The Google Business Profile Q&A Section Clinics Leave Empty (and AHPRA-Safe Ways to Fill It)
Most clinics have never once looked at their GBP Q&A tab. That's the problem — it's not a set-and-forget feature, it's an open comment thread sitting on your most-viewed listing, and Google lets literally anyone answer a question, including someone who's never set foot in your clinic. I've seen a practice's own Q&A section confidently tell people "no, they don't take new patients" — from a stranger, months out of date, sitting at the top of a Google search for the clinic's name. 💖
What most clinics get wrong
Two mistakes show up constantly. First, clinics don't seed any questions themselves, so the tab sits empty until a random visitor's question (often about something sensitive, like cost or condition-specific treatment) gets an answer from another random visitor — not the clinic. Second, when clinics do try to fill it, they sometimes overstep into clinical territory: answering "do you treat sciatica?" with specific claims about outcomes, or letting an answer read like a testimonial ("staff here are amazing, best physio in town"). Both create AHPRA exposure. The safe zone is logistics: parking, what to bring, appointment length, pricing structure, rebate eligibility categories, accessibility, and how booking works.
- Post 5–8 questions yourself (using a personal Google account, not the clinic's) covering: parking/access, what to bring to a first appointment, typical appointment length, pricing range, rebate categories (Medicare/private health/NDIS/DVA as general eligibility categories, not personal advice), whether referrals are required, and how to book.
- Answer each one from the clinic's official GBP account so your answer shows as coming from the business, with a green "owner" tag.
- Set a monthly reminder to check for new public questions — respond within a few days so a stranger doesn't get there first.
- Never answer condition-specific or outcome-based questions directly — redirect to booking: "That's best assessed by one of our practitioners — feel free to book a consult or give us a call."
- Never post or approve an answer that reads like a review or testimonial ("the team here changed my life") — even a well-meaning patient posting this publicly should be politely left unanswered by you rather than amplified, given AHPRA's restriction on testimonials for regulated health services.
How to put this into practice
Log in with a personal Google account, search your clinic, open the Q&A tab, and post your first round of questions spaced a few minutes apart so they don't look automated. Then switch to your clinic's official GBP login (Business Profile Manager) to answer each one — this is what gives your answer the "owner" badge, which is the whole point. Assign one person (usually whoever owns your GBP generally) to check monthly. It takes about 20 minutes to seed properly and 5 minutes a month to maintain.
- Leaving the Q&A tab untouched and letting strangers answer questions about your own clinic.
- Answering clinical or outcome-based questions directly instead of redirecting to a consult.
- Posting or leaving up an answer that functions as a testimonial.
- Seeding all the questions in one account, in one minute, in a way that looks obviously self-authored (space them out, vary phrasing).
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete a question someone else posted?
You can report it to Google if it breaches their policies (spam, offensive content), but you generally can't remove a genuine, on-topic question just because you'd rather not answer it — better to answer it well or redirect than to leave it hanging.
Can a competitor really answer questions on my listing?
Yes — anyone with a Google account can answer any public Q&A on any Business Profile. It's rare that it's deliberately malicious, but it does mean outdated or plain wrong answers from randoms are a real risk if you're not active there yourself.
Is seeding my own Q&A against Google's guidelines?
No — plenty of businesses do this, and it's a normal, accepted practice. It depends on doing it with genuinely useful content rather than stuffing it with keywords or fake-sounding hype, which can look spammy and may get flagged.
Should I mention pricing in the Q&A section?
General price ranges or fee structures are fine and genuinely useful to enquirers. Just avoid quoting exact fees that vary by practitioner or session type — a range with "contact us for a personalised quote" covers you better.
Keep reading 🤍
I help Gold Coast and Brisbane businesses grow with branding, websites and marketing that actually works.
Work with me ✦