Google Business Profile guidelines for doctors, dentists and clinics

Where the official rules live, and how often they change

The core document is Google's Guidelines for representing your business on Google (opens in a new tab). Three companion pages fill the gaps:

• Business eligibility and ownership guidelines (opens in a new tab): who qualifies and who may manage a profile.
• Overview of Google Business Profile policies (opens in a new tab): suspensions, disabled profiles and rejected edits.
• Photos, videos and posts content policy (opens in a new tab), which says "We occasionally modify these policies, so please check back here for any updates."

Google doesn't publish a change log for these pages, so re-read them whenever you're about to make a significant change. They govern your free listing only. Paid search ads fall under separate healthcare advertising rules.

The eligibility test comes first: "To qualify for a Business Profile, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours." Google lists online-only businesses as ineligible, so a telehealth-only practice with no office patients can visit doesn't qualify.

Naming: what can and can't go in a practice's name

Google's rule: "Your name should reflect your business's real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers." Details such as address, hours and category belong in their own fields.

The guidelines list what a name must not include:

• Marketing taglines
• Store codes
• Trademark or registered signs
• Fully capitalized words
• Hours, phone numbers or website URLs
• Special characters or irrelevant legal terms such as LLC or INC
• Service or product information
• Location information
• Containment information (for example, the hospital a clinic sits inside)

For individual practitioners, Google allows a title or degree: profiles "may include title or degree certification (for example Dr., MD, JD, Esq., CFA)." Google warns that "Including unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted" and "could result in the suspension of your Business Profile." Naming is one of the main things that triggers suspensions; see what triggers suspensions.

Individual practitioner listings: when doctors get their own

Google says: "An individual practitioner is a public-facing professional, typically with their own customer base," and "Doctors, dentists, lawyers, financial planners, and insurance or real estate agents are all individual practitioners."

A practitioner should have a dedicated profile if:

• "They operate in a public-facing role. Support staff should not create their own Business Profiles."
• "They can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours."

Two more rules apply. "A practitioner shouldn't have multiple Business Profiles to cover all of their specializations." And the setup depends on how many practitioners work at the location:

• Several public-facing practitioners: "The organization should create a Business Profile for this location, separate from that of the practitioner," and "The title of the Business Profile for the practitioner should include only the name of the practitioner, and shouldn't include the name of the organization."
• One practitioner at a branded organization: "it's best for the practitioner to share a Business Profile with the organization," named "[brand/company]: [practitioner name]."

Google doesn't say which clinical roles count as support staff. Front-desk, billing and assistant roles clearly don't get their own profiles; for clinicians such as nurse practitioners, apply Google's two tests above.

Departments, shared buildings and multiple locations

Google says "Departments within businesses, universities, hospitals, and government institutions may have their own Business Profiles on Google," and "Publicly-facing departments that operate as distinct entities should have their own page." Each department's name "must be different from that of the main business and that of other departments," they "typically" have a separate customer entrance, and each needs a category different from the main business. Google's own acceptable example is "Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Dermatology."

Shared buildings. Google allows several businesses at one address (opens in a new tab) when each is distinct and eligible, including "individual practitioners at a shared location." What it forbids is more than one profile for the same business: "Do not create more than one page for each location of your business, either in a single account or multiple accounts."

Multiple locations. Each office gets its own profile. Google expects locations of the same business to share the same name and the same category for the same service, with exceptions for sub-brands.

Addresses, service areas and virtual offices

• Precise address. "Use a precise, accurate address and/or service area." P.O. boxes and remote mailboxes aren't acceptable.
• Suites. "Suite numbers, floors, building numbers, and so on may also be included." The street address goes in Address Line 1 and the suite in Address Line 2.
• Virtual offices. "If your business rents a physical mailing address but doesn't operate out of that location, that location isn't eligible for a Business Profile."
• Co-working spaces. "Businesses can't list an office at a co-working space unless that office maintains clear signage," receives customers and is staffed during business hours.
• Service areas. Practices that visit patients at home, such as mobile therapy or house-call medicine, can set a service area. Google says service-area businesses without a storefront should hide their address, and service areas generally shouldn't extend beyond about two hours' driving time from the base.

Changing an address usually means Google checks the practice again; our guide to verification steps covers what to expect.

Categories, hours and phone numbers

Categories. "Use as few categories as possible to describe your overall core business from the provided list." "Choose categories that are as specific as possible, but representative of your main business." "Do not use categories solely as keywords or to describe attributes of your business." Pick categories that complete the sentence "this business is a," not "this business has a." Specialty choices are in our guide to categories for practices.

Hours. "Provide your regular customer-facing hours of operation." Google says "Certain types of businesses shouldn't provide hours, including those with varied hours and those that operate only by appointment." Most practices keep regular office hours when patients can call and arrive, so list those, and use special hours (opens in a new tab) for holidays.

Phone numbers. "Provide a phone number that connects to your individual business location." "Use a local phone number instead of a central call center helpline number whenever possible." "Do not provide phone numbers or URLs that redirect or 'refer' users to landing pages." "The phone number must be under the direct control of the business."

Compliant vs non-compliant examples for practices

Every name below is fictional and illustrative.

And the line-by-line calls:

Before you rewrite anything, run a free listing check: Medfy's audit scores your Google listing from 0 to 100, including whether your name, address and phone match your website. If Medfy rebuilds your website, its structured data should match the profile exactly, character for character. For the rest of the series, see Google Business Profile for doctors.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.

Frequently asked questions

Can each doctor in a group practice have a Google Business Profile?

Yes, if the doctor works in a public-facing role and can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours. Google's guidelines say the practice should keep its own profile, separate from the doctors', and each doctor's profile should carry only the doctor's name, optionally with a title such as Dr. or MD. Support staff shouldn't have profiles, and no doctor should have one per specialty.

What should happen to a doctor's listing when they leave the practice?

Google's guidelines don't address departures directly. A practitioner profile is meant for someone who can be reached at the verified location during stated hours, so it shouldn't keep pointing patients to your office. If the doctor moved, Google's relocation guidance is to update the existing profile with the new address. If they retired, the profile's owner can mark it permanently closed. Never rename it to your practice.

Can I add 'best' or a city name to my practice name on Google?

No. Google's guidelines say your name should reflect your real-world name, and they list marketing taglines, service information and location information among things a name must not include. Google warns that unnecessary information in a name could result in suspension. The exception is a city or specialty that is genuinely part of the name on your signage, website and stationery.

Can a practice list multiple departments separately?

Only departments that operate as distinct, public-facing entities. Google allows departments within businesses, universities, hospitals and government institutions to have their own profiles when each has a different name, usually a separate entrance, and a category that differs from the main business and other departments. A single practice can't list each service as a department; Google's non-examples include a product section inside a larger store.