Google Business Profile for dentists: a set-up checklist for UK practices
A Google Business Profile is the listing that puts your practice on Google Search and Maps. Find and claim it on Google Maps, or add it at business.google.com/add, then verify it. Fill in your real name, address, hours, categories, description and photos, following Google's rules and GDC advertising guidance, and ask every patient for a review.
What is a Google Business Profile?
It is the listing Google shows when someone searches for your practice by name, or for a dentist nearby on Search or Maps. It holds your name, address, phone number, opening hours, photos and reviews.
Google ranks local results mainly on relevance, distance and prominence (how well known the business is). It also says "there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking." What you can control is how complete and accurate the profile is. This guide covers the profile itself, field by field. For the wider picture, including your website and treatment pages, see how we approach local SEO for dental practices.
How to get a Google Business Profile for your dental practice
Your practice may already have a profile, even if nobody there set it up, so start by looking for it.
- Search Google Maps for your practice name and town.
- If the profile is unverified, choose Claim this business, then Manage now, and follow the verification steps.
- If someone else already manages it (a former practice owner, a past agency), request access. Google emails the current owner, who has 3 days to respond. If they don't, you may get the option to claim it, but Google says that option "isn't always available."
- If no profile exists, create one at business.google.com/add.
Verifying the profile
Google decides which verification methods you can use, and you can't change them. Options include a live video call, a phone call or text, email, or a postcard to your address. Google says verification reviews take up to 5 business days. Most postcards arrive within 14 days and the codes expire after 30 days.
Two things trip practices up. Don't edit the name, address or category while you wait for a postcard, or the code won't work. And don't share the code with anyone, "even with those who manage your Business Profile."
Who should own it
A profile has one primary owner. Owners can add and remove people. Managers can edit the profile, post updates and reply to reviews, but can't add or remove users or delete the profile. Each person needs their own Google Account, so nobody shares a password.
The set-up checklist
Each item below comes from Google's own guidelines or the GDC's guidance on advertising.
| Field | What to do | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Use your real-world name only. No treatments, towns or taglines unless they're part of the name on your sign. | Google guidelines |
| Address | Your actual premises. No PO boxes or virtual offices. One profile per location. | Google guidelines |
| Phone | A number for this location, under your direct control. Not a premium-rate number. | Google guidelines |
| Website | A page for this location. Not a link that redirects elsewhere. | Google guidelines |
| Primary category | The most specific category for what the practice is. | Google guidelines and categories help |
| Extra categories | As few as possible. Not one per treatment. | Google guidelines and categories help |
| Hours | The hours reception is open to patients. | Google guidelines |
| Special hours | Bank holidays and short closures. | Google special hours help |
| Description | Up to 750 characters, no links, not focused on offers or prices. | Google edit help and guidelines |
| NHS or private | Make clear if you are NHS, mixed or wholly private. | GDC guidance on advertising |
| Photos | At least three exterior, three interior and three of the team. | Google photo tips |
| Reviews | Ask every patient. Reply to reviews. | Google Maps user-contributed content policy and review tips |
Practice name
Google doesn't allow "unnecessary information" in the name. "Riverside Dental" (a fictional practice) is fine. "Riverside Dental, Emergency Dentist Riverford, Implants" is not. Unless they're part of the name on your sign, treatments belong in the description and the town belongs in the address.
Categories: the "is a" test
Google asks you to pick categories that complete the sentence "This business IS a", not "this business HAS a". It also says categories affect your local ranking, and warns: "Do not select a category for every product or service."
| What you're considering | Is it what the practice is? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The category that describes a general dental practice | Yes | Make it your primary category |
| A treatment you offer, such as whitening or implants | No, it's something you have or offer | Put it in your description and on your website |
| A specialist service, where no dentist is on a GDC specialist list | Take care | The GDC says non-specialists "must not use titles which may imply specialist status such as Orthodontist" |
| A separate department with its own entrance and hours | Possibly | Google allows its own profile with a different primary category |
Type into the category field and pick from Google's list: you can't create your own.
Storefront, service area or both
| Your set-up | What Google's guidelines say |
|---|---|
| Patients come to your premises | Show your address. |
| You also visit patients at home and the practice is staffed during stated hours | You can show your address and add a service area |
| You only visit patients and nobody receives them at a base | You're a service-area business, so hide the address |
Opening hours and special hours
Google asks for your regular customer-facing hours. It also says businesses that "operate only by appointment" shouldn't list hours. If your reception is open to patients at set times, list those hours.
Use special hours for bank holidays and short closures. Google suggests confirming your hours for official holidays "even if they're the same as your regular hours." Special hours cover closures of up to 6 days in a row. For 7 days or more, mark the practice as temporarily closed.
Profiles for individual dentists
Google lists dentists as individual practitioners. Each can have their own profile if patients can contact them at the verified location during stated hours. The practice keeps its own location profile. Each practitioner profile carries only that person's name, and a practitioner "shouldn't have multiple Business Profiles to cover all of their specializations." Support staff shouldn't have profiles. If only one dentist sees patients, Google says to share the practice profile instead.
Writing the description: a before-and-after
Google allows 750 characters. The description should cover your services, and can cover your history. Google doesn't allow links of any type, and says the description shouldn't focus on promotions, prices or sales. The GDC's guidance applies to "any advertising, promotional material or other information that you produce", so we treat the profile description as advertising.
Here is a description for Riverside Dental, a fictional mixed NHS and private practice in a fictional town.
Before (breaks the rules):
Riverside Dental is the BEST dentist in Riverford! Our specialists in cosmetic dentistry, implants and orthodontics give you the perfect smile, pain-free every time. Dentist Riverford, emergency dentist Riverford, cheap dentist Riverford, dentist near me. 20% off whitening this month only! Book online at www.riversidedental.example
After:
Riverside Dental is a mixed NHS and private dental practice on Mill Street, Riverford. We see adults and children for check-ups, hygiene appointments, fillings and extractions. Private treatments include tooth whitening, dental implants and clear aligners. Dr Sam Example BDS (University of Example, UK), GDC no. 000000, has a special interest in implant dentistry. Treatments are offered after a consultation and may not be suitable for everyone. We keep time free each weekday for urgent appointments, so call reception in the morning if you are in pain. The practice has step-free access and a ground-floor surgery.
What changed, and why:
| Before | Problem | Source |
|---|---|---|
| "the BEST dentist" | A claim you can't back up. The GDC requires you to "back up claims with facts". | GDC guidance on advertising |
| "Our specialists in…" | Only dentists on a GDC specialist list may use "specialist". Others can say "special interest in". | GDC guidance on advertising |
| "the perfect smile, pain-free every time" | Creates an "unjustified expectation about the results you can achieve". | GDC guidance on advertising |
| "Dentist Riverford, emergency dentist…" | Google says the field is for "useful information on services and products offered". A keyword list isn't that. | Google guidelines |
| "20% off whitening this month" | Descriptions shouldn't focus on promotions or prices. | Google guidelines |
| "www.riversidedental.example" | No links of any type. Use the website field. | Google guidelines |
| (missing) NHS or private | The GDC requires you to make clear whether you are NHS, mixed or wholly private. | GDC guidance on advertising |
| (missing) GDC number | When information names a dentist, the GDC requires their GDC registration number to be included. | GDC guidance on advertising |
Paste your own wording into our GDC advertising checker for a first pass before you save it.
Reviews: ask every patient, reply to every review
Google's rules say you must not:
- offer anything for a review, including "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services"
- "discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews"
- pressure patients to review at the practice, set staff review quotas, or ask for specific content, such as naming a staff member
- have staff review the practice, which Google treats as a conflict of interest
So ask every patient, not only the ones you think are happy. Google suggests sending a link or a QR code. Our free Google review QR poster for your reception prints one with a neutral heading.
When you reply, Google advises keeping it short, polite and personal, apologising where appropriate, and never sharing a reviewer's private information. In a practice, we treat that as never confirming someone is a patient or mentioning their treatment, even if they mention it first.
Photos and posts
Google suggests at least three exterior photos so patients recognise the building, three interior and three of the team. Photos should be JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, ideally 720 by 720 pixels, "in focus, well lit," with no heavy filters or AI changes. We'd keep patients out of shot unless they have agreed in writing.
Posts can be updates, offers or events. Posts older than 6 months are archived unless you set a date range. Google may reject a post with a phone number in the text if it can't confirm the number belongs to you. Offers are still advertising, so the GDC points above apply. For treatment promoted on marketing or social sites, the GDC also says to make clear it may not be appropriate for every patient and is conditional on a satisfactory assessment.
Keeping the profile accurate
Google reviews changes before they go live, and if you change your business name after verification, it may ask you to verify again. Check the profile whenever a dentist joins or leaves, your hours change or a bank holiday is coming.
If you'd like us to check yours, our free website review includes a Google Maps scan showing where your practice appears in your area.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to verify a Google Business Profile?
Google says verification reviews take up to 5 business days. If you verify by postcard, most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30. Don't change the name, address or category while you wait.
Can each dentist at our practice have their own profile?
Yes, if they see patients and can be contacted at the practice during its stated hours. Each dentist gets one profile in their own name only, not one per treatment. The practice keeps its own profile. If only one dentist sees patients, Google says to share the practice profile instead.
Can we offer a discount or a prize draw for reviews?
No. Google bans incentives of any kind, including discounts and free services. It also bans asking only happy patients.
Should our agency own our Google Business Profile?
We'd advise against it. Keep the practice as the primary owner and give the agency manager access. Managers can edit and reply to reviews but can't remove you or delete the profile.
Can we put our website link in the business description?
No. Google doesn't allow links of any type in the description. Put your website in the website field.
Sources
- Google: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
- Google: Add or claim your Business Profile
- Google: Request ownership of a Business Profile
- Google: Verify your business on Google
- Google: Manage your Business Profile owners and managers
- Google: Manage your business category
- Google: Edit your Business Profile
- Google: How to set Special hours
- Google: Tips for business-specific photos on your Business Profile
- Google: Create and manage posts on your Business Profile
- Google: Business Profile photos, videos and posts content policy
- Google: Tips to get more reviews
- Google: Prohibited and restricted content (Maps user-generated content policy)
- GDC: Guidance on advertising
- Dental office marketing ideas: 13 ideas for UK practices, ranked by cost
The most useful dental office marketing ideas for a UK practice cost little or nothing: a complete Google Business Profile, a steady review routine, a monthly profile post, an NHS website profile confirmed each quarter (NHS practices in England) and clear treatment pages. Start there, add paid ideas later, and check every idea against the GDC's advertising guidance first.
- Social media for dental practices: what to post and the rules that apply
Dental practice social media marketing means using your practice's own accounts, and any paid ads, to keep patients informed and bring in new ones. Posts about your practice can count as advertising, so the GDC and ASA rules apply: no promised results, genuine before-and-after photos with signed proof and consent, and the assessment wording on treatment posts.
- How much does dental SEO cost? A guide for UK practices
Google charges nothing to appear in its ordinary (organic) search results, so dental SEO costs are the time of whoever does the work. Expect three shapes of quote: a one-off fix, a monthly retainer, or a new website plus monthly work. With us that is £295 to £495 one-off or £395 to £595 a month, excluding VAT.