Clinic Marketing in Australia: Growing Patients Within AHPRA Rules

Australian patients increasingly choose health services online. They search for a "bulk billing GP near me", "physio Bondi" or "emergency dentist Brisbane", compare clinics on Google, check availability and book appointments from their phones. Clinics that are easy to find, trustworthy and simple to book win more of those patients.

Healthcare advertising in Australia is also tightly regulated. Registered health practitioners, and anyone advertising a regulated health service, must follow the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, enforced by AHPRA and the National Boards. Privacy law, the Australian Consumer Law, the Therapeutic Goods Administration's rules and the Spam Act also apply. This guide explains how to grow within those rules.

This article is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Always check AHPRA's current advertising guidelines.

1. The core AHPRA advertising rules

Section 133 of the National Law prohibits advertising a regulated health service, or a business that provides one, in a way that:

• Is false, misleading or deceptive, or likely to be
• Offers a gift, discount or other inducement without stating the terms and conditions
• Uses testimonials or purported testimonials about the service
• Creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment
• Directly or indirectly encourages the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of regulated health services

AHPRA's guidelines explain how these rules apply. In practice, avoid claims of superiority ("the best dentist in Sydney"), guaranteed outcomes, misleading before-and-after images, scarcity pressure and testimonials about clinical aspects of care in your advertising. AHPRA has published additional guidance for practitioners who perform non-surgical and surgical cosmetic procedures, including stricter rules on images and the use of influencers.

What about Google reviews?

AHPRA's guidance generally treats reviews on independent sites that you do not control differently from testimonials in your own advertising. However, sharing or reposting clinical reviews in your advertising, or soliciting them in certain ways, may breach the rules. Check AHPRA's current guidance on testimonials before you use or highlight reviews anywhere.

2. Google Business Profile

• Choose the most specific category, such as "Physiotherapist" or "Dental clinic"
• List accurate hours, including after-hours and weekend availability
• Describe services factually
• Add real photos of the clinic, reception and team, with staff consent
• Link to online booking
• Post updates about services, new practitioners and public health information

3. A clinic website patients trust

• Service pages describing conditions treated and what to expect, without promising outcomes
• Practitioner profiles with registration status and qualifications
• Fees, bulk billing, Medicare and private health insurance information
• Online booking
• Location, parking and public transport details
• Accessible design and a clear privacy policy

Use titles correctly. Only use "specialist" if the practitioner holds specialist registration in that specialty.

4. Helpful, accurate content

Write content that answers patient questions: what happens at a first appointment, how to prepare, recovery tips and when to seek urgent care. Base information on evidence, have practitioners review it and avoid exaggerating benefits.

5. Privacy and health information

Health service providers are generally covered by the Privacy Act 1988 regardless of turnover, and health information is sensitive information under the Australian Privacy Principles. Some states also have health records laws. In practice:

• Do not use patient names, images or stories without consent, and check AHPRA's testimonial rules
• Avoid advertising pixels on booking pages and forms that collect health information
• Use secure booking, forms and messaging tools
• Keep reminders free of sensitive information

6. The Spam Act and patient messages

Commercial electronic messages, such as promotional emails and texts, need consent, sender identification and a functional unsubscribe under the Spam Act 2003. Appointment reminders that are purely factual are generally treated differently from promotional messages, but avoid mixing promotions into reminders without consent. See our Spam Act SMS guide.

7. Appointment reminders

Text reminders reduce no-shows. Get consent at registration, keep messages short and avoid health details:

"Hi Alex, reminder of your appointment at Northside Physio on Wednesday at 9:15 am. Reply Y to confirm or call 02 5550 1000 to reschedule."

8. Paid advertising

Google and Meta have healthcare policies, and the AHPRA rules apply to paid ads too. Prescription-only medicines must not be advertised to the public under therapeutic goods advertising rules, which matters for cosmetic injectables. Keep ads factual and landing pages compliant.

9. Discounts and offers

If you advertise a discount, gift or inducement, the National Law requires you to state its terms and conditions. Avoid offers that encourage unnecessary treatment, and be careful with time-limited deals.

10. Measure what matters

• New patient bookings by source
• Calls and online booking completions
• Show rate and missed appointments
• Patient retention through treatment plans
• Google profile views and actions

Pricing

Prices are in US dollars and follow our current price list. SEO plans have a 3-month minimum. These prices are positioned below typical Australian healthcare marketing agency rates. Contact us for an exact quote. We check content against AHPRA's published guidance, but final compliance responsibility stays with the practitioner.

Common mistakes

• Featuring patient testimonials about clinical care on the website or social media
• Claiming to be "the best", "leading" or "number one"
• Before-and-after photos that are edited, unrepresentative or used without consent
• Misusing the title "specialist"
• Offers without terms and conditions
• Advertising pixels on booking forms

Social media for clinics

AHPRA's rules apply to social media accounts run by practitioners and clinics, including content shared by staff on the clinic's behalf. Use social channels to share health education, introduce practitioners, explain services and announce clinic news. Avoid reposting patient comments about clinical outcomes, and moderate comments on your own pages, because practitioners may be responsible for testimonials posted where they have control.

Multi-location practices

Each clinic location should have its own page with accurate details, practitioners and services, and its own Google Business Profile. Keep names consistent across every listing and make sure booking links go to the correct location.

Working with influencers and creators

Paying or gifting influencers to promote a health service is advertising, so the National Law applies, including the ban on testimonials. AHPRA's cosmetic procedures guidance specifically restricts the use of influencers and brand ambassadors for cosmetic surgery and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. For other health services, think carefully before any creator partnership, keep content educational and avoid personal outcome stories.

Referrals from other practitioners

Many practices grow through referrals from GPs, specialists, allied health practitioners and community organisations. Build relationships through clear referral information, timely reports back to referrers with patient consent and professional networking events. Avoid inducements that could breach the National Law or professional codes of conduct.

Staff training

Make sure everyone who posts or replies on the clinic's behalf, including reception staff, understands the basic advertising rules and privacy obligations.

A 90-day plan

1. Month 1: Audit the website and social channels against AHPRA's guidelines and remove non-compliant content.
2. Month 2: Improve Google profiles, practitioner pages and service pages; set up reminders.
3. Month 3: Publish helpful content and start compliant paid search.

How DND Teams helps

We help clinics in Sydney, Melbourne and across Australia, including dental practices, with digital marketing, SEO and websites, built with AHPRA's rules in mind. Request a free patient acquisition audit.

Prices shown are indicative ranges in US dollars and exclude taxes and third-party charges (such as Meta or carrier fees, billed at cost) unless stated. Your price depends on your requirements; get a custom quote for an exact figure. This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects our understanding as of October 2026.