Your first impression
When a parent searches "ABA therapy near me," the map results usually appear before any website. For a lot of families, your Google Business Profile is the first thing they see about your clinic, and sometimes the only thing they see before they call.
Why does local search matter so much for ABA?
Center-based ABA is a local decision. Families are choosing a place they'll drive to several times a week, so nearby searches carry high intent, and Google shows map results for them by default.
Even families who were referred by a diagnostician often search your name before calling. What they find on your profile, especially your reviews, hours, and photos, either confirms the referral or sends them to the next clinic on the list.
How do you set up your Google Business Profile?
- Claim and verify it under a clinic-owned Google account, never a personal account of an employee who might leave.
- Choose the most specific primary category Google offers for your services, then check which categories well-ranked ABA clinics nearby use.
- Fill in everything: hours, phone, a link to the matching location page on your site, services, and a description that names the settings you offer and the insurance you accept.
- Add real photos of the building, rooms, and team. No client faces without written authorization.
- If you only provide in-home services, set a service area and hide your address, which is what Google requires when families don't come to your location.
How do multiple locations work?
Create one profile per staffed location where families actually receive services, each linking to its own location page. Don't create profiles for virtual offices or addresses where you don't serve families. Google suspends profiles that break this rule, and getting reinstated takes weeks.
How should you ask for reviews?
Read the BACB Ethics Code standards on testimonials before you design any review request, because they restrict soliciting testimonials from current clients and many clinics treat review requests the same way.
A common approach is to make reviewing easy without pressuring anyone: a review link in discharge or graduation materials, and a link on your website for families who want to share their experience. Never offer incentives, and never write reviews or ask staff to write them. Google's policies prohibit both.
How do you respond to reviews without breaking HIPAA?
Never confirm that the reviewer is or was a client, even if they named themselves and their child in the review. HHS has fined healthcare providers for disclosing patient information in review replies.
Keep replies general and move the conversation offline: thank them for the feedback, say you take concerns seriously, and give a phone number or email for the clinic director. That works for glowing reviews and angry ones alike.
What else affects how you rank in the map?
Google weighs three things: proximity to the searcher (you can't change that), relevance (your categories, services, and website content), and prominence (reviews, links, and mentions around the web).
Keep your clinic's name, address, and phone number identical everywhere they appear: your site, insurance network directories, local autism and parent resource lists, and your chamber of commerce. Inconsistent listings make Google less confident about which details are right.
Local search and organic SEO overlap but aren't the same thing. See SEO and AI visibility for the website side.
Frequently asked questions
Can I list my home office as a clinic location?
Only if families receive services there. If you provide in-home ABA from a home office, set up a service-area profile with the address hidden instead.
Should I reply to every review?
Yes, briefly, and without confirming the reviewer is a client. Consistent, calm replies tell future parents how you handle concerns.
Can I get a bad review removed?
Only if it breaks Google's content policies, for example spam, harassment, or a review from someone who was never a customer. Flag those through your profile. For everything else, a calm, private-by-default reply does more than removal would.
How many reviews do I need?
There's no fixed number. What matters is a steady flow of recent reviews compared with the other clinics in your area, since parents compare you side by side.