When parents get an autism diagnosis, many of them go straight to Google. Your Google Business Profile often makes the first impression, before your website does.
Picture a parent sitting in the car after a developmental evaluation. They have a diagnosis, a referral list they barely skimmed, and a lot of questions. They pick up their phone and type “ABA therapy near me.”
What comes up first is usually not a website. It is the map pack: three local businesses with ratings, hours, photos, and a call button. For many families, that small box decides which clinics they call. If your clinic isn’t there, or your listing looks incomplete, you may never get the call.
How Google decides who shows up
Google says local results are based mainly on three factors, according to its Business Profile help center:
- Relevance. How well your profile matches what the person searched for.
- Distance. How far your location is from the searcher.
- Prominence. How well known your business is, based partly on links from other websites and on your reviews.
You can’t move your building. But you can control a great deal of relevance and prominence.
Get the basics right
Google states that businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to appear in local results. For an ABA clinic, that means:
- Verify every location. Each center should have its own verified profile. Verification tells Google you are authorized to represent the business.
- Choose the right categories. Pick the most accurate primary category, then add secondary categories that describe your services.
- Write a clear description. Say who you serve, what services you offer (center-based, in-home, caregiver training, diagnostics), and the areas you cover. Write for parents, not for search engines.
- List services and insurance. Families’ top question is often “Do you take my insurance?” Answer it in your profile and on your website.
- Keep hours current. Include holiday hours. Nothing loses a parent’s trust faster than calling a clinic that’s closed.
- Use a local phone number that is answered by a person during posted hours.
Show families what to expect
Parents are nervous about bringing their child somewhere new. Photos ease that fear. Add clear images of your entrance, waiting area, therapy rooms, sensory spaces, and outdoor play areas. Introduce your team (with their permission).
Never post photos of clients without written, informed consent, and think carefully even then. The BACB Ethics Code requires confidentiality and consent for any client content shared publicly.
Use Google Posts to share upcoming parent workshops, open enrollment, new locations, or hiring events. Fresh posts show both families and Google that the business is active.
Reviews: proceed carefully
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking. In most industries, the advice would be simple: ask every happy customer for a review.
ABA is different. The BACB Ethics Code (Standard 5.07) says behavior analysts do not solicit testimonials from current clients or stakeholders for use in advertising. Unsolicited reviews on sites you don’t control, like Google, are not covered by that rule. Many in the field read asking current families for Google reviews as a gray area at best. The safest course is not to ask current clients.
What you can do:
- Respond to every review in a way that does not identify the reviewer as a client. A simple thank-you, or an invitation to call the office, protects privacy and shows you care.
- Never offer incentives for reviews, and never write or post reviews yourself. The FTC prohibits fake and incentivized reviews.
- Earn prominence in other ways. Links from local organizations, parent groups, chambers of commerce, and news coverage all help.
- Deliver great service. Satisfied families often leave reviews on their own.
Build local authority
Prominence isn’t only about reviews. Google also considers how many other websites link to you. Ways to build local credibility:
- Get listed on autism resource directories, state ABA association directories, and your payers’ provider directories.
- Sponsor or speak at local autism awareness events, school PTA meetings, and parent support groups.
- Offer to write a guest article for a local parenting publication.
- Make sure your clinic name, address, and phone number match exactly across every listing.
Track what’s working
Your Business Profile dashboard shows how many people found you, called you, requested directions, or clicked through to your website. Review it monthly. Ask every new family at intake how they found you, and log the answer. Over time, you’ll see which efforts actually bring families through the door.
The bottom line
Local search is often the first step in a family’s ABA journey. A complete, accurate, and active Google Business Profile costs nothing but time, and it can be the difference between a parent calling your clinic or the one down the street. Build it with the same care you’d give a family’s first visit, and keep it within the ethics rules that make families trust ABA providers in the first place.