How do I get more Google reviews for my clinic?

Why reviews matter for a clinic

Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence. Prominence is how well known the business is, and Google says review count and rating feed it: more reviews and positive ratings can improve your local ranking (Google Business Profile Help). Google also says there is no way to pay for a better local ranking. For a clinic in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah competing with dozens of others within a few kilometres, reviews are one of the few levers you control.

Reviews also lower your ad costs indirectly. Patients who click a Google ad often check your rating before they call. A 3.9 next to a 4.8 down the street loses the booking you just paid for.

The 7-step review system

1. Get your review link and QR code. In your Business Profile, open Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link or save the QR code. Google notes the QR code can only be generated on a computer browser (Google).
2. Pick the moment. Send the request within a few hours of the visit, after the patient has paid and left happy. For multi-session treatments (laser, physio, orthodontics), ask after a visible milestone, not after session one.
3. Send it on WhatsApp. Most UAE patients already talk to clinics there. One short message, the link, and the doctor's name: "Thank you for visiting Dr Sara today. If you have a minute, a Google review helps other patients find us: [link]."
4. Ask everyone. Google prohibits selectively asking only happy customers. Build it into your front-desk or CRM workflow so every patient gets the same message.
5. Put the QR code at reception and on the receipt. A small card is fine. Do not stand over patients while they write; Google says merchants should not pressure people to review on the premises.
6. Reply to every review within days. Short, specific, personal. Never confirm someone is a patient or mention treatment details in a public reply: say "We'd like to help, please call us" instead.
7. Track it weekly. Reviews per week, average rating, and percentage of patients asked. If you see 300 visits and 5 reviews a month, the asking is broken, not the patients.

What gets reviews removed (and profiles restricted)

Google's prohibited content policy for Maps is specific (Google Maps content policy):

• Incentives: no payment, discounts, free sessions or gifts in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing a negative one.
• Review gating: no discouraging negative reviews or selectively asking for positive ones (for example, a survey that only sends 5-star responders to Google).
• Conflicts of interest: no reviews from current or former staff, owners or their families.
• Staff quotas: no targets for staff to collect a number of reviews, or to get reviews with specific wording.
• Fake engagement: no paid reviews, no reviews from multiple accounts run by one person.

Google's own tips page repeats that offering free or discounted services in exchange for reviews is strictly prohibited (Google).

UAE-specific points for healthcare

• Patient privacy in replies. Health information is confidential. Do not discuss a patient's treatment in a reply, even if they did.
• Using reviews in ads. Quoting a patient's review in an advert is a testimonial. Under the DHA social media standard, testimonials need written patient consent, and testimonials comparing different health professions are not acceptable (DHA).
• Consent to message. Only send review requests to patients who gave you their number for contact, and stop if they ask.

Handling a bad review

1. Reply calmly, once, without patient details. Acknowledge, apologise where you got it wrong, and invite them to call.
2. Fix the cause. Clusters of complaints (waiting time, billing, front desk) are operational data.
3. Report it only if it breaks Google's policies (fake, off-topic, conflict of interest, offensive). Disagreeing is not grounds for removal.
4. Keep asking every patient. Volume of genuine reviews is the real answer to one bad review.

Want this done for you?

Access One is the UAE's first Healthcare Google Partner and Dubai's #1 Google Ads agency for healthcare. We connect your ads, Business Profile and follow-up so more of the patients you pay for book and review. Get a free ads audit.

Frequently asked questions

Can I offer a discount for a Google review?

No. Google prohibits offering payment, discounts or free services for reviews and removes reviews posted because of an incentive.

How do I get my clinic's Google review link?

Open your Business Profile, go to Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link or download the QR code from a computer browser.

Can my staff leave reviews for the clinic?

No. Google treats reviews from current or former employees as a conflict of interest and removes them.

Do more Google reviews help my clinic rank on Maps?

Yes. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can improve local ranking, as part of prominence.

Can I use patient reviews in my Instagram ads in Dubai?

Only with the patient's written consent, under DHA's social media standard, and without comparing health professions.

Sources

• Google: How to improve your local ranking
• Google: Create a link or QR code to request reviews
• Google: Tips to get more reviews
• Google Maps: Prohibited and restricted content
• DHA Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media

Published 19 Oct 2026 · Access One