Unknown to many practitioners, Google, Microsoft, and Apple have created business directory listings for them without their input or permission. Carl Jones outlines compliance issues and practice growth opportunities.
Australian healthcare professionals generally understand the need to adhere to Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) Guidelines, The National Law, and the Competition and Consumer Act when advertising their services. Many practitioners are unaware of the rules in relation to local business directory listings. The Ahpra Guidelines define local business directory listings as advertising rather than social media.
But many face an ‘unclaimed listings’ dilemma.
Unknown to many practices and practitioners, Google, Microsoft, and Apple have created business directory listings for them without their input or permission.
These unclaimed directory listings often contain incorrect information. They serve as the first and often only impression a potential new patient gets of a practice or individual practitioner because they appear at the top of the Google results page above websites.
If the first impression is not favourable, people will tend not to proceed to your website and instead consider other practitioners.
The challenge of control
Practitioners cannot delete a listing created for them nor will platforms delete an unwanted listing. The platforms are in a race, each trying to be the largest business directory. Control and maintenance of these listings is therefore a problem forced onto the practitioner.
“These listings serve as the first and often only impression a potential new patient gets of a practice or individual practitioner.”
Listings are created from data found by Google on websites and crowdsourced by user suggestions. Google may find outdated information from anywhere on the web, and anyone may ‘suggest an edit’ to Google. Google may edit your listing information so that it doesn’t accurately represent what you do or what your qualifications are. Google will edit a listing, even if it has been claimed by you, and generally won’t notify you of the changes until you log into your account. That edited information is live to the public until you revert it. Constant vigilance is required.
Many professional associations in Australia have asked Google to disable reviews for practitioners. Google has not yet made changes in France, which is usually the first jurisdiction to win such concessions. Frustratingly, reviews are a central feature of listings and here to stay.
The solution: active management
Ahpra requires healthcare providers to Check > Correct > Comply when advertising a regulated health service. Practitioners need to manage the listings themselves or via a management provider.
Here are some steps to effectively manage your local directory listings:
1. Start by creating an account and claiming your listings on the following platforms:
– Google Business Profile
– Microsoft Bing Places for Business
– Apple Business Connect
2. Ensure that the data accurately represents you or your practice. If visibility to high purchase intent customers is important to you, consider the search engine optimisation guidelines set out by each platform or consult your management provider.
3. Frequently check your listings for data updates. Respond to all Google reviews with an acknowledgment that does not imply that the information in the review is a testimonial.
Flag all inappropriate reviews with Google and follow-up with their customer service team if the review is not removed after flagging.
Compliance with the Guidelines requires practitioners to check their local business listings and correct them as required to comply with Section 30 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law.
Compliance should always be met. This requires healthcare providers to have a real-time monitoring and audit process in place and to promptly correct non-complying content that is visible to patients. If it is impractical to frequently monitor your listings, consider outsourcing the management of them. This is possible by inviting a manager to your listings via the settings tab of each listing. You continue to own the listings, and the manager can be replaced or removed by you at any time.
The shift towards AI
In 2025, powered by AI, these platforms will aim to deliver a simple, perfectly correct answer to a user. The AI needs quality data to give a correct answer. Google regards the information contained in their own business listings as superior to information published on websites. Information on your listings, even reviews, which are often ill-thought-out, will soon significantly influence how the public perceives you and your practice.
Active management of online directory listings is a necessity for practitioners. A proactive approach helps to maintain professional standards, enhances the patient experience and assists practice growth. The time to act is now.
About the Author: Carl Jones is a product specialist at localmanager.com.au.
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