How patients find a practice now
A practice search is almost always local and urgent. People search "GP Lüneburg", "paediatrician near me", "emergency dentist", and decide from the Google local pack, the opening hours, the reviews, and, increasingly, an AI answer. Unlike a service business, you are a genuine storefront: patients come to you. Address, hours and contact must therefore be correct and visible everywhere.
The Google Business Profile is the starting point
For a practice, the profile decides most searches, often before anyone opens the website. A complete address, correct hours including holidays, a phone number, the right specialty as the primary category (e.g. "General practitioner", "Dental clinic", not just "Doctor"), and a clear note on whether you accept new patients. How to set the profile up cleanly is in the GBP checklist.
The pages that win practice searches
On the website, two things do the heavy lifting:
- Clear service or treatment pages. A real page per focus (check-ups, paediatrics, prophylaxis, whatever you offer), described factually and without promises of cure. That wins the specific searches and is citable for AI.
- A practice-info page that answers the basics at once. Hours, how to book, how to get there and accessibility, new patients yes or no. Ideally with online booking, since it is the most common action.
As a health topic you are a YMYL topic (Your Money or Your Life), where Google and AI weight demonstrable competence particularly strongly. Named doctor profiles with specialty and qualification matter here, see E-E-A-T.
Schema for medical practices
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Specific type (MedicalClinic / Physician / Dentist) | Places you as the right kind of practice, not generic |
| medicalSpecialty | Names the specialty that patients and AI use to judge the fit |
| openingHoursSpecification | Structured hours so they appear correctly everywhere |
| Person + sameAs | A doctor node per person with specialty, sameAs to chamber and professional profiles |
The general idea is in our structured data guide; for practices the right medical type plus medicalSpecialty and the hours are what to get right first.
Medical advertising rules, briefly
Advertising for health professions in Germany is governed by the medical advertising act (HWG) and professional rules. The rule of thumb: factual information about the practice, service range and team is allowed; misleading or sensational claims and promises of cure are not. In practice: describe what you do and for whom, avoid outcome guarantees, avoid lurid before-and-after portrayals, and avoid improper incentives for reviews. Within that frame, good SEO is safe; it makes your practice factually findable, which is exactly what patients need.
Reviews and the directories that count
Trust weighs especially heavily when choosing a doctor. Genuine, honest reviews carry weight, but must never be bought with incentives. Keep your data consistent across the places that matter: your Google Business Profile first, then the relevant doctor and booking portals (e.g. Jameda, Doctolib), and Das Örtliche. Same name, same address, same hours everywhere.
AI names practices too
Ask Perplexity for "a GP in Lüneburg accepting new patients" and it names a shortlist. Whether you are on it comes down to the same signals: a complete profile, the right specialty, clear hours and the accepting-new-patients note, consistent across every source. Do the groundwork and you get named in AI answers, right when someone is looking for a practice.
Frequently asked questions
Can a medical practice advertise online at all?
Factual information yes, sensational or misleading claims of cure no. In Germany the medical advertising act (HWG) and professional rules set the frame. Presenting your services, hours and availability clearly is allowed, and it is exactly what patients are looking for.
What is the most important thing for a practice first?
The Google Business Profile. Address, hours, phone and whether you are accepting new patients decide most practice searches right inside Google, before anyone opens the website.
Should I show that I accept new patients?
Yes, absolutely, when it is true. Many practice searches target exactly that. A clear note on the homepage and the profile answers the decisive question at once, and it is also the signal an AI picks up.
Are review portals a must?
A well-kept profile helps, because such portals are visible in practice searches. More important is a consistent Google profile with genuine reviews, all within medical advertising rules and without improper incentives for reviews.