What Patients Actually Google Before Booking a Physio, Dentist, or GP

Before booking a physio, dentist or GP, your patients run five kinds of search. They ask about a symptom or condition. They search for a service plus a place, like "physio near me". They check the cost or bulk billing. They ask "does it actually work". Then they check your clinic's name or reviews. Each search is one step in a single decision. Around 77% of patients now search online before they book. So if your clinic answers all five, you are the one they book. Be careful, though. The searches that bring the most bookings are also where clinics break AHPRA rules, so playing it straight is your edge.

What do patients actually Google before booking?

A patient rarely books on the first search. They work through a decision, one search at a time. By the time they call you, they have often run four or five searches. They have read several pages too.

Around 77% of patients use online search before booking a medical appointment, according to healthcare SEO research reported in 2026. That is a lot of people looking. In Australia, ABS data for 2024-25 shows 83.4% of people saw a GP in the past year. And 53.9% saw a dental professional. Almost every one of them started with a search.

Those searches sort into five types. Each one matches a step in the decision.

• The symptom search. "Why does my knee hurt going down stairs." The patient has a problem in mind, but no clinic yet.
• The service plus location search. "Physio near me", "dentist Brunswick", "bulk billing GP open Saturday." Now they are shopping.
• The cost search. "How much does a physio cost", "dental checkup price", "does Medicare cover this." They want to know what they will pay.
• The "does it work" search. "Does dry needling help", "are dental implants worth it." They want reassurance before they spend.
• The name or review search. "[Clinic name] reviews", "best physio in Geelong." This is their final gut check before booking.

Most clinic websites answer just one of these with a service page. They ignore the other four, and that is your gap. It is also where the trap sits. Two of these searches pull clinics straight into claims AHPRA (the body behind the health ad rules) does not allow.

Why "near me" is the search that decides the booking

The service plus location search is the one that turns into a booking. People who search this way are ready to act. They have finished browsing and are now choosing.

The numbers show it. Here is how often a few key Australian searches happen each month.

To show up here, you need a page built for the search. A generic homepage will not do it. Give each location and each key service its own clear page. Then give the plain answers a local patient wants. Say where you are, what you treat, how to book and when you are open.

This is honest, factual copy, and it carries almost no risk with the rules. You are describing your service. You are not promising a result. My hub on SEO for healthcare covers how to structure these pages so they rank.

What patients Google when they compare clinics

Cost is one of the most searched questions in healthcare. It is also one of the least answered. Patients want a number before they call. Most clinic sites give them nothing, so they leave and search again.

Cost is a big worry for patients. ABS figures for 2024-25 show 7.7% of people delayed or skipped a GP visit because of cost. And 16.1% delayed dental care for the same reason. When someone is weighing up the spend, a clear fees page can win you the booking. Without one, they often leave.

A pricing or bulk billing page is one of the safest pages you can publish. No AHPRA rule stops you stating your fees. So state them plainly. If you bulk bill, say who qualifies and when. If a service has a price range, give the range and explain what changes it. You will pick up searches your competitors leave on the table.

There is one line to watch. A discount or "free first visit" counts as an inducement (a lure to book) under the AHPRA advertising guidelines. It is only allowed if you also state the terms. So publish your price. If you run an offer, publish the terms with it.

The "does it actually work" search

Before a patient spends real money, they check whether the treatment works. "Does dry needling help." "Are dental implants worth it." "Is Invisalign better than braces." These are research searches. They give you a chance to build trust.

They are also where clinics reach for claims they cannot back up. Here is the rule that matters. Every claim about what a treatment does must be backed by acceptable evidence. You can explain what a treatment involves and who it may suit. You can say what the process looks like. You cannot promise it will cure, fix or guarantee a result.

So answer the question by teaching, and leave out the sales promise. Describe the treatment honestly and explain the trade-offs. A page that reads like a fair explanation earns more trust than a pitch. It also keeps you on the right side of the rules.

The searches where clinics break AHPRA rules

Here is the trap. Two searches sit closest to a booking: the review check and the "best clinic" search. Those are exactly where clinics break the National Law.

A patient searches "[your clinic] reviews" or "best physio near me" as their final check. Reviews clearly matter to them. So the clinic pastes five-star quotes and a review widget onto its homepage. It adds "the best clinic in town" to the header too. Both break section 133 of the National Law.

Testimonials about clinical care are banned in ads for registered health professions. Once you show or pick reviews on a page you control, they count as advertising. Then the ban applies. Words like "best" and "number one" make patients expect too much, so they are out too.

There is a safer way to win these searches, and it works better.

• Reviews on your Google Business Profile are fine. They sit on a platform you do not control. They also help you show up in the local map results. Encourage reviews there, but do not copy them onto your site.
• Answer the "best" search with proof instead of a boast. Share your years in practice, your qualifications, the conditions you treat and your process. Facts people can check beat empty claims, and they rank.
• Own your name search. Make sure your own site is the top result for your clinic name, ahead of any directory. Fill it with clear, honest information.

This is why it pays to put the rules first. The searches that bring the most bookings are the ones where careless clinics get flagged. Answer them cleanly, and you win the booking and stay safe.

Map the search to the page you publish

Here is the plan I use for a clinic's content. Each search type matches a page. Each page has one rule that keeps it within the rules.

Fill all five gaps and you cover the whole patient journey. You meet them at the first symptom search and again at the final gut check. Most of your competitors will still be running a single homepage and hoping.

How AI search changes what patients see

There is a new layer on top of all this. More patients now get an answer before they ever click a link. Google's AI Overviews and tools like ChatGPT read the same questions. Then they sum up an answer at the top of the page.

So your content now has 2 jobs. It has to win the click, and it has to be the source the AI quotes. Pages that answer a clear question in plain, factual words get pulled into those answers. Vague marketing copy gets left out.

This is good news if you follow the rules. AI tools like to quote clear, honest, well-organised answers. That is the same writing AHPRA wants to see. My post on GEO versus SEO explains why ranking on Google alone is no longer enough.

The clinics that do well over the next few years will answer real patient questions honestly. That is what it comes down to. Rank for the search, answer it cleanly and stay inside the rules.

This is general information for clinics and their marketing teams. It is not legal advice. The AHPRA advertising guidelines and the National Law are updated from time to time. Check the current versions on the AHPRA website, and get formal advice for high-stakes decisions.