Google Business Profile services let a practice list exactly what it treats, right on its listing in Search and Maps. Most practice profiles show three generic items or none at all. This guide shows how to mirror your website's service pages in the profile, write descriptions patients understand, and decide when a price helps or hurts. "google business profile services" gets 210 US searches a month at a $16.14 cost per click (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026). Steps and rules were checked against Google Business Profile Help in October 2026.
What the services section is and who sees it
Google's services help page (opens in a new tab) says businesses can "showcase their offerings directly on their Business Profile." Patients see services in two places:
- Services may be highlighted on your profile when someone searches for something you offer.
- In the Google Maps app, patients can open your full list under Services.
The section isn't available to every business; Google says businesses in certain categories may have this option. Google's category page (opens in a new tab) adds that health and beauty businesses "Can add a booking button to their profiles and update their list of services." To check yours, sign in, open your profile and look for Edit services. If it's missing, your primary category may not support services; read choosing categories before changing anything, because category changes can trigger re-verification.
Predefined vs custom services
Google offers two kinds:
| Kind | Where it comes from | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Predefined | "suggested options tailored to your business type" | When Google's wording matches what you offer |
| Custom | Typed in by you via Add custom service | When patients search for a treatment Google doesn't suggest |
To add services, per Google's steps:
- Open your Business Profile and select Edit services.
- Tick the suggested services that apply, then save.
- For anything missing, choose Add more services, then Add custom service.
- To list services under another of your categories, choose Add a new business category from the same screen.
- To change a service, select it and edit the price or description; to remove it, use Delete service.
Custom names have rules. Google says "Custom services that violate policy will be automatically rejected," and names shouldn't contain profanity, gibberish, personal information, "prices, or phone numbers." Use the term a patient would type: "Vestibular therapy," not "Comprehensive Balance Restoration Program."
Writing service descriptions patients understand
Each service can carry a description. Google doesn't publish a length limit on its services page, so lead with what a patient needs to decide: what it is, who it's for, and what happens at the first visit.
Source the medical wording from a plain-language reference rather than writing it from memory. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, is built for patients. Its back pain page (opens in a new tab), for example, says "Back pain is one of the most common medical problems, affecting 8 out of 10 people at some point during their lives." That's the reading level to aim for.
Illustrative example (fictional practice, Riverside Physical Therapy):
Low back pain rehabilitation. Treatment for back pain that limits work, sleep or exercise. Your first visit includes an assessment of movement and strength and a home exercise plan. Seen by a licensed physical therapist.
What to leave out:
- Outcome promises. "Fixes back pain for good" is a claim you'd have to support. The FTC's truth-in-advertising (opens in a new tab) standard is that ads "must be truthful, not misleading, and, when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence."
- Superlatives. "Best" and "leading" add nothing a patient can check.
- Patient details. No case examples, even anonymized ones that a patient could recognize.
Google's own content policy prohibits "False or misleading accounts of the description or quality of a good or service" (Prohibited and restricted content (opens in a new tab)).
Prices: when to list them and when not to
Google lets you add a price to each service. Whether you should depends on how patients pay:
| Situation | Show a price? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cash-pay service with a fixed fee (sports physical, cosmetic consultation) | Usually yes | The number is what the patient pays, and it answers the first question they'd call about |
| Care billed to insurance | No | The patient's cost depends on their plan; any number you show will be wrong for most people |
| Service priced after assessment (orthodontics, implants, a course of therapy) | No, or only a stated consultation fee | A starting price invites a "that's not what you told me" call |
If you do show a price, it must be the real, current price for what's described. The same truthfulness standard applies to a price on Google as to any ad. Your state or provincial licensing board may also have rules on advertising fees; check them, and read our overview of healthcare advertising rules. Never put a price in a custom service's name; Google rejects those.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.
Keep services, categories and website pages in sync
Your profile, your categories and your website should describe the same practice. The easiest way is to treat your website's service pages as the source of truth:
- List your website's service pages. One page per treatment you want patients to find. If you don't have them, start with the service pages your website needs.
- Group them by category. Your primary category takes most services; add a secondary category only if Google's rules allow it.
- Add one profile service per page, with the same name on both.
- Write the profile description as a two-sentence summary of the page.
- Review quarterly, and delete a service from both places the day you stop offering it.
A website rebuilt by Medfy has a page per service, which makes that page the natural reference for each profile service. Medfy doesn't edit your Business Profile; keeping the two in step is a job for whoever owns the profile.
Services for multi-provider practices
- The practice profile lists every service the practice offers at that location.
- Each doctor's own profile, if they have one, lists the services that doctor provides. Google's guidelines (opens in a new tab) say "A practitioner shouldn't have multiple Business Profiles to cover all of their specializations," so one profile carries all of them.
- When a provider leaves, remove any service that only they offered from the practice profile, or patients will call for it.
- Separate offices each have their own profile and should list only what's available at that address.
For the rest of the profile, work through the full optimization checklist or return to the Google Business Profile guide. To see how your listing scores today, including whether name, address and phone match your website, run the free marketing audit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add services that aren't in Google's list?
Yes. In the services editor, choose Add more services, then Add custom service, and type the name patients use. Google says custom services that violate policy are automatically rejected, and custom names shouldn't contain profanity, gibberish, personal information, prices or phone numbers. Keep each name to the treatment itself, such as 'Vestibular therapy', and put the explanation in the description field instead.
Should a practice show prices on Google?
Only when the price is fixed and is what the patient will actually pay, such as a cash-pay sports physical or a cosmetic consultation fee. For care billed to insurance, the patient's cost varies, so leave the price blank and explain coverage on your website. Any price you show must be accurate and current; advertising law and your licensing board's rules apply to it like any other ad.
Do the services on Google need to match my website?
Google doesn't require an exact match, but its content policy prohibits false or misleading descriptions of a service, and patients notice when the two disagree. The simplest system is to treat your website's service pages as the source of truth: one profile service per page, the same name on both, and a description that summarizes the page. Remove a service from both the day you stop offering it.