Picture a practice manager in Leeds who learns that a new patient could not get through on the phone because the profile showed a number the practice stopped using two years ago. The example is hypothetical, but the fix is routine: a dental practice profile has to be accurate on a small set of details, and someone has to own it. This checklist covers that set in the order you would work through it, for a single practice or for an agency looking after several.
Google says local results rely on relevance, distance and prominence, and it does not publish the weight of each. Nothing below promises a position. It removes the errors that stop a practice being found, called or trusted. For the wider method, see our complete guide on Google Business Profile optimisation in the UK.
Before you start: ownership and the listing that is yours
Search for the practice name and postcode on Google Maps. If a listing exists, claim it rather than creating a second one, because duplicates divide reviews and photos between two profiles. Use a Google account that the practice controls, not a personal account belonging to a receptionist or associate. Choose a verification method from the options Google offers for your profile; they vary from one profile to another.
- Existing listing found and duplicates ruled out
- Owner account belongs to the practice, with a second manager added
- Verification completed and the profile shows as verified
In a group practice, one profile for the practice is the starting point. Google publishes separate guidelines for individual practitioners, so read them before adding profiles for named dentists.
Name, category and address for a dental practice
Practice name
Use the name on the fascia and the website. Add no town, treatment or slogan, since Google asks for the real-world name and extra words invite edits or suspension. Do not add titles or qualifications unless they are part of the name patients see on the door.
Category and address
Set the primary category to the one that matches the main work of the practice, normally Dentist. Add further categories only for services you provide on the premises, and read the list Google shows today, because labels change. Enter the address with the full postcode, then drag the pin onto the entrance. If the surgery is on a first floor or behind another business, say so in the address lines.
Opening hours, contact details and NHS or private status
Enter the hours the front desk really works, including lunch closures. Add special hours for bank holidays before they arrive, and remember that England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland do not share every bank holiday, so use the calendar for your nation.
- Main phone number is answered at reception during opening hours
- Website link goes to a page with the address, contact details and how to book
- Online booking link added if the practice has one
- Description starts with a sentence that stands alone: practice type, town and main services
- Description says plainly whether the practice is taking NHS patients, private patients or both, and is edited when that changes
- Services listed are those actually offered, each with a short plain description
Photos, posts and what regulators will read
Use real photographs: the exterior and fascia, the entrance, reception, the waiting area and an empty surgery. If a patient or colleague can be recognised, get their permission first, since UK GDPR needs a lawful basis for personal data. LocalEdge Lite plans four posts and four photos a month, which suits a profile you want to keep current without a daily routine.
Posts work best as practical notices: new opening hours, a holiday closure, a reminder to book a check-up. Avoid promises about outcomes. Have wording about treatments checked against the General Dental Council’s guidance and the Advertising Standards Authority’s rules, as this article does not say what either permits.
Reviews: asking, replying and reporting
Google does not allow rewards for reviews or asking only the patients you expect to be happy. Ask everyone in the same way, with the review link from the profile. When you reply, keep it general, leave out any treatment detail and do not confirm that the reviewer is a patient. A reply in this spirit, for a hypothetical complaint about waiting time, might read as follows.
Thank you for telling us about your visit. We are sorry the wait was longer than it should have been. Please ring the practice manager on the number shown on this profile so that we can look into it.
Report only reviews that break Google’s content policies. For the rules on fake reviews in the UK, see our complete guide on spotting, reporting and answering fake reviews in the UK. LocalEdge Lite includes review reply drafts written by AVI, which you read and edit before anything is sent.
Keeping the profile right: edits, checks and tools
A profile can be changed by people other than its owner. According to a Google help update reported by Search Engine Roundtable on 23 September 2026, owners are notified of some suggested edits and have four days to accept or reject them, and Google can publish a change that public information supports. Check the name, hours, phone, website and pin every week and correct anything that has drifted.
Guardian, an optional LocalEdge add-on, checks the profile through Google’s official API every hour and sends an alert within the hour that names the field and shows the old and the new value, with a Fix Now button. LocalEdge Lite gives a GBP Score from 0 to 100 on more than 15 criteria and has no heatmap, while LocalEdge Solo offers heatmap scans for up to five keywords on a grid of up to 21 by 21 points.
Agencies managing several practices can use a dashboard for managing many practice profiles with PDF reports in the agency’s own colours and logo, plus scheduled heatmap scans for each client.
A dental profile is finished when ownership is secure, the basic details match the door, the phone is answered and the reviews get a measured reply. To see where yours stands today, run the free LocalEdge Lite check and note the starting score. Lite is free and needs no card.
