How to Use Google Business Profile for a Therapy Practice

Google Business Profile is the most underused free marketing channel for therapists. The profile shows up in Google Maps results, in the local 3-pack on search results pages, and in the right-hand panel when someone searches your practice name. A complete profile produces local inquiries reliably. An incomplete or missing one means those inquiries go to your competitors.

The fields that matter, in priority order.

Practice name. Use the exact name on your website and other listings. No keyword stuffing (“Best CBT Therapist Manchester [Your Name]”) because Google penalises it.

Category. Pick “Psychotherapist” or “Mental Health Service” plus relevant secondary categories. Wrong categories produce wrong-search visibility.

Address. Use your actual practice address. If you work from home, use a service address rather than your personal home. Google verifies addresses by post.

Service area. The neighbourhoods or postcodes you serve. Helps with local searches that don’t match your exact address.

Hours. Accurate to the day. If you only see clients Tuesday to Friday, list those days. Listing hours you don’t actually work generates inquiries you can’t fulfil.

Phone number. Either your practice phone or a service number. Has to match the NAP across your website and other listings.

Website URL. Direct to your homepage or a specific service page.

Photos. Six or more. Your practice exterior, the room you work in (with permission to photograph it), a recent photo of you. No stock photos. Google’s machine vision actively prefers real photos.

Services list. Specific services with descriptions. “CBT for Anxiety: 12-20 session protocol for adults” is better than “Anxiety Treatment.”

Q&A section. Pre-fill with three or four common questions and answers. “Do you offer video sessions? Yes, video appointments are available across England.” Otherwise random people answer the questions and you have no control over the responses.

Reviews. Within ethical limits, ask satisfied clients (especially long-discharged ones) for reviews. Google reviews are a strong ranking signal. Two or three reviews lift the profile noticeably.

You can keep your discharge email template outside my-cbt and reuse it as part of your standard close-out process. Add the Google review link at the bottom.

Update the profile every six months. Refresh the photos. Update the services list if your practice has shifted. Reply to any reviews. The maintenance is light, the return is steady.