Discover how leading physical therapy clinics use categories and services to connect with patients searching for rehabilitation. GMB Everywhere shows you the exact optimization strategies your competitors are using to capture those searches.
Imagine someone recovering from an injury, searching for "physical therapy near me" or "back pain treatment near me" on Google. They see a list of local physical therapy clinics—some at the top, others several pages deep.
Ever wonder why some clinics get all the patient calls while others struggle to fill appointments? 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 clinic's online business card on Google. It shows your name, location, phone number, hours, photos, and patient reviews. When someone searches for physical therapy services, Google decides which clinic 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 clinic. Think of these as the "three pillars" that hold up your local ranking.
This sounds obvious, but many physical therapy clinics have inconsistent business information online. Google checks if your clinic name, address, and phone number match everywhere—your website, insurance directories, and Google. If they don't match, Google gets confused and won't show your profile properly.
Quick check: Is your clinic's name spelled exactly the same on your website, Google profile, and healthcare directories?
When someone searches "orthopedic physical therapy near me" or "sports injury rehabilitation," Google looks at your clinic profile to see if you provide those services. If you haven't listed them, you won't show up—even if rehabilitation is your specialty.
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 types of therapy and rehabilitation you specialize in is really important.
Google reads patient reviews. Lots of positive reviews tell Google that patients trust your clinic. Replying to reviews shows you're responsive and professional. Both boost your search ranking.
Think about it: would you choose a physical therapy clinic with 3 reviews or one with 50+ positive 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 set up.
Now, let's dive deeper into the part that matters most for physical therapy clinics: categories and services. Once you understand these, you'll be ahead of most clinics 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 "physical therapy clinic near me," Google opens the "Physical Therapy Clinic" folder and shows what's inside.
If your clinic 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 physical therapy services and related specialties you offer).
Here's what a typical physical therapy clinic 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 physical therapy clinic.
If categories are the folders, services are the specific items inside. They tell Google (and prospective patients) exactly what types of therapy you provide.
Let's say someone searches "post-surgical rehabilitation near me." Google will check if you have "Post-surgical rehabilitation" listed as a service. If you do, great—you'll show up. If you don't, Google assumes you don't provide it.
Think of it like a treatment menu. If a therapy type isn't listed, patients searching for it won't know to call you.
Services a physical therapy clinic might list:
The more therapy types you list, the more patient searches you can show up for. Just make sure you actually provide what you list!
Here's your action plan to reach more patients:
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 physical therapy clinic profile will be optimized for better local rankings and more patient appointments.
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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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How to use:
Open any business on Google Maps - click the 'Post Audit' button beside the GBP
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