July 14, 2025 • 12 mins
In this episode of The Clinic Marketing Podcast, we’re tackling the five most common Google Business Profile mistakes that keep clinics hidden from potential patients—and showing you exactly how to fix them.
You’ll get quick, actionable tips to improve visibility in nearby searches, attract more patients, and stay ahead of the competition—no fluff, just results. Tune in now!
Episode webpage & shownotes: https://propelyourcompany.com/google-business-profile-mistakes/
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Download our free guide and checklist, or book a comprehensive Google Business Profile audit.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello and welcome back to the Clinic Marketing
Podcast, where we sharepractical, actionable marketing
strategies to help your clinicstand out online and attract
more patients.
We talk all the time about yourGoogle Business Profile listing
on this podcast and, surprise,surprise, that's what we're
(00:24):
talking about again today.
Now, before we dive in, I wantto mention that you can find
additional resources for yourGoogle business profile listing
on the website page and shownotes associated with this
episode.
They'll walk you through bestpractices, from basic to
(00:47):
advanced.
Now today's episode assumes youalready have a verified listing
that includes your correct name, address and phone number, so
we can dive straight into thefive most common mistakes I see
clinics making on their profilesand how to fix them.
Now I'm going to be honest withyou.
(01:09):
I see so many issues thatclinics have when it comes to
their Google business profilelisting, but I wanted to make
today's episode sweet and short.
Again, we already have a ton ofresources regarding your Google
business profile listing.
If you're new and you're notfamiliar with your Google
(01:31):
business profile listing, it isthe listing that used to be
called Google my Business and itis what controls your
business's listing on the Mapssection in Google Maps.
Now we are not talking aboutpaid ads at all.
We are talking about yourorganic Google business profile
(01:53):
listing, and I'm going to sharewith you the five most common
issues that I see.
And the first mistake isincomplete services section.
So many people do what they'resupposed to do they dive into
their listing, they select theircategory and they just leave it
at that.
(02:13):
That's the wrong way to handleit.
Yes, you need a category, butonce you select one or more
categories that suit yourbusiness, you need to add
services.
Many clinics skip addingdetailed service names and
descriptions or they lumpeverything under a generic title
(02:36):
, and I don't want you to dothat.
Now, why does this matter?
Google services businesses forspecific searches, when you
clearly list your offerings?
So what are you going to do?
Well, you are going to go toyour Google business profile
dashboard and look underservices.
Now, one mistake that I've seenis sometimes along the way
(03:01):
either people have had somebodyjump in and make changes to
their listing whether it was amarketing agency from days of
yore or one of their teammembers or Google has assumed
services.
So you want to go into thatsection.
Check, make sure that theservices that are listed
(03:24):
actually match the services thatyou offer.
Now, if you are a chiropractor,a service could be a
chiropractic adjustment.
A service could be dry needling.
A service could be shockwavetherapy.
Back pain is not a service.
So we're not posting conditions.
(03:48):
We are posting services, eachspecific service, and giving a
description.
Okay, now on to mistake numbertwo.
Mistake number two comes to yourbusiness description.
You have right now, as I'mrecording this, up to 750
characters to write out yourbusiness description, but many
(04:13):
clinics leave it to 100 or 150words, and this is underutilized
real estate.
They also miss the chance tonaturally include keyword
phrases that they want to rankfor this matters.
A fuller description helpsGoogle understand your practice
(04:34):
and gives patients richercontext before they click.
So here's your quick fix youlog into your Google business
profile listing and you look atthe description.
Now, if you look at yourdescription and you're like, hmm
, I don't know.
I don't know what to write,what should I do?
I don't know.
This is a great use for AI.
(04:55):
You can go to AI and you cansay hey, chat, gpt or whatever
resource you like for AI.
You say I am name of business.
This is the types of serviceswe offer.
This is the area where we offerthem, like cities or your
regions.
Help me expand my Googlebusiness profile description Boo
(05:18):
, quick, easy peasy.
Mistake number three and this isa doozy not selecting
attributes.
So once you've selected yourbusiness category, google will
go in and give you options forattributes.
These could be parking related.
They could be accessibilityrelated, like is your location
(05:42):
wheelchair accessible?
This stuff is important notonly to your future patients,
but for Google to understandyour offering and the way that
people can get to your location.
So some of these for instance,I would say the parking option
(06:02):
has been new within the past fewmonths.
I don't want to put an exactdate on it, but oftentimes when
we're going through GoogleBusiness Profile audits with
people which, if you'reinterested in booking a Google
Business Profile audit, you canvisit propellyourcompanycom to
find more detail about that butit's that these attributes
(06:23):
haven't been addressed.
So what do you need to do?
Well, you just need to log into your Google Business Profile
listing, go to info and thereselect anything that applies and
again, this is going to helpyou, help your audience
determine, for example,wheelchair accessibility.
(06:46):
For a lot of our listeners,that's important to people
visiting their clinics, forunderstanding the parking
situation.
That's important for yourpatients as well.
Mistake number four, I see, isinsufficient or inauthentic
photos.
Actually, I'm going to evenkind of add on to this a little
(07:08):
bit.
So there's the issue of thepeople that don't upload a logo.
So under your photos there'slike a section where you can
upload your logo and otherimages For your logo.
Note that it is going to cropit and showcase it like a little
circle, like a favicon.
So you might not want to useyour whole logo.
(07:31):
You might want to use an iconthat's associated with your
business, but we want to makesure that you include sufficient
, accurate photos.
You do not want to use stockphotos.
You want photos of the exteriorof your building and we always
suggest that you do these from acouple different angles, that
(07:53):
you have a photo of signage.
This stuff really helps you outif you ever have an issue with
your Google business profilelisting.
When it comes to accuracy, ifGoogle is coming after you for
your listing, it helps toalready have this loaded to your
listing to say yeah, of course,this is my real listing.
(08:14):
Now we said for a minuteearlier.
I mentioned a minute ago talkingabout one of those attributes
for parking.
If parking is difficult or odd,you can upload a diagram of
where to park.
So, for example, we've hadclinics that we work with where
they're like, well, you actuallypark beside this building
(08:38):
behind over here.
So they upload a really simple,easy to follow graphic to their
photos.
In addition to photos of theexterior.
In regards to parking,obviously, you want photos of
your team and action shots intreatment rooms and all of that
that are appropriate.
(08:58):
Again, most likely you probablyalready have some of this stuff
.
You just might not have ituploaded to your Google business
profile listing.
Okay, we're almost done.
We have one more of the mostcommon mistakes I see, and that
is setting and forgetting yourprofile.
So many people optimize onceand then never revisit it.
(09:19):
But, as you've seen here, we'vetalked about how Google is
assigning or asking about newattributes.
It could be that Google isasking you for your social media
sites.
Your Google business profilelistings should continue to
evolve.
You want to keep your profilefresh.
Make sure, if Google issuggesting an edit, that you
(09:41):
review it and make adjustmentsaccordingly, that you update
your hours so that they matchyour hours and we all know your
business hours could change and,again, if you offer a new
service.
You're going to want to uploadphotos of that under the photo
sections as well, along withresponding to reviews and
posting your Google posts andall that stuff.
(10:02):
Again, we have tons of resourcesthat dive into specific
elements, whether it's yourGoogle reviews or Google posts,
but today I just wanted to goover the five most common
mistakes that I see peoplemaking right now.
So those are the five biggestslip ups we see when it comes to
(10:23):
Google business profiles forclinics.
Tackle these today and you'llboost your local visibility,
engagement and, ultimately, yourbookings.
For a detailed walkthrough ofthese, please visit our website,
where you can book a GoogleBusiness Profile audit.
We would love to help youimprove your Google Business
(10:44):
Profile listing.
Thanks again for listening tothis episode of the Clinic
Marketing Podcast.
If you found it valuable,please subscribe, leave a review
and share it with your fellowclinic owners.
Hello and welcome back to the Clinic Marketing
Podcast, where we sharepractical, actionable marketing
strategies to help your clinicstand out online and attract
more patients.
We talk all the time about yourGoogle Business Profile listing
on this podcast and, surprise,surprise, that's what we're
(00:24):
talking about again today.
Now, before we dive in, I wantto mention that you can find
additional resources for yourGoogle business profile listing
on the website page and shownotes associated with this
episode.
They'll walk you through bestpractices, from basic to
(00:47):
advanced.
Now today's episode assumes youalready have a verified listing
that includes your correct name, address and phone number, so
we can dive straight into thefive most common mistakes I see
clinics making on their profilesand how to fix them.
Now I'm going to be honest withyou.
(01:09):
I see so many issues thatclinics have when it comes to
their Google business profilelisting, but I wanted to make
today's episode sweet and short.
Again, we already have a ton ofresources regarding your Google
business profile listing.
If you're new and you're notfamiliar with your Google
(01:31):
business profile listing, it isthe listing that used to be
called Google my Business and itis what controls your
business's listing on the Mapssection in Google Maps.
Now we are not talking aboutpaid ads at all.
We are talking about yourorganic Google business profile
(01:53):
listing, and I'm going to sharewith you the five most common
issues that I see.
And the first mistake isincomplete services section.
So many people do what they'resupposed to do they dive into
their listing, they select theircategory and they just leave it
at that.
(02:13):
That's the wrong way to handleit.
Yes, you need a category, butonce you select one or more
categories that suit yourbusiness, you need to add
services.
Many clinics skip addingdetailed service names and
descriptions or they lumpeverything under a generic title
(02:36):
, and I don't want you to dothat.
Now, why does this matter?
Google services businesses forspecific searches, when you
clearly list your offerings?
So what are you going to do?
Well, you are going to go toyour Google business profile
dashboard and look underservices.
Now, one mistake that I've seenis sometimes along the way
(03:01):
either people have had somebodyjump in and make changes to
their listing whether it was amarketing agency from days of
yore or one of their teammembers or Google has assumed
services.
So you want to go into thatsection.
Check, make sure that theservices that are listed
(03:24):
actually match the services thatyou offer.
Now, if you are a chiropractor,a service could be a
chiropractic adjustment.
A service could be dry needling.
A service could be shockwavetherapy.
Back pain is not a service.
So we're not posting conditions.
(03:48):
We are posting services, eachspecific service, and giving a
description.
Okay, now on to mistake numbertwo.
Mistake number two comes to yourbusiness description.
You have right now, as I'mrecording this, up to 750
characters to write out yourbusiness description, but many
(04:13):
clinics leave it to 100 or 150words, and this is underutilized
real estate.
They also miss the chance tonaturally include keyword
phrases that they want to rankfor this matters.
A fuller description helpsGoogle understand your practice
(04:34):
and gives patients richercontext before they click.
So here's your quick fix youlog into your Google business
profile listing and you look atthe description.
Now, if you look at yourdescription and you're like, hmm
, I don't know.
I don't know what to write,what should I do?
I don't know.
This is a great use for AI.
(04:55):
You can go to AI and you cansay hey, chat, gpt or whatever
resource you like for AI.
You say I am name of business.
This is the types of serviceswe offer.
This is the area where we offerthem, like cities or your
regions.
Help me expand my Googlebusiness profile description Boo
(05:18):
, quick, easy peasy.
Mistake number three and this isa doozy not selecting
attributes.
So once you've selected yourbusiness category, google will
go in and give you options forattributes.
These could be parking related.
They could be accessibilityrelated, like is your location
(05:42):
wheelchair accessible?
This stuff is important notonly to your future patients,
but for Google to understandyour offering and the way that
people can get to your location.
So some of these for instance,I would say the parking option
(06:02):
has been new within the past fewmonths.
I don't want to put an exactdate on it, but oftentimes when
we're going through GoogleBusiness Profile audits with
people which, if you'reinterested in booking a Google
Business Profile audit, you canvisit propellyourcompanycom to
find more detail about that butit's that these attributes
(06:23):
haven't been addressed.
So what do you need to do?
Well, you just need to log into your Google Business Profile
listing, go to info and thereselect anything that applies and
again, this is going to helpyou, help your audience
determine, for example,wheelchair accessibility.
(06:46):
For a lot of our listeners,that's important to people
visiting their clinics, forunderstanding the parking
situation.
That's important for yourpatients as well.
Mistake number four, I see, isinsufficient or inauthentic
photos.
Actually, I'm going to evenkind of add on to this a little
(07:08):
bit.
So there's the issue of thepeople that don't upload a logo.
So under your photos there'slike a section where you can
upload your logo and otherimages For your logo.
Note that it is going to cropit and showcase it like a little
circle, like a favicon.
So you might not want to useyour whole logo.
(07:31):
You might want to use an iconthat's associated with your
business, but we want to makesure that you include sufficient
, accurate photos.
You do not want to use stockphotos.
You want photos of the exteriorof your building and we always
suggest that you do these from acouple different angles, that
(07:53):
you have a photo of signage.
This stuff really helps you outif you ever have an issue with
your Google business profilelisting.
When it comes to accuracy, ifGoogle is coming after you for
your listing, it helps toalready have this loaded to your
listing to say yeah, of course,this is my real listing.
(08:14):
Now we said for a minuteearlier.
I mentioned a minute ago talkingabout one of those attributes
for parking.
If parking is difficult or odd,you can upload a diagram of
where to park.
So, for example, we've hadclinics that we work with where
they're like, well, you actuallypark beside this building
(08:38):
behind over here.
So they upload a really simple,easy to follow graphic to their
photos.
In addition to photos of theexterior.
In regards to parking,obviously, you want photos of
your team and action shots intreatment rooms and all of that
that are appropriate.
(08:58):
Again, most likely you probablyalready have some of this stuff
.
You just might not have ituploaded to your Google business
profile listing.
Okay, we're almost done.
We have one more of the mostcommon mistakes I see, and that
is setting and forgetting yourprofile.
So many people optimize onceand then never revisit it.
(09:19):
But, as you've seen here, we'vetalked about how Google is
assigning or asking about newattributes.
It could be that Google isasking you for your social media
sites.
Your Google business profilelistings should continue to
evolve.
You want to keep your profilefresh.
Make sure, if Google issuggesting an edit, that you
(09:41):
review it and make adjustmentsaccordingly, that you update
your hours so that they matchyour hours and we all know your
business hours could change and,again, if you offer a new
service.
You're going to want to uploadphotos of that under the photo
sections as well, along withresponding to reviews and
posting your Google posts andall that stuff.
(10:02):
Again, we have tons of resourcesthat dive into specific
elements, whether it's yourGoogle reviews or Google posts,
but today I just wanted to goover the five most common
mistakes that I see peoplemaking right now.
So those are the five biggestslip ups we see when it comes to
(10:23):
Google business profiles forclinics.
Tackle these today and you'llboost your local visibility,
engagement and, ultimately, yourbookings.
For a detailed walkthrough ofthese, please visit our website,
where you can book a GoogleBusiness Profile audit.
We would love to help youimprove your Google Business
(10:44):
Profile listing.
Thanks again for listening tothis episode of the Clinic
Marketing Podcast.
If you found it valuable,please subscribe, leave a review
and share it with your fellowclinic owners.
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