Short answer
A dental clinic should have one Google Business Profile per physical location, using its real-world name with no added keywords, with details that match the website exactly. Google also allows public-facing dentists to have their own practitioner profiles, but sole practitioners at a branded clinic are usually best represented by a shared profile. Profiles for addresses where the practice does not actually operate, such as virtual offices, are not eligible.
One profile per location
Each physical clinic where patients are seen can have a Business Profile. A group with three clinics has three location profiles, each matched to its own location page on the website. Google’s guidelines say that publicly facing departments that operate as distinct entities can have their own page, with an exact name that differs from the main business and from other departments.1 Most dental clinics will not need department profiles, but a hospital-based dental clinic or a specialty centre inside a larger health facility might.
Business names
Google says your name should reflect your business’s real-world name, and that including unnecessary information in the business name is not permitted. Marketing taglines, store codes, hours, phone numbers, website addresses, location details and service descriptions are all listed as examples of things not to add.1 Google’s own example is that “Equinox SOHO” is acceptable while “Equinox near SOHO” is not.1
For a dental clinic, that means “Lakeside Dental” rather than “Lakeside Dental, Best Dentist in Kingston, Implants and Whitening”. The real-world name is what appears on your signage, stationery and website.
Names also need to meet your regulator’s rules. In Ontario, the RCDSO says a practice name that refers to a specialty must use a recognized branch of dentistry, and all dentists practising in that office must be registered specialists in that branch.2 Check your name against both sets of rules before you create or edit profiles.
Practitioner profiles for dentists
Google treats doctors, dentists, lawyers, financial planners and insurance or real estate agents as individual practitioners.1 A practitioner should have their own profile if they work in a public-facing role and can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours. Support staff should not create their own profiles, and a practitioner should not keep multiple profiles for different specializations.1
If a dentist is the only public-facing practitioner at a branded location, Google says it is best for the practitioner to share a profile with the organization, using a name in the format of brand and practitioner, such as “Allstate: Joe Miller” in Google’s example.1 If several practitioners work at one location, the organization gets its own profile, separate from theirs.1
Practitioner profiles are another place where titles matter. In Ontario, only dentists who hold a certificate of specialist registration may use the specialist title, and descriptions like “cosmetic dentist” or “implant specialist” are not permitted.2 Use registration categories accurately in practitioner names and descriptions.
Addresses and virtual offices
Google says a location that rents a mailing address without operating there is not eligible for a Business Profile, and that service-area businesses cannot list a virtual office unless it is staffed during business hours.1 Because patients come to the clinic, a dental practice is normally set up as a physical location rather than a service-area business. A profile should represent a real clinic where patients are seen.
Matching the website
Your Business Profile and website should tell the same story. Check these details across both:
- Practice name, exactly as on signage.
- Address, including suite numbers.
- Phone number, using a number the practice controls.
- Hours, including holiday hours.
- Website link pointing to the matching location page, not just the home page, for multi-location groups.
- Services described in the same plain terms as the website, without superlatives your regulator would not accept.
On the website, structured data for each location should carry the same name, address and phone details. Our local landing pages and SEO-ready structure services set this up.
Posts, photos and descriptions
Profile descriptions, posts and photos are public statements about your practice. Apply the same standards as on your website. In Ontario, the RCDSO prohibits superlatives such as “state of the art” and “cutting edge”, incentives such as giveaways and free services, and statements that suggest an expectation of favourable results.3 A profile post offering a free consultation or claiming painless treatment would raise the same issues as a website banner.
A quarterly check
Set a reminder to review each profile every three months:
- Is every detail still accurate, including hours and team?
- Have any suggested edits from Google or the public changed your information?
- Do practitioner profiles still reflect who works where?
- Do descriptions and posts meet your regulator’s advertising rules?
- Does each profile link to the right page on your website?
Moves, closures and team changes
Profiles need attention when something changes. If a clinic moves, update the address on the profile and the website on the same day, and add a note on the website for patients who knew the old location. If a clinic closes, follow Google’s process to mark it as closed rather than leaving it to collect calls. When a dentist joins or leaves, update practitioner profiles and the team page together.
Photos that help patients
Profile photos should show what a patient will actually see: the building entrance, signage, the reception area and treatment rooms. Clear exterior photos help patients find the right door, especially in shared buildings or plazas. Avoid stock images. Keep any photos of patients off the profile unless you have specific written consent and your regulator’s rules allow it.
Frequently asked questions
Should every dentist at our clinic have a profile?
Google allows individual practitioners, including dentists, to have their own profile if they are public-facing and can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours. Whether each dentist should have one is a practice decision. More profiles mean more to keep accurate.
Can we add “dentist” and the city to our business name on Google?
Only if that is your real-world name, as used consistently. Google says the name should reflect your business’s real-world name and that adding unnecessary information, such as service descriptions or location details, is not permitted.
Are Google reviews allowed?
Reviews on Google are posted by patients on Google’s platform. Publishing them on your own website is a different matter: in Ontario, testimonials are prohibited in dental advertising. See our guide to testimonials and before-and-after photos.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google Google documentation
- RCDSO: Use of qualifications, titles, and designations (26 September 2023) Regulator
- RCDSO: Advertising Guidelines Regulator
Checked on 29 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm the current version with the regulator before you publish.
