Google Business Profile Posts for Clinics: What to Post and What Gets Rejected

Most clinic owners know their Google Business Profile matters. It’s the listing that shows up in the map results when someone searches “physio near me” or “chiropractor Victoria”. Far fewer use one of its most useful free features: posts. And the clinics that do post often get their updates quietly rejected without knowing why.

This guide covers what Google Business Profile posts are, what clinics should post, how often, and the common mistakes that get posts pulled, including the two that catch almost everyone: phone numbers and links in the post text.

What Google Business Profile Posts Are

Posts are short updates that appear on your Business Profile in Google Search and Maps. Think of them as a small noticeboard attached to your listing. A patient comparing three clinics in the map results can see that yours posted a helpful tip last week, while the others haven’t posted anything in a year.

Google offers three post types:

• Updates: general news, tips, service announcements and links to new blog posts. This is the type most clinics should use most of the time.
• Offers: promotions with a title and start and end dates. Use these carefully in healthcare (more on that below).
• Events: workshops, open houses, community talks, or a new practitioner’s first week, with dates and times.

Each post can include a photo and an action button such as “Book”, “Learn more” or “Call now”. Posts can also be scheduled in advance, and Google archives posts older than six months unless they have a date range set, so a steady rhythm matters more than any single post.

Why Posts Are Worth Your Time

Posting won’t transform your rankings on its own. Reviews, categories, proximity and a complete profile carry more weight. But posts do a few things well:

• They show the clinic is active. A profile with recent posts looks cared for. One with nothing since 2023 raises quiet doubts.
• They answer questions before the call. Direct billing, new services, holiday hours, a new RMT joining the team: posts put that information right on the listing.
• They send traffic to your best content. A post with a “Learn more” button pointing to a helpful blog post is an easy way to get patients onto your site.
• They support your other local SEO work. Posts fit alongside the profile basics covered in our Google Business Profile guide for Canadian clinics.

What Gets Clinic Posts Rejected

After you publish, Google reviews each post. It shows as Live, Pending or Not approved. These are the mistakes we see most often in clinic accounts.

1. Phone Numbers in the Post Text

This is the big one. Google’s posts content policy says posts with contact details such as phone numbers or email addresses in the text may be removed. Clinics add “Call us at…” out of habit, and the post gets pulled.

The fix: leave the number out of the text and use the Call now button instead. Your number is already on the profile.

2. Website Links in the Post Text

Pasting your web address into the body of the post is the other common problem. Links in the text aren’t clickable anyway, and they make the post look like spam.

The fix: use the Learn more or Book button and put the link there. That’s what the button is for.

3. Treatment and Outcome Claims

Google prohibits deceptive or misleading health information, and your regulatory college has its own advertising standards. Posts like “Cure your back pain in three visits” or “Guaranteed relief” are a problem on both fronts.

The fix: keep health wording factual. “We treat low back pain with manual therapy and exercise rehab” is fine. “We’ll fix your back for good” is not.

4. Patient Testimonials

Many Canadian health regulators restrict testimonials in advertising. A glowing patient quote in a post can put you offside with your college, even if Google allows it.

The fix: check your college’s advertising standards before quoting patients anywhere. Your Google reviews already do this job on the same profile.

5. Offers That Read Like Discounts on Care

An “Offer” post for 20% off a first visit may pass Google’s review but raise questions with your regulator, and discounts tied to insurance billing are a particular risk.

The fix: use Update posts for most announcements. If you run an offer, keep it simple, honest and within your college’s rules.

6. Low-Quality or Misleading Photos

Blurry photos, images with lots of text over them, or stock photos that don’t reflect your clinic weaken the post. Google’s photo guidelines ask for JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, with a recommended size of 720 by 720 pixels.

The fix: real photos of your clinic and team work best. Good stock photos are fine for blog-linked posts, as long as they’re relevant.

What Clinics Should Post

Most clinic owners don’t struggle with the rules. They struggle with ideas. Here’s a list that will carry you through a year:

• New blog posts. One or two sentences on what the post covers, with a “Learn more” button to the article. This is the easiest recurring post type.
• Seasonal reminders. Using benefits before year-end, back-to-school sports injuries, spring running season, winter slips and falls. Our guide to year-end benefits campaigns covers the fall timing.
• New practitioners. Introduce a new physio, RMT or chiropractor with a photo and what they treat.
• New services or equipment. Shockwave therapy, a new rehab space, extended evening hours.
• Direct billing and ICBC or WorkSafeBC information. A short, factual reminder that you direct bill or accept claims answers a common question before the phone rings.
• Holiday hours and closures. Short and practical.
• Community involvement. Sponsoring a local team, providing care at an event, a charity run.
• Quick tips. A desk stretch, a warm-up for weekend hockey, how to set up a home workstation. Keep them general and factual.

How Often to Post

Once a week is a good target for most clinics. It’s enough to keep the profile looking active without becoming a chore. If weekly isn’t realistic, every second week is far better than an occasional burst followed by months of silence.

Google Business Profile lets you schedule posts in advance, including on a recurring schedule. Spend 30 minutes once a month writing four posts, schedule them, and you’re done until next month.

What a Month Looks Like

Here’s an example October schedule for a physiotherapy clinic. It takes about half an hour to write and schedule all four at once.

• Week 1: blog post. “Most extended health plans reset on January 1. Here’s how to plan your remaining physio visits before year-end.” Button: Learn more.
• Week 2: quick tip. “Back to hockey this month? A five-minute hip and groin warm-up before the first skate helps reduce early-season strains.” Photo of a warm-up. No button needed.
• Week 3: new practitioner. “We’re welcoming a new registered physiotherapist to the team, with a focus on running injuries and post-surgical rehab.” Photo of the physio. Button: Book.
• Week 4: direct billing reminder. “We direct bill most extended health plans and accept ICBC and WorkSafeBC claims. Ask at the front desk if you’re not sure what your plan covers.” Button: Book.

Four posts, four different reasons for a patient to book, and none of them include a phone number or web address in the text.

A Simple Post Template

Clinic posts don’t need to be clever. This structure works almost every time:

• Line 1: the problem or question. “Most extended health plans reset on January 1.”
• Line 2: what you’re offering or explaining. “Our new guide explains how to plan your remaining massage and physio visits before year-end.”
• Button: “Learn more” to the article, or “Book” to your booking page.
• Photo: a clear, relevant image.

Keep it to roughly 150 to 300 characters. Posts can be longer, but only the first line or two show before a reader taps to expand. No phone number, no web address, no hashtags, and no more than one emoji.

Posts Are One Piece of Local Visibility

Posting helps, but it sits on top of the fundamentals: the right primary category, complete services, accurate hours, good photos and a steady flow of reviews. If those aren’t in place, start there. Our local SEO guide for Victoria clinics covers the full picture, and our SEO timeline guide explains why Business Profile improvements usually show results faster than website rankings.

If you’re also running Google Ads, keep the messaging consistent. A patient who sees a direct billing ad and then a direct billing post on your profile gets the same message twice, which builds trust. And if you run ads, make sure your conversion tracking separates calls from your profile and calls from your ads, so you can tell which is working.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put my phone number in a Google Business Profile post?

You shouldn’t. Google’s posts policy says posts with contact details in the text may be removed. Add a “Call now” button instead. Your number is already on your profile.

Why was my Google Business Profile post not approved?

The most common reasons for clinics are a phone number or web address in the text, misleading health claims, or an image that breaks Google’s content policies. Remove the problem, then repost.

How often should a clinic post on Google Business Profile?

Weekly is a good target. Every second week is fine. Consistency matters more than volume, and scheduled posts make it easy to keep up.

Do Google Business Profile posts help my clinic rank higher?

Posts aren’t a major ranking factor on their own. Your categories, reviews, distance from the searcher and profile completeness matter more. But posts keep your profile active, answer common questions and send patients to your website, which all help a searcher choose your clinic once they find it.

How long do posts stay on my profile?

Google archives posts older than six months unless you set a date range. Regular posting keeps fresh content on your profile.

Can I schedule Google Business Profile posts?

Yes. You can schedule a post for a later date and time, or set up a recurring schedule, directly in your Business Profile.

Want Help With Your Clinic’s Profile?

SEO Medics was founded by a practising chiropractor, and we manage Google Business Profiles alongside Google Ads for clinics across Canada. That includes regular posts, written to stay within Google’s rules and your college’s standards.

If your profile has gone quiet or your posts keep getting rejected, get in touch with SEO Medics. We’ll look at your profile and tell you what to fix first.