Big Changes Hitting Google Maps: How Clinics Can Win the New "Ask a Question" Game

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Hey there, welcome back to the Clinic Marketing Podcast.
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I'm Darcy Sullivan from Propel Marketing and Design.
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Today we're diving into something that's flying under the radar but can really mess with your clinic's visibility if you're not paying attention.
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You know that QA section on Google Business Profiles where patients could ask questions publicly and you or anyone could jump in and answer?
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Well, on a ton of listings, it's basically vanished.
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What's popping up in its place, at least inside the Google Maps app, is this new ask a question thing powered by AI.
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Now let's back up for a minute.
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If you're not familiar with Google Business Profile, it's what used to be called your Google My Business listing, and it's what controls how your clinic shows up in Google Maps and local search results.
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We have tons of episodes on how to optimize your Google Business Profile.
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I'll link them in the episode webpage and show notes, so definitely check those out if you want to go deeper.
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Okay, now that we've cleared that up, let's keep going.
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We used to suggest that you start by asking questions as the business and answering them as the business to get ahead, filling in those gaps yourself.
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As we continue through the episode, you'll see how that's evolving now.
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What's popping up in Palace of the QA, at least inside the Google Maps app, is this new ask a question thing powered by AI.
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So if you're a clinic owner or the one handling marketing, here's the big shift in plain English.
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You're not just answering questions anymore, you're feeding info into an AI system that's going to try to answer them for you.
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And if that system doesn't have enough solid details, it might just shrug and say something like, I don't have enough information about this place.
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Not great for conversions, right?
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Today I'm walking you through exactly what changed and where you're seeing it, why this matters for clinics, even if the feature hasn't hit your listing yet.
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A super practical AI feeding checklist tailored for clinics, what to tackle this week, this month, and long term, plus some real-world patient questions and how to preload the answers so the AI gets it right.
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Let's jump in! Back in 2017, Google launched this questions and answers feature on business profiles.
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Anyone could ask something publicly and businesses could respond directly.
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It was pretty straightforward.
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Fast forward to now and on many profiles, that whole QA section is gone.
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Poof.
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Instead, in the Google Maps app especially, you see this ask a question or ask about this place button, and the answer comes from AI, Google's Gemini, pulling from whatever it can grab.
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This flips the script.
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Before, if someone asked, Do you take walk-ins?
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and you answered clearly, boom, there it was for everyone to see.
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Now, the AI might try to answer that same question by scraping your profile, reviews, website, photos, maybe even social stuff.
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So the real question isn't, did we answer in QA?
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It's is our info clear, consistent, and easy for Google's AI to find across all the places it looks?
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Here's why this hits clinics hard.
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This AI ask thing isn't showing up everywhere equally.
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From what folks are reporting, a lot of medical and healthcare categories, like therapists, addiction treatment, counseling, have been excluded so far, probably because of regulations and sensitivity stuff.
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Dentists seem to have it in some cases, though.
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So you might pop open your listing and think, cool, I don't see it.
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I'm good.
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But don't get too comfortable.
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Google's clearly heading toward AI answering questions across its products, and it's pulling from whatever sources it can.
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Plus, patients are already acting this way.
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They want fast answers without picking up the phone.
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They're Googling things like, do you accept my insurance or do super bills?
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Do you treat this condition?
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How long is a first visit usually?
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Any evening appointments?
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Do you see kids?
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Is parking easy?
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Same-day appointments?
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What happens at the first appointment?
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If your clinic doesn't make those answers dead simple to find, guess what?
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They pick the competitor who does.
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Even if the feature isn't live for your category yet, building this AI ready info layer is one of the smartest local SEO plays you can make right now.
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Okay, think of this like training a super literal assistant.
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It can only use what you've actually published.
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Here's the checklist, Clinic style.
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First, audit your core Google Business Profile basics.
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Start with the no-brainers because they still matter big time.
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Business name, address, phone number, website link, hours, including any special holiday hours, and your appointment link if you have one.
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If any of that's wrong or outdated, you're feeding the AI bad data from the jump.
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Example, if your hours changed six months ago, but your profile still shows the old ones, patients show up at the wrong time, get frustrated, and leave angry reviews.
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Next, categories and services.
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Make sure your primary category is spot on, then add any additional ones that are truly accurate.
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Then head to the services section and list out exactly what you provide.
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Don't just assume the website explains it.
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Put it right in the profile too.
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Example, a chiropractor might set chiropractor as primary.
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Then add services like sports injury care, prenatal chiropractic, or soft tissue therapy, if they actually offer them.
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Third, attributes, amenities, and those small details patients really care about.
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Attributes are one of the easiest ways to feed structured facts.
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Things like wheelchair accessible entrance, restroom availability, gender neutral restroom if you have it, appointment required versus walk-ins, languages spoken, parking availability, telehealth options if that's you.
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The goal here is to answer the can I comfortably go here questions before they're even asked.
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Fourth, photos and videos, but do it strategically.
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Most clinics upload a couple nice lobby shots and call it a day.
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Instead, document everything a patient might wonder about.
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Exterior signage so they can find you, the parking situation, front desk area, treatment rooms with privacy in mind, equipment patients ask about, team photos that feel professional, warm, and current.
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Google says images and video help and the AI can pull context from what's there.
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Example, if your entrance is confusing, show it.
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If there's an elevator, show it.
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If parking's behind the building, show it.
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Fifth, reviews.
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But ask for the right language.
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This one's huge.
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AI pulls from reviews, so the words inside matter more than ever.
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Most clinics just say, can you leave us a review?
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Instead, guide patients toward helpful details.
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Safe, non-pushy prompts.
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If you're comfortable, mention what you came in for and what you appreciated most about the visit.
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Or, it helps a lot if you mention the type of appointment, like new patient exam, massage, acupuncture, or adjustment.
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Or, if you want to be extra helpful, mention how scheduling felt, wait time, and how the team explained next steps.
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You're not scripting, just guiding toward details that help future patients decide.
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Six, third-party reviews and profiles.
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Google sometimes pulls from other platforms.
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Facebook's been spotted as a source in some cases.
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Yelp, maybe not always.
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So keep a solid, consistent presence on the major ones your patients use.
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If you've got strong testimonials elsewhere, embed them on your website too.
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It's a source you control and the AI can read.
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Seventh, social links connected to your profile.
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If the options there in your dashboard, link your social profiles, then actually post stuff that answers real patient questions, not just motivational quotes, operational info, service explanations, what a first visit looks like, short FAQs, that content can get scraped as context.
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Eighth, your website content, especially FAQs.
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Your website is still your best controlled asset.
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Build an FAQ system that's not fluff, dedicated FAQ page plus FAQs embedded on key service pages.
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Write them in patient language, not clinical jargon.
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Now, let's hit some of the most common patient questions clinics should pre-answer.
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These are real-world ones for chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, med spas, and similar spots.
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Hear these and think, where does Google see the answer?
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Scheduling and policies.
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Do I need a referral?
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Do you take same-day appointments?
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What happens if I'm late?
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Do you offer payment plans?
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Do you take HSA or FSA?
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Insurance and pricing.
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Do you take my insurance?
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Do you provide super bills?
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What does a first visit cost?
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Is there a cancellation fee?
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Services and fit.
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Do you treat kids?
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Do you help with prenatal care?
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Do you treat athletes?
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Do you treat migraines?
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Do you treat sciatica?
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Do you offer shockwave therapy?
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Do you offer dry needling?
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Do you do IV therapy?
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Be careful with medical claims, but you can clarify what your clinic offers and what a visit includes.
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Accessibility.
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Is there parking?
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Is the entrance accessible?
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Do you have stairs?
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Do you have an elevator?
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Here's the key.
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When those answers are missing, AI fills the gaps and it can be wrong.
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Generative AI is known for inaccuracies, and that's the risk.
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So don't hope it gets it right.
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Publish the answers so the system has less room to guess.
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Let's make this actionable with your seven-day implementation plan.
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Day one, GBP basics audit.
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Name, address, phone, hours, special hours, website, appointment link.
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Day two, categories, services, attributes, max out what's available, but only if it's true.
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Day three, photo sweep.
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Add 15 to 30 useful photos.
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Exterior, signage, parking, treatment rooms, team.
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Day four, build your review language request.
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Update your review request email or text with two or three prompts that encourage detail.
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Day five, update your website FAQ page.
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Add 10 to 15 questions patients actually ask.
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Keep answers short, clear, policy focused.
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Day 6.
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Add FAQs to one to three core service pages.
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Pick your top converters.
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Day 7.
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Create a simple monitoring habit.
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Once a month, search your clinic name in Google Maps, look for any AI ask-a-question behavior, and note what it's pulling from.
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The features rolling out unevenly.
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It can change by category and region.
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Here's the warning and the opportunity.
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The warning.
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In the old system, QA was imperfect, but you could directly answer.
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Now you have less control.
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AI can surface misinformation, and you might not even know unless you test it yourself.
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The opportunity.
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Clinics that treat their Google presence, website, and reviews as one connected information ecosystem are going to win visibility.
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AI needs information to answer.
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The clinic that provides the clearest, most consistent, most patient-friendly info is the one that gets chosen.
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So here's your takeaway.
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Google, removing the old QA isn't just a feature change, it's a behavior change.
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Patients still have questions.
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Google wants to answer them fast.
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The difference is now it's often AI doing the answering.
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Your job is to make sure your clinic is feeding the right information into the right places.
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So the answers are accurate, helpful, and conversion friendly.
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If you want help with this, you can book a discovery call with my team at Propel.
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We'll look at your website, your keyword visibility, and map out the highest impact next steps.
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You can grab the link to book a discovery call in the show notes or visit propellyourcompany.com.
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Alright, that's it for today.
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Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you in the next episode.