Why your Google Business Profile matters
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the very first impression a potential client has of your practice — it's what shows up when someone searches your business name, or searches for a practitioner like you nearby, before they've even visited your website.
It's free, and it's one of the highest-impact things you can set up for local visibility.
⚠️ A Google Business Profile is a Google product, separate from Alvéya. This lesson is general best-practice guidance rather than an Alvéya feature walkthrough — although Alvéya can connect to your profile once it's set up, to help manage messages and bookings in one place.
Claiming or creating your profile
Go to Google Business Profile Manager and log in with a professional email, ideally tied to your practice's domain.
Search for your practice name.
If it already exists, claim it. If it doesn't, create a new profile using your official practice name.
💡 Keep your business name exactly as it appears on your signage and website — don't add extra keywords like "Best Physio in [City]" into the name field. It can get your listing flagged or suppressed.
Choosing your categories
Select one primary category that best describes your core service, then add secondary categories for anything else genuinely relevant. Don't add categories that don't apply — irrelevant categories confuse Google's understanding of your business rather than helping it.
Getting your business details right
Google rewards consistency. Your name, address and phone number should match exactly across your website, your social pages, and any directories you're listed in.
Name — exactly as it appears on your signage and website.
Address — pinned accurately on Google Maps.
Phone — your practice line, not a personal number.
Hours — kept up to date; outdated hours undermine trust fast.
Writing your profile description
A simple, effective structure: who you help, what you specialise in, what makes you different, and where you're located. Write it for real people first — Google reads it too, but a description written purely for keywords tends to read poorly and convert worse.
⚠️ Keep any claims about outcomes or specialties accurate and compliant with AHPRA advertising guidelines — this applies to your GBP description just as much as it does to your website.
Photos and messaging
Profiles with photos get significantly more engagement — upload genuine images of your practice: the exterior, the interior, your team, and your space in action (with appropriate consent).
Turning on messaging lets prospective clients ask a quick question before committing to a call — a fast, warm auto-response goes a long way here.