Most clinics in India have two online front doors: a Practo profile and a Google Business Profile. Both bring patients, but they work very differently, and clinics with limited time often spread themselves thin across both. Here’s how they compare, and where to put effort first.
How patients use each
Patients usually start on Google, searching for a specialty or a treatment plus their area, and see the map results first. Practo is used more by patients who already know they want to book through an app, compare doctors on one platform, or pay for an online consultation. For most clinics, Google is where the first impression happens.
Google Business Profile: the default first step
- Free, and shown in Google Search and Maps, where most local searches start.
- You control the name, categories, hours, photos and services.
- Links straight to your website, phone and WhatsApp.
- Needs regular attention: accurate hours, real photos and replies to reviews.
Practo: useful, but on someone else’s platform
- Good for online booking and teleconsultations if your patients use it.
- You compete side by side with other doctors on the same screen.
- Paid placements and listing features are a cost to weigh against the bookings they bring.
- Under the NMC’s October 2026 guidelines, healthcare platforms that list doctors must not sell paid rankings, so check how your listing is presented.
Where to put effort first
For most clinics: get your Google Business Profile complete and accurate first, then make sure your website has a page for each main treatment, then decide whether Practo adds bookings you wouldn’t otherwise get. Keep your name, address, phone number and timings identical on both, because mismatches confuse patients and search engines.
A quick check
- Is your Google profile verified, with the correct primary category?
- Do your hours, phone number and address match on Google, Practo and your website?
- Do you know how many bookings each platform actually brings each month?
Our Google Business Profile guide for clinics walks through the setup step by step.
This article is general information, not legal advice.
