A complete, accurate Google Business Profile is the single highest-leverage free asset a dermatology practice has for local search visibility, because it is what most patients see before they ever visit the website. This checklist covers categories, services, photos, reviews and the ongoing maintenance that keeps a profile competitive in the map pack.
Get the categories right
Choose a primary category that matches the core of the practice — "Dermatologist" if that is the registered qualification of the practitioners listed. Secondary categories can reflect additional services offered, such as skin care clinic or cosmetic services, but should only be added where those services are genuinely provided on site. Incorrect categories are a common reason a profile fails to appear for relevant local searches, and they can also misrepresent the practice's registration status.
List services accurately
The services section should separate medical dermatology (skin checks, mole mapping, eczema and psoriasis management, acne treatment) from cosmetic dermatology (injectables, laser treatments, skin rejuvenation) where both are offered. Write short, plain descriptions of each service. Avoid outcome claims or comparative language in these descriptions — a service listing is advertising and is subject to the same National Law obligations as any other public-facing content, including the prohibition on creating unreasonable expectations of benefit.
Photos: what is useful and what is restricted
- Practice and team photos. Clear, current images of the clinic exterior, waiting area, treatment rooms and practitioners build trust and are safe to post freely.
- Before-and-after images. These are the highest-risk photo category for a dermatology profile. The 2023 cosmetic advertising guidelines require the same conditions, lighting and pose across both images, prohibit editing that enhances the result, and require documented patient consent. Given the informal, unmoderated nature of a Google Business Profile, many practices choose to keep before-and-after content on a controlled website page rather than the profile itself, where it is easier to apply the required standard consistently.
- Equipment and technology photos. Useful for demonstrating investment in modern equipment, provided no therapeutic claims are attached to the image or caption.
Reviews under AHPRA rules
Reviews are valuable for local ranking and patient trust, but they sit inside the same advertising rules as any other content the practice publishes or solicits. Section 133 of the National Law prohibits the use of testimonials about clinical services in advertising, and Google reviews naming a service or outcome fall within that definition when the practice actively solicits, publishes or amplifies them. In practice this means: do not run review-generation campaigns that specifically request comments on clinical outcomes, do not repost or embed reviews describing treatment results onto the website, and respond to reviews in a way that neither confirms nor elaborates on clinical detail. Reviews focused on service, wait times, staff friendliness and communication carry materially lower compliance risk than reviews describing cosmetic or medical results.
Using the Q&A section
The Q&A feature lets the practice seed and answer common questions — appointment types, referral requirements, parking, telehealth availability. Keep answers factual and free of clinical claims. Monitor the section regularly, since anyone can post a question or an answer, and an inaccurate public answer left uncorrected reads as endorsed by the practice.
Posts and updates
Regular posts — a new practitioner joining, extended hours, a new service being introduced — signal an active profile to both patients and Google's ranking systems. Keep the same compliance standard as the website: no comparative claims, no urgency-based cosmetic offers without full terms, and no testimonial-style content.
The maintenance routine
- Monthly. Check for new reviews and Q&A entries, respond within the compliance boundaries above, and confirm opening hours are correct, especially around public holidays.
- Quarterly. Review the services list against what is currently offered, refresh photos, and check that category selections still match the practice's registered scope.
- Annually. Audit the whole profile against current AHPRA and TGA advertising guidance, since these are updated periodically and a profile built two years ago may no longer meet the current standard.
A profile that is set up correctly once and then never revisited slowly falls behind competitors who post and respond weekly. Treat it as a maintained channel, not a one-off setup task.
Handling multiple locations
A dermatology group with more than one site needs a separate, fully verified profile for each location, with services and categories tailored to what is actually delivered at that address rather than duplicated from a flagship clinic. Duplicate or near-identical content across locations can suppress visibility for all of them, so descriptions, photos and even Q&A entries should be written specifically for each site. Assign clear ownership for who checks each profile, since a group with several locations and no single person responsible for maintenance tends to let smaller sites fall behind the main one.
Common setup mistakes to avoid
- Booking links that do not work. A broken or outdated booking link undoes the value of everything else on the profile.
- Inconsistent name, address and phone details. Details on the profile should match the website and any directory listings exactly, since inconsistency can affect how confidently the profile is ranked locally.
- Ignoring the messaging feature. If direct messaging is enabled on the profile, it needs to be monitored during business hours, and any responses should stay within the same compliance boundaries as reviews.
Linking the profile to the wider website
Each service listed on the profile should link, where the platform allows, to a matching page on the website rather than the homepage, so a patient who clicks through lands on content that answers their specific question. Keeping the wording on the profile and the matching website page consistent, without being identical, reinforces relevance for local search without appearing duplicated.
Working with staff who post on behalf of the practice
Any staff member who has access to post updates, respond to reviews or answer Q&A entries on the profile is effectively producing advertising for the practice, and should be briefed on the same compliance boundaries as whoever manages the website. A short written guide covering what can and cannot be said in a review reply avoids inconsistent responses when different staff members handle the profile on different days.
Where this fits into a broader strategy
A strong Google Business Profile is one part of local visibility for a dermatology practice; it works alongside the website content covered in our wider medical SEO approach. Before publishing any new photo, offer or review-request wording, run it through the free AHPRA advertising compliance checker, and see our AHPRA-compliant marketing page for the underlying principles.
For the cost of building and maintaining this alongside other channels, see what dermatologist marketing costs in Australia, and for how paid search complements this local presence, see Google Ads for dermatologists.
