If you run a private therapy practice and you do not have a Google Business Profile, you are invisible to most of the customers searching for you right now. A Google Business Profile is the free listing that puts your business on Google Search, on Google Maps, and in front of the customers actively looking for therapy in your area.
This guide walks you through every step you need to complete in order to start attracting customers from Google. From verifying your business location to uploading photos and managing reviews, every example is drawn from real private practice.
When a client types “therapist near me” into Google Search, the first thing they see is the map pack: three local businesses on Google Maps, each with photos, reviews and opening hours. If your business is not there, you do not appear.
Your google business profile is often the first impression a client gets. Before they reach your website, before they read your contact page, they see your photos, reviews and the description. Getting this right matters because more customers reach you through Google than through any other channel.
A complete Google Business Profile receives roughly 7x more clicks than an incomplete one, and listings with photos get 42% more direction requests. For a therapy practice, that translates directly into more client enquiries.
Before you create your listing, gather the following so the verification process runs smoothly:
If you do not yet have a dedicated Gmail for the practice, create one now. Mixing personal and business google services causes problems later when you give a team member access to the listing.
Head to google.com/business and sign in with that account. Click “Manage now” to create your google business profile on google.
Enter your business name exactly as you want customers to see it. Use your real practice name and do not stuff promotional terms into the name field — Google will suspend any listing that does this. Keep it clean and on-brand.
Your business category tells Google which searches your Google Business Profile should appear for. The most relevant business category options for a therapy practice are:
Pick one primary category. You can edit the listing later and add up to nine secondary categories. Do not pick an unrelated category like restaurant just because it is in the dropdown — we have seen this restaurant mistake happen. Picking a restaurant as a category for a therapist will not just hurt your rankings; it will confuse Google about what your business actually is. Any unrelated category (lawyer, plumber, restaurant) does the same damage to your rankings.
Google asks if customers visit you in person. Three options exist for your business type, depending on how the business operates:
Most practitioners pick option 1. If you offer both in-person and online sessions, pick option 1 and add a service area in the next step.
Enter your business address carefully. The address must match the address on your website, contact page, and any directory listing you have. This NAP consistency (Name, Address, contact number) is something Google uses as a trust signal. Many therapists audit each directory listing so customers reach the correct page and every address matches.
If you travel to clients or run your business online, add a service area to the listing. A London therapist offering online sessions might add City of London, Camden, Westminster, Islington and Greater London. Do not add every city in the country — Google looks for relevance, and a service area that does not match your physical location reduces ranking strength.
Add your phone number and website URL. Use a dedicated practice phone where possible — a personal mobile makes calls harder to manage and looks less professional. Once your site is live, edit this field and update the link so customers reach the right page.
Verification confirms that you run the business at this address. The verification process is the gatekeeper. Until you verify the business, the listing will not appear. Take the time to verify your listing properly the first time.
Verification is the bridge between a draft listing and an active one. Without it, you will not appear on Google Maps at all, and nearby users searching the Maps app will not see you.
The most common method for therapists is video. You record a continuous video showing the outside of your storefront, the inside of your room, and you signing into your Google account. Do not edit the videos — it must be one unbroken take. Many practitioners record two or three videos before one passes. Your business profile cannot go live until verification is complete.
For a postcard, a code is sent to your business address. You enter that code into your Google account to verify the business. The code typically arrives within 5 to 14 days.
Once verified, your Google Business Profile goes live within a few days. If verification fails, request a review and try again with new videos. You can also resubmit fresh videos at any time.
Your description is 750 characters. Include who you help, what you specialise in, your qualifications, where you are based, and your main service terms — naturally. Avoid clinical jargon. Write the way a worried client might describe what they need.
Example:
“Sarah Mitchell Therapy is a private counselling practice in Bristol offering psychotherapy for adults experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship difficulties. Sarah is a BACP-accredited integrative therapist with over 12 years of experience. Sessions are available in person at the Clifton practice and online across the UK.”
Set accurate hours so your business profile shows as “open now” — a feature that drives more nearby users and prospective customers to call. If your hours vary by date, use the special hours feature to mark specific dates closed. For example, mark August as closed if you take three weeks off. Update the times every time your schedule changes.
You can share photos directly to your Google Business Profile from the Photos tab of your Google account. Listings with regular photo uploads outperform those without by a significant margin. Upload:
Avoid stock images. Take your own with a phone in good natural light. Short videos work too — a 30-second walkthrough of your room performs well. Refresh the listing with new images and videos at least once a month to keep the listing fresh.
You can add a social media link to your Google Business Profile in the “Social profiles” section once your listing is verified. Edit your profile, scroll to Social profiles, and add one social media link for each platform you use — Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube are all supported.
Pick the platforms you actually post on. One active social media link is worth more than five neglected ones. Pointing visitors at a dead feed sends them away from your business and does nothing for trust.
Edit your business profile and add specific services — Anxiety counselling, Couples therapy, EMDR therapy. Each one of your services can have its own short summary, which helps your business profile appear for more relevant searches.
The Posts feature lets you share updates and events on your business profile. Aim to post weekly. Posts keep your profile active and remind the platform that you manage the business. Avoid posting unrelated content — keep posts about your practice.
Connect Google’s other tools to your account. Google Search Console shows how your website appears in search. Google Analytics shows what customers do once they arrive on your site. Google Ads is paid, but some practitioners run small Google Ads campaigns alongside organic SEO. Linking everything to one Google account makes the whole setup easier to manage. Access can be shared with a team member later.
Reviews are one of the strongest ranking factors for any local business. Ask happy clients (ethically) to leave a review. Respond to every review within 48 hours. A short, professional response shows future customers you accept feedback and engage. If a review breaks the platform’s guidelines, request its removal through your google account.
Every month, work through this short routine:
This activity tells the platform your business is active, which improves rankings on Google Search and Google Maps over time. The whole listing is something to manage actively, not set and forget.
The same mistakes appear again and again:
"Sarah Mitchell — Best Anxiety Therapist London" as a business name will get flagged and the listing suspended. Stick to "Sarah Mitchell Therapy" or your registered practice name.
These simple steps give your practice a strong foundation on Google. But your business profile is one part of a bigger picture — your website, directory listings, reviews and overall local SEO strategy all need to work together for real success.
Long-term success in local search depends on more than your listing. For a deeper review of how your wider online presence drives success, the Therapist SEO Checklist walks through every area worth auditing. For a personalised review of your current listing and website, request a Free SEO Snapshot — we will review your profile and your site and send you a clear list of what to fix first.
Done well, your business profile becomes one of the most reliable, low-cost sources of new client enquiries your practice will ever have.
Ben is the founder of SEO for Therapists, a specialist SEO agency working exclusively with private practice therapists, counsellors and mental health clinics across the UK. He helps therapists move away from a reliance on directories and start ranking organically on Google — ethically, sustainably, and without the marketing fluff. No hype. No shortcuts. Just careful SEO strategy grounded in data.
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