Google Business Profile for Dentists

One profile for the practice, one for each dentist

Google's representation guidelines treat dentists the way they treat doctors and lawyers: as individual practitioners who may have a profile of their own. Three situations, each with Google's rule.

The practice itself

Several public-facing dentists work at one address. Google allows one profile per location, and where several public-facing dentists work at that location, the organization should create a Business Profile for the location, separate from any practitioner's. A practice that relocates updates the existing profile with the new address instead of creating a new one. The outcome is one profile for the location, separate from any dentist's own.

Each public-facing dentist

The dentist can be contacted directly by patients at the verified address during stated hours. Google says an individual practitioner should create their own dedicated Business Profile if they operate in a public-facing role and can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours. The title of that profile should include only the practitioner's name, not the name of the organization. Support staff should not create profiles, and a practitioner should not hold several profiles to cover different specializations. The outcome is a profile of their own, titled with the dentist's name only.

A solo dentist under a brand

The dentist is the only public-facing practitioner at a location run under a brand. If a practitioner is the only public-facing practitioner at a location and represents a branded organization, Google says it is best to share a single profile with the organization, named in the format brand or company, a colon, then the practitioner's name. The outcome is one shared profile, named in the format brand or company, a colon, then the dentist's name.

Two practices at one address

Google's duplicate profile rules confirm the arrangement: multiple businesses at one address can each have a profile when they are distinct businesses with different names and clearly visible differences in signage, and each is eligible for a profile. Google names "individual practitioners at a shared location" among the cases this covers. A profile Google considers a duplicate does not show on Search or Maps.

When a dentist leaves

Google says not to create a new Business Profile because of a change in ownership, and that when a business has a new owner or manager but keeps the same name, the reviews remain. Google's protection guidance is to remove ex-employees' profile access when they no longer work at the business. Only owners can remove other owners and managers, and a removed person's replies to reviews, posts, and comments stay on the profile.

Categories for a dental practice

Google says the categories you select help connect the business with customers who search for its products or services, and that they affect local ranking. Google's guidance on choosing them follows.

Google's rules for choosing categories

• Select a primary category that best describes the business, and pick the most specific category from the list. Google's own illustration is to choose "Nail salon" rather than "Salon".
• Use as few categories as possible to describe the overall core business. Categories should complete the statement "This business IS a" rather than "this business HAS a".
• Do not use categories solely as keywords or to describe attributes of the business, and do not select a category for every product or service. Treatments belong in the services editor.
• You cannot create your own category. If the specific category you want is not available, choose a more general one.
• Google's category page states that "The categories you select affect your local ranking on Google", and that adding or editing a category might trigger a request to verify the business again.
• An independent, separately owned and operated business inside your location should have its own profile rather than its category added to yours. Google's example is a health club with an independently operated cafe.

What Google publishes for the trade

Places types

Google's Places API type list carries dentist and dental clinic in its Health and Wellness group.

Category-specific features

Google's category page says health and beauty businesses can add a booking button to their profiles and update their list of services.

Our benchmark

The GBPcentral audit scores both Google types, dentist and dental clinic, against its Dental Practices benchmark, so a practice is measured against thresholds set for practices and not those set for restaurants or shops.

Verifying a dental practice

A practice that treats patients at its address is a storefront business in Google's terms: it meets customers in person during business hours at a location with permanent signage. That decides which verification paths apply.

The methods Google documents

Which methods you see

Verification methods are automatically determined by Google and cannot be changed. The options depend on business type, public information, region, or business hours, and some businesses must verify with more than one method.

Video recording

Google recommends this option where it is offered. For a storefront the video must show the location, the business name clearly printed on a permanent fixture such as a signboard, wall, or window, and proof of management such as access to employee-only areas. At least 30 seconds, recorded live on a mobile device, no faces of other people.

Live video call

Available only within the location's business hours. You show the outside signs or a street sign, your equipment or marketing materials, and proof you manage the business, such as employee-only areas.

Phone or text, email

A code by phone call or text message, or steps sent to the email address shown on the verification screen. Interactive voice response systems will not receive the code.

Postcard

Not available for all businesses. Most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30. Do not edit the name, address, or category while waiting, or the code will not work.

After you submit

Review takes up to 5 business days, and Google says it may take longer on rare occasions. Changes to business information later, including a category edit, may require re-verification.

Ten or more locations

A dental group whose spreadsheet has ten or more profiles from the same business can request bulk verification in Business Profile Manager.

Eligibility comes first

Google's rules require a business to make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours, and a business showing its address should maintain permanent fixed signage of its name there. A rented mailing address that the practice does not operate from is not eligible, and an office at a co-working space qualifies only with clear signage, customers received during business hours, and the practice's own staff on site.

The profile fields that matter for a practice

Nine fields, each with Google's rule and the detail that matters for a practice.

Name

The name should reflect the business's real-world name as used consistently on the storefront, website, and stationery. Practitioner profiles may include a title or degree certification; Google's example is Dr. Not permitted: marketing taglines, service or product information, business hours, phone numbers, or a website address. Google says unnecessary information in the name could result in suspension.

Address

A complete street address, including building, suite, and floor numbers, with a suite or mailbox number entered as Address Line 2. No keywords or URLs in address lines. If the address has no street number or Google cannot find it, pin the location on the map. The address on a profile is public.

Hours

Google asks for regular customer-facing hours, and says certain types of business should not provide hours, including those with varied schedules and those that operate only by appointment. A midday closure is set as two entries for the same day with different times. Holidays and other exceptions are Special hours; Google says a closure of seven days or less uses Special hours and a longer closure is marked Temporarily closed. More hours, for specific services, show only after regular hours are set and, Google says, should generally be a subset of them.

Phone and website

A phone number that connects to the individual location, under the direct control of the business, and a local number rather than a central call center wherever possible. Numbers or URLs that redirect or refer to other pages or numbers, including social media pages, are not allowed. Premium-rate numbers are not acceptable.

Services

Google says businesses in certain categories can showcase their offerings on the profile, choosing from suggested options tailored to the business type or adding custom services, grouped into categories with descriptions and prices. Custom service names must not contain profanity, gibberish, personal information, prices, or phone numbers, or they are rejected automatically.

Booking links

Health and beauty businesses can add a booking button. Sign up with a provider through Reserve with Google, or add your own link under Booking on Google Search and set one as Business preferred. A booking link must lead to a dedicated landing page for the specific location where the patient can complete the booking; social media pages, messaging links, app store links, and link shorteners are not accepted, and Google checks links daily at most and may remove any it cannot crawl. Performance data is not available for custom links, and links cannot be added through the API or a spreadsheet.

Attributes

Google's accessibility attributes cover a wheelchair-accessible entrance, restroom, seating, parking, and elevator, plus assisted listening devices and hearing loops, each with Google's own test, for example an entrance at least one meter wide with no steps or a ramp. Some attributes can only be changed in certain locations, countries, or business categories, and edits usually take about 10 minutes to review but can take up to 30 days. The GBPcentral audit checks a dental practice for accessibility, parking, and payment options, a restroom, and whether it is good for children.

Description

The description is for services offered and the mission and history of the practice. Google does not allow it to focus on promotions, prices, or sales, to contain links of any type, or to carry irrelevant or low-quality content. Google offers an AI-written suggestion in some regions and tells you to review it for accuracy before saving.

Photos and videos

JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, 720 by 720 pixels recommended and 250 by 250 at minimum, in focus, well lit, and without significant alterations or heavy filters. Videos up to 30 seconds, 75 MB, and 720p or higher. A logo and a cover photo are set separately. Photos and videos show on Google only after the profile is verified, and every upload is reviewed against Google's content policies before it goes live.

Two more fields are worth knowing. A practice that has not opened yet can set an opening date up to one year ahead; the profile appears on Google 90 days before that date and carries a "Recently opened" tag for 90 days after it. And a verified profile can add a WhatsApp or text message chat option in the regions where Google offers it.

Reviews, replies, and the policies that apply to health businesses

Google publishes one set of review rules for every trade. What matters for a dental practice is that a reply can touch medical information, and that the restricted content policy names health and medical devices and regulated pharmaceuticals.

Asking for reviews

1. On the profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
2. Copy the review link or save the QR code, which Google generates on a computer browser only.
3. Put it on receipts, in thank-you emails, at the end of a chat, or print the QR code and display it in the practice.

Patients must be signed in to a Google Account to leave a review. Google says reviews are available only in certain countries or regions and for certain business categories.

Replying

1. Verify the profile first; replies are not possible before that.
2. Select Read reviews, then Reply next to the review, and enter the reply.
3. Google reviews the reply against its content policies, usually within 10 minutes and sometimes up to 30 days, then posts it as the business without your personal name.

The reviewer is notified and can still change their review after reading the reply.

Reporting a review

1. Only reviews that violate Google's policies are eligible for removal. Google says not to report a review because you disagree with it.
2. Report from the profile or through the Reviews Management Tool, where you can track the status of the report.
3. If a report is rejected, Google allows a one-time appeal of up to 10 reviews.

A sudden run of one and two star reviews followed by a demand for money is an extortion scam. Google's advice is not to engage or pay, and to report it through its merchant extortion form with screenshots and review links.

Google's lines a practice must not cross

• No incentives. Offering payment, discounts, or free goods or services in exchange for posting, changing, or removing a review is fake engagement and, in Google's words, "strictly prohibited."
• No selective asking. Google prohibits discouraging negative reviews, selectively soliciting positive ones, and requiring or pressuring people to leave a review while on the premises.
• No staff quotas. Google names "Merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews" and requests for reviews that include specific content, including content that identifies a staff member, as rating manipulation.
• The consequence. A profile found violating the fake engagement policy can be prevented from receiving new reviews or ratings for a set period, have its existing reviews or ratings unpublished for a set period, or display a warning that fake reviews were removed. Google notifies the owner by email and allows an appeal.

Replies and medical information

Content rules that reach a dental practice

Health information

Google's prohibited content policy lists "Harmful content that contains deceptive or misleading health or medical information." Anything a practice publishes, in a post, a photo or video, or a reply, sits under that rule.

Restricted products and services

For products and services subject to local regulation, which Google's list says includes health and medical devices and regulated pharmaceuticals, uploaded content may not feature calls to action or offers for sale, links to a page where they can be bought, contact details for buying them, or promotional deals, coupons, or pricing. Incidental depictions are excluded.

Posts

Google's posts page says a business in a regulated industry can use posts but must not include content about the products. A post with a phone number in its description may be rejected; the Call now button uses the verified profile number instead. Posts older than six months are archived unless a date range is set.

Photos and videos

The same prohibited and restricted content policies apply to every photo and video, and Google says the business is responsible for its imagery complying with all applicable laws and regulations. Each upload is reviewed and shows as Pending, Not approved, or Live.

Local Services Ads for dentists in the United States

Google's Local Services Ads help lists Dentist among the categories the program accepts in the United States, and publishes the screening a dentist passes before an ad runs. Google describes a dentist there as "a health care provider who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of conditions associated with the teeth, gums, and mouth."

Screening and verification requirements Google lists for dentists

Background checks

A provider check and a practice check, which Google says may be run by third-party risk management companies it has partnered with.

Insurance

General liability insurance for the practice, and professional liability or medical malpractice insurance for the provider.

Licenses

A practice license and a provider license at state level, where applicable by local law.

Other

National Provider Identifier verification.

Business Profile

Every Local Services advertiser must have a public, verified Google Business Profile. Google matches the ad account to the profile so that only authorized users manage the ads, calls, and messages, and asks the advertiser to verify that they own or manage the profile or to request owner or manager access.

Health care specifics Google notes

Leads

Leads arrive as phone calls and messages through the ad, and Google says you pay only for leads related to your business and the services you offer.

Booking leads

"Booking leads aren't available for health care verticals."

Pre-badge ads

Ads that run while onboarding checks finish are not available for health care verticals, so a dental practice completes every check before its ad appears.

Ongoing

Google keeps collecting ratings and reviews from people who hired the provider, and says serious or repeatedly negative feedback may lower an ad's ranking or stop it showing.

What our audit treats as good for a dental practice

The free audit scores a dental practice against thresholds set for dental practices, not the ones set for restaurants or shops. These are the review thresholds it applies and the photo range it reports for Dental Practices.

How the audit scores review volume

1. No reviews on the profile: No reviews, scores 0 of 100.
2. 1 to 9 reviews on the profile: Poor, scores 20 of 100.
3. 10 to 39 reviews on the profile: Average, scores 50 of 100.
4. 40 to 99 reviews on the profile: Good, scores 75 of 100.
5. 100 or more reviews on the profile: Excellent, scores 100 of 100.

How the nine categories weigh in the score

1. Category Optimization: 17 of 100 points.
2. Profile Completeness: 16 of 100 points.
3. Review Volume: 16 of 100 points.
4. Website Presence: 16 of 100 points.
5. Review Rating: 12 of 100 points.
6. Review Sentiment: 8 of 100 points.
7. Attributes and Services: 7 of 100 points.
8. Business Hours: 5 of 100 points.
9. Photo Content: 3 of 100 points.

Each category is scored out of 100 and then weighted as shown; the weights sum to 100. Photos are scored on count, the same way for every trade: no photos scores 0, one or two 40, three to five 65, six to nine 85, and ten or more 100. Google's public data shows at most 10 photos per listing, so ten or more earns full marks, and the report notes that Dental Practices typically carry 5 to 10.

The certificate gates use the same numbers

Gold

An audit score of 90 or higher, a rating of 4.5 or higher, and at least 40 reviews, the top of the Dental Practices average range, plus the requirements every certificate shares, which include a review within the last 180 days, a phone number on the profile, an operational business status, and a name that meets the award naming standard.

Platinum

An audit score of 95 or higher, a rating of 4.7 or higher, and at least 100 reviews, the Dental Practices excellent threshold, with the same shared requirements.

Practices audited

63

Median score

87

Top 10 percent score

93 or higher

Scored 80 or above

41

Across the 63 dental practices audited with our free tool between June 9, 2026 and September 30, 2026, the median score is 87, the top 10 percent score 93 or higher, 41 scored 80 or above, and 7 scored below 60. These are practices that someone chose to audit, not a random sample of the trade.

What the performance report tells a practice

Performance data is available only for verified profiles, and Google says only the metrics that apply to your business appear. These are the ones Google documents.

What the report shows

Interactions

A summary of all your total interactions.

Searches

The search terms people used to find your business, updated at the start of each month and up to 5 days late.

Views

Unique visitors who viewed the profile on Search and Maps, counted once a day.

Directions, Calls, Website clicks

Direction requests, clicks on the call button (the phone number must be on the profile to track it), and clicks on the website link.

Messages

The number of different conversations through messages.

Bookings

Bookings people completed, reported only when bookings run through a booking provider.

Booking clicks, Products, Menus, Offers

Booking clicks apply to hotels only; products count in-store product views for retail; menus and offers count their own clicks and views.

What it does not show

A rank

None of the metrics is a position in the local results. Google's ranking page names relevance, distance, and prominence as the factors and says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.

Custom booking links

Performance data is not available for a booking link you add yourself; only bookings through a provider are counted.

Many locations

A group can download performance data for several profiles at once as a spreadsheet from Business Profile Manager.

How GBPcentral fits a dental practice

GBPcentral does not replace Google's profile, and ownership, verification, roles, and reviews stay with Google. It connects to the same account through the official Business Profile APIs and adds the work around the profile.

A free audit scored against dental practices

Nine categories, the Dental Practices review benchmark and typical photo range, and a projected score once the quick wins are done. No account needed.

One review inbox

Every review from every location, synced from Google, with an alert when a new one lands and sentiment tracked over time, so a new review does not wait on someone remembering to check.

Geo-grid rank tracking

Scans the local results across a grid of points around the practice on a daily or weekly schedule, the ranking view Google's performance report does not give you.

Posts on a calendar

Draft, schedule, and auto-publish updates across every location, with recurring series and one calendar that shows what is queued.

Health score and daily actions

A daily health score for each profile and a prioritized to-do list built from rank, review, profile completeness, and engagement signals.

Roles for the front desk and the owner

Owner, Admin, Member, and Viewer roles with per-capability permissions, finer than Google's owner and manager, so each person's access matches their job.

Every core feature is included on every plan; plans differ by volume and capacity. GBPcentral starts at $49 per month, and new customers get a 7-day free trial on Starter. See the plans, or read what GBP management involves before deciding who should do it.

Frequently asked questions about Google Business Profile for dentists

Straight answers on practitioner profiles, categories, verification, booking, reviews, Local Services Ads, and the benchmarks.

Google's documentation references used in this guide

• Guidelines for representing your business on Google
• Business eligibility and ownership guidelines
• Resolve duplicate profiles and ownership issues
• Move your reviews across Business Profiles
• Help protect your Google Business Profile
• Manage your Business Profile owners and managers
• Manage your business category
• Places API place types
• Verify your business on Google
• Verify your business with a video recording
• Verify Business Profiles in bulk
• Manage your business address
• Edit your business hours
• How to set More hours
• Mark your business as closed
• Manage your services on your Business Profile
• Manage your local business links
• Set up bookings through a provider
• Business links policies and guidelines
• Manage your business attributes
• Manage your Business Profile description
• Manage your Business Profile photos and videos
• Add a business opening date
• Chat with customers from your Business Profile
• Manage customer reviews
• Tips to get more reviews
• Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews
• Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile
• Report negative review extortion scams on your Business Profile
• Business Profile restrictions for policy violations
• Prohibited and restricted content
• Business Profile photos and videos policy and posts content policy
• Create and manage posts on your Business Profile
• Getting started with Local Services Ads (United States)
• Local Services Ads business screening and verification requirements (United States)
• How providers qualify for Local Services Ads
• About Google Business Affiliation (Local Services Ads)
• Understand your Business Profile performance and insights
• Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
• Google Business Profile product page