Categories to consider
- Medical clinic (primary for a clinic)
- Doctor
- Family practice physician
- Internist
- Pediatrician
- Walk-in clinic
- Urgent care center
- Sports medicine physician
Attributes
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Wheelchair-accessible parking
- Wheelchair-accessible elevator
- Wheelchair-accessible restroom
- Assistive hearing loop
Typical services
- Annual physicals
- Sick visits
- Vaccinations
- Chronic condition management
- Telehealth visits
- Well-child checkups
- Lab work
- Sports physicals
Three kinds of profile in one clinic
A medical practice can have up to three types of profile, and confusing them is the root of most problems.
The clinic or location profile represents the building patients walk into. Use the most specific category: Urgent care center for urgent care, Walk-in clinic if no appointment is needed, Medical clinic for a multi-provider practice.
Practitioner profiles are for physicians who see the public and can be contacted at the verified location during stated hours. When several work at one location, each physician’s profile carries only their name, not the clinic’s. A solo physician working under a brand can share a single profile named “Brand: Physician name”. Support staff, such as nurses and front desk teams, should not have profiles, and a physician should not have one per specialty.
Department profiles fit larger practices and hospitals. Google says publicly facing departments that operate as distinct entities can have their own page. They typically have a separate entrance and distinct categories, and their hours may differ. Each department needs a name different from the main business and the other departments.
Hours for clinics and by-appointment doctors
Walk-in and urgent care centers should show their exact hours, since that is the first thing a sick person checks. Practices where every visit is scheduled are different: Google’s guidelines say businesses that operate only by appointment shouldn’t provide regular hours. Use your judgment based on whether a patient could arrive and be seen.
Accessibility attributes matter more here
Patients with mobility issues plan visits around access. Google’s attribute definitions are concrete: a wheelchair-accessible entrance is about three feet or one meter wide with no steps. Answer the entrance, parking, restroom and elevator questions honestly. If your building has an Assistive hearing loop, mark it too.
Health content rules
Profile content falls under Google’s policies, which prohibit deceptive or misleading medical information and restrict calls to action around regulated drugs and devices. Keep descriptions factual.
Local Services Ads screening
Health care advertisers on Local Services Ads face stricter checks than home services: practice and provider licenses, NPI verification for select users, and professional liability insurance.
Review replies that protect patients
Medical reviews are emotional. A reply that says “we reviewed your chart” confirms someone is a patient. Keep replies general: thank them, say you take feedback seriously, and invite them to call the practice manager. Don’t defend clinical decisions in public.
If it doesn't work
- A doctor has profiles at three clinics: practitioners may appear where they can be contacted during stated hours. Keep each one accurate or retire ones they no longer work at.
- Departments were merged into one profile: if a department operates as a distinct entity, it can have its own page with a unique name.
- Google rejected a department name: it must differ from the main business and from other departments.
- Your clinic hours look wrong for by-appointment providers: Google says businesses that only see people by appointment shouldn't list regular hours.
Questions owners ask
Should each specialty a doctor practices get a separate profile?
No. Google says a practitioner shouldn't have multiple profiles to cover their specializations. Pick the category that best fits the doctor and list other areas of practice as services or in the description.
Can a hospital's radiology or lab department have its own profile?
Yes, if it operates as a distinct, public-facing entity. Google says departments typically have a separate entrance, distinct categories and possibly different hours, and each department's name must differ from the main business.
Can I post health tips in my profile?
You can, but keep them accurate. Google's content policy prohibits deceptive or misleading health or medical information, and restricts calls to action for regulated pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Sources
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google (support.google.com)
- Prohibited and restricted content (support.google.com)
- Edit your business attributes (support.google.com)
- Business screening and verification requirements (support.google.com)
Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.