Learn the categories, services, and profile strategies that help top orthodontists get found by patients seeking braces and aligners. GMB Everywhere makes competitor analysis simple.
Imagine a parent noticing their teenager's teeth are crooked, or an adult finally deciding to fix their bite. They grab their phone and type "orthodontist near me" into Google. A list of practices pops up—some at the top, some buried below.
Ever wonder why some orthodontists show up first while others don't? That's what we're going to explain. And don't worry—we'll keep it simple.
Your Google Business Profile (or GBP for short) is basically your practice's online business card on Google. It shows your name, address, phone number, hours, photos, and reviews. When someone searches for an orthodontist, Google decides which profiles to show based on a few key things.
Google wants to show people the best, most relevant results. So it checks three main things about your business. Think of these as the "three pillars" that hold up your local ranking.
This sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many orthodontist offices have the wrong phone number or old hours listed. Google checks if your name, address, and phone number are the same everywhere online. If they don't match, Google gets confused—and confused Google doesn't show your profile.
Quick check: Is your practice name spelled exactly the same on your website, Healthgrades, and Google profile?
When someone searches "Invisalign provider near me," Google looks at your profile to see if you offer that service. If you haven't listed it, you won't show up—even if you fit aligners every week.
This is where categories and services come in. We'll explain these in detail in the next section. For now, just know that telling Google exactly what you do is really important.
Google reads your reviews. Lots of good reviews tell Google that patients trust you. Replying to those reviews shows that you're active and you care. Both of these things help you rank higher.
Think about it: would you trust your smile to an orthodontist with 5 reviews or one with 50 reviews? Google thinks the same way.
Here's the good news: You don't need to be a tech expert to improve these things. Most of it just takes a few minutes to fix.
Now, let's dive deeper into the part that trips up most people: categories and services. Once you understand these, you'll be ahead of most orthodontists in your area.
Remember when we said Google needs to know what you do? This is where you tell it. Let's break this down into two simple parts.
Why this matters: Of all the things you can control on your Google Business Profile, categories have one of the biggest impacts on your local rankings. Pick the wrong ones, and you won't show up when patients search. Pick the right ones, and you'll appear for the exact services you offer. Our case study proves that adding relevant categories doesn't hurt your rankings—it actually increases your visibility.
Think of categories like labels on a filing cabinet. Google uses them to sort businesses into groups. When someone searches "orthodontist near me," Google opens the "Orthodontist" folder and shows what's inside.
If your practice isn't in that folder, you won't show up. It's that simple.
You get to pick one primary category (your main label) and a few secondary categories (extra labels for other things you do).
Here's what a typical orthodontist might choose:
Pro tip: Not sure which categories to pick? The checklist below will walk you through exactly how to find the best categories for your practice.
If categories are the folders, services are the specific items inside. They tell Google (and your clients) exactly what you offer.
Let's say someone searches "Invisalign near me." Google will check if you have "Invisalign" listed as a service. If you do, great—you might show up. If you don't, Google assumes you don't offer it.
Think of it like a restaurant menu. If a dish isn't on the menu, customers won't know they can order it.
Services an orthodontist might list:
The more services you list, the more searches you can show up for. Just make sure you actually offer what you list!
Here's a simple action plan:
Not sure where to start? The checklist below will guide you through the categories and services in just 20 to 25 minutes.
Work through each item below. By the end, your profile will be optimized for better local rankings.
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How to use:
Open any business on Google Maps - primary and secondary categories display automatically beside the profile
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Search for any term on Google Maps - click the Local Scan button to compare all GBPs
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Open any business on Google Maps - click the 'AI' button beside the GBP to use AI features
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Open any business on Google Maps - click the 'Find more' button beside categories
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Open any business on Google Maps - click the 'Basic Audit' button beside the GBP
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Open any business on Google Maps - click the 'Review Audit' button beside the GBP
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Open any business on Google Maps - click the 'Teleport' button beside the GBP
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Open any business on Google Maps - click the 'Post Audit' button beside the GBP
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