For most clinics the first point of contact is a map result, not a homepage. Someone searches for a dentist near them, sees three results, and calls one. Everything else in your marketing competes for a much smaller share of attention.
What decides map ranking
Proximity to the searcher, which you cannot change. Prominence, driven largely by review volume and recency. Relevance, driven by how completely your listing describes what you do. Only two are actionable, which usefully narrows the work.
The checklist
- Claim and verify the profile. Unclaimed clinic listings are common and anyone can suggest edits to them.
- Set the primary category precisely. Dentist and Dental Clinic behave differently in ranking.
- List every service individually rather than in a paragraph. Each is a query someone types.
- Keep hours accurate including holidays. Wrong hours generate negative reviews faster than almost anything.
- Add photographs of the actual premises including the exterior, so patients recognise the building.
- Make name, address and phone byte-identical everywhere online. Suite 4 in one place and #4 in another splits your signal.
Reviews, within the rules
Review volume and recency drive prominence more than anything else. Asking patients for reviews is fine. Soliciting reviews that describe treatment outcomes runs into the same professional conduct restrictions that limit testimonials.
Ask about the experience rather than the result: ease of booking, waiting time, whether things were explained clearly. Honest, useful to future patients, and clear of outcome claims. Never incentivise reviews.
What to fix first
Claim the profile, fix categories and services, and set up a routine for asking every satisfied patient about their experience. That sequence produces more new patients for most clinics than a website redesign, at a fraction of the cost.
General information, not legal advice. Rules current as of July 2026.