Setting up a dental clinic's Google Business Profile is about making every detail accurate, complete and consistent with your website. When nearby people look for a dentist on Google Maps, or ask AI for a recommended dentist nearby, the Business Profile is often what gets read. Outdated hours, the wrong category or a broken booking link can send patients on a wasted trip or to another clinic. Go through the ten points below one by one; when writing the description and adding photos, follow the Medical Care Act's rules on medical advertising as well.
1. Five basics
- Official name: the same as your sign and website; don't add keywords like implants or orthodontics to the name, since breaking Google's rules can get the profile renamed or suspended
- Categories: choose the closest dental category as primary, and cover other services with secondary categories
- Address and map pin: the pin should sit at the clinic entrance, with the floor and entrance described clearly
- Hours: every day's times correct, with public holidays and unplanned closures updated
- Phone: a number the front desk can answer; if you use AI phone answering, the same number
Of these five, hours go wrong most often. We'd suggest making one person responsible: whenever the schedule changes or the clinic closes unexpectedly, update the Business Profile, website and LINE Official Account the same day.
2. Two points that let patients book
- Website link: to your home page, or for a multi-location group to that location's page, never to an old broken address
- Booking link: to your website's booking page or LINE Official Account, so you receive the leads and can count how many bookings come from Google Maps
3. Three content points
- Description: two or three sentences of facts, such as where the clinic is, which services it offers and whether it has evening hours; no efficacy claims, no promotions, no superlatives
- Services: list the services the clinic actually provides, with descriptions confirmed by the clinic
- Photos: exterior, entrance, front desk, waiting area and treatment rooms, so first-time visitors can find their way; no before-and-after treatment photos
The description, services and photos are all public-facing, so handle them under the medical advertising rules just like your website; if you're unsure whether something can go up, check first. This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice; the latest rules from the health authorities prevail.
4. Looking after reviews
Ask patients who've been seen and are happy to share to leave a review, and don't offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews. Reply to every review, but don't mention the patient's treatment in your reply, even if they wrote about it themselves; thank them, and if there's a problem, ask them to contact the clinic privately. With negative reviews, don't argue online; find out what happened privately first.
5. Common problems and fixes
| Common problem | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Implants or orthodontics added to the name | Use the same official name as your sign |
| Old hours, unplanned closures not updated | Update whenever the schedule changes, and set public holidays in advance |
| Booking button points to a broken link | Point it to your website's booking page or LINE Official Account |
| Description says best technique or limited-time offer | Describe the location, services offered and hours |
| Before-and-after treatment photos | Photos of the exterior, entrance, waiting area and treatment rooms |
| Replies to reviews mention the patient's treatment | Just thank them, and ask them to get in touch privately if there's a problem |
6. Handle each location separately
Each location gets its own Business Profile, named with the clinic name plus the location name, with its own correct address, hours and booking link. Using the same format for every location keeps AI and Google from mixing them up. Measure each location separately too, so you know which one needs work first.
7. How to tell whether the clean-up helped
| Number to watch | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Calls from Google Maps | Your Business Profile performance data |
| Direction requests | Your Business Profile performance data |
| Bookings from the booking link | Records from your website booking page or LINE Official Account |
| Whether AI mentions you | The same local questions run across 5 AI platforms |
Note these numbers before the clean-up and look again a few weeks after. Changes usually take a few weeks to show; record no change as no change, then go back and check which item still needs work.
The short version
A dental clinic's Google Business Profile is about getting the facts right, complete and consistent with your website, from name and hours to booking and description, and replying well to every review.
Frequently asked questions
- Can the Business Profile description mention promotions?
- We don't write them. The Medical Care Act doesn't allow clinics to attract patients by improper means, such as discounts or gifts. This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice; the latest rules from the health authorities prevail.
- If a patient describes their treatment in a review, can our reply mention it?
- We'd recommend not. Even if the patient wrote about it, the clinic's reply shouldn't mention the visit; just thank them, and ask them to contact the clinic privately if there's a problem.
- Can we pay someone to write reviews?
- No. It breaks Google's review rules. Just ask patients who've actually been seen and are happy to share.
- How do we let patients know about an unplanned closure?
- Set special hours on your Business Profile and update the website and LINE Official Account the same day; if you use an AI assistant, update the details it uses too.