Private clinics
Patients can ask Google and the AI assistants who to see, as well as searching. We check who gets named for your clinic's questions, fix what keeps you out, and check the registration details a patient would look for.
The questions
Examples of the kind of question we check, on Google, Maps and the AI assistants. They're examples, not results.
- “best private physio in Derby”
- “private dentist near me, open on Saturdays”
- “who should I see for a private knee scan?”
- “is this clinic any good?”
What counts as proof you're real
Customers, Google and the assistants all look for signs a business is who it says it is. For regulated work, the regulator's register is the strongest one.
- CQCEngland
Care Quality Commission
The regulator of health and adult social care in England. Many clinics must be registered; whether yours must depends on what it does, so check with CQC. A rated provider must show its latest rating on its website, with a link to the assessment. Showing the CQC ID as well helps patients find you on the register.
- GDCDentists
General Dental Council
The register of dentists and dental care professionals. Its guidance on advertising says dental professionals named on a website should show their GDC number.
- GMCDoctors
General Medical Council
The register of doctors. Showing a doctor's GMC reference number lets patients check them on the public register.
- HCPCPhysios and others
Health and Care Professions Council
The register of physiotherapists and other health professionals. Showing the HCPC number lets patients check the professional.
What we look at
Anything we find becomes a change for you to approve. We don't edit your site without your yes.
- Whether the registrations you give us are on the regulator's public register. We look each one up there.
- Whether your website shows each registration number and names the regulator, on the home page and the contact, about or regulation pages.
- Whether the name, address and phone number on your site match the register.
- For a rated CQC provider, whether the latest rating is shown with a link to the assessment.
- Whether the same details appear on your Google Business Profile and listings.
- We don't tell you whether you must register with a regulator. That's for you and the regulator.
- CQC covers England. Clinics in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulators, so tell us where you are.
- Anything we flag is checked by a person first. If it's actually there, you tell us and we move on.
- We never promise a ranking or a place in an assistant's answer, and we never write reviews or claims about clinical results.