile content and profile restrictions (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 13.Google Business Profile Help: Restrictions for policy violations (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 14.Google Business Profile Help: Tips to get more reviews (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 15.Google Maps: User-contributed content policy (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 16.Indian Kanoon: Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 17.Medical Dialogues: NMC puts its Professional Conduct Regulations, 2023 on hold (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 18.ASCI: The ASCI Code (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 19.Google Account Help: Change language (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 20.Dental Council of India: Revised Dentists (Code of Ethics) Regulations, 2014 (gazette notification) (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 21.National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Ethics and Registration) Regulations, 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 22.National Commission for Homoeopathy: gazetted rules and regulations (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Code of Ethics for Practitioners of Homoeopathy, 2022) (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 23.Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 24.Google for Developers: Business Profile Q&A API change log (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 25.Google Business Profile Help: Understand your Business Profile performance and insights (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 26.Google Business Profile Help: Manage your Business Profile photos and videos (checked 17 Sep 2026)
Update log
- : published.
- : Expanded with which regulator's code applies if you are not an MBBS clinic (dental, Ayurveda/Unani/Siddha, homoeopathy), a Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 note on patient details in review replies and photos, the Business Profile Q&A section's retirement, a check on the performance and insights numbers, and a correction to an outdated photos statistic repeated on other sites.