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If your clinic includes several providers—like physiotherapists, chiropractors, foot care nurses, dentists, or RMTs—you might wonder:
“Should each practitioner have their own Google Business Profile?”
The answer? Yes, but only if done right.
When set up properly, multiple practitioner listings can:
- Expand your clinic’s Google Maps footprint
- Improve visibility for each provider’s specialty
- Create more entry points for local patients to discover your clinic
But if handled incorrectly, it can cause:
- GBP suspensions
- Duplicate listing errors
- Ranking cannibalization where no listing performs well
In this post, you’ll learn how to set up and manage practitioner listings inside a single clinic location—the right way.
🧩 Practitioner Listings vs. Clinic Listing: What’s the Difference?
Clinic listing:
Represents the business as a whole—used for branding, reviews, general services, and location visibility.
Practitioner listings:
Represent individual providers who:
- Offer services under their name
- Are licensed or regulated professionals
- Have distinct specialties or patient relationships
🧠 When Should a Practitioner Have Their Own Listing?
According to Google:
“An individual practitioner can have a separate listing if they operate in a public-facing role, are licensed, and are available for direct booking.”
✅ Ideal examples:
- Chiropractors in a multidisciplinary clinic
- RMTs renting a room independently
- Dentists working under their own name within a group practice
- Foot care nurses or chiropodists
🛠 Best Practices for Setting Up Multiple Practitioner Listings
✅ 1. Use the Practitioner’s Real Name in the Business Name
Bad:
“Wellness Clinic – Dr. Smith Physiotherapy”
Good:
“Dr. Sarah Smith, Physiotherapist”
Never use both clinic name and keywords in the practitioner listing—it can trigger suspensions.
✅ 2. Use the Same Clinic Address (with Suite Number if Needed)
All practitioners can use the clinic address if they work there physically and regularly.
If multiple clinics share the building, make sure:
- You include unit/suite numbers
- Each provider has unique categories or phone numbers
✅ 3. Use Unique Phone Numbers or Extensions (If Possible)
If the clinic has one number:
- Use an extension for each provider
- Or use appointment booking software with unique URLs or contact lines
This helps avoid duplicate detection and shows each listing is independently reachable.
✅ 4. Choose the Right Categories for Each Provider
Example:
- Clinic Listing: “Physiotherapy Clinic,” “Sports Medicine Clinic”
- Dr. Sarah Smith’s Listing: “Physiotherapist”
- Massage Therapist’s Listing: “Massage Therapist”
✅ This tells Google each listing is for a different service provider, not duplicate content.
✅ 5. Link to Different Pages (if possible)
- Clinic listing → homepage (e.g., www.myclinic.ca)
- Practitioner listing → bio or profile page (e.g., www.myclinic.ca/dr-smith)
✅ Each listing should point to a unique, relevant page.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Keyword Stuffing Names
Don’t include services or location in the practitioner name.
Bad:
“Dr. Smith – Best Physiotherapist in Toronto”
❌ Merging Practitioner Listings into the Clinic
Each provider listing must be distinct. If not:
- Google may merge them into the main clinic
- Or worse, suspend the listing entirely
❌ Listing Practitioners Who Don’t Work There Full Time
Only create listings for providers who:
- See patients regularly at that location
- Have signage or directory mention onsite
- Can be contacted directly (or through front desk)
🖼 Tips to Strengthen Practitioner Listings
- Add photos of the practitioner, their treatment room, and signage
- Include a bio in the description, along with specializations
- Collect reviews under their own name
- “Dr. Sarah Smith helped me recover from ACL surgery…”
💡 Bonus: Why This Helps Your Clinic Too
Having practitioner listings can:
- Expand your clinic’s search real estate in local Maps results
- Help specialty services rank independently
- Give patients more ways to find the right provider for their needs
It’s a win-win—if done correctly.
✅ Final Thoughts
Managing multiple providers under one roof doesn’t have to create GBP chaos.
The key is to:
- Follow Google’s rules
- Maintain clean, distinct listings
- Avoid spam tactics
- Align each listing with the real-world structure of your clinic
Do it right, and your clinic won’t just rank better—it will dominate local results across multiple services.
📞 Need Help Setting Up Practitioner Listings for Your Clinic?
At GBP Support, we help clinics:
- Build compliant profiles for every team member
- Avoid duplicate listing issues
- Optimize each listing to rank for the right service in the right area
👉 [Book a Free 15-Min Discovery Call]
We’ll show you how to safely list your clinic and your practitioners—without hurting SEO or risking suspension.