Local presence and reviews for a home care agency
By Scott McKenzie, founder of Home Care Agency Blueprint · Updated
Families searching locally often see your Google Business Profile before your website. Claim and verify it, keep your name, service area and phone number consistent everywhere, and ask every client for an honest review the same way. Never pay for reviews or post fake ones, and never share client information in a reply. No one can promise where your profile appears in search results.
Google Business Profile basics
Google says that to show your business on Search, Maps and other Google services, you must add or claim your business and then verify your Business Profile. Businesses that travel to customers where they are, as home care agencies do, can create a profile.
- Represent your business the way it is represented in the real world, across signage, stationery and other branding.
- Make sure your address or service area is accurate and precise.
- Choose the fewest categories that describe your core business.
- Keep only one profile per business.
From Google’s guidelines for representing your business. Google can suspend profiles that break them.
Keep your details consistent
Use the same business name, phone number, address or service area, and hours on your Business Profile, website, signage, brochures and directory listings. When something changes, update every place at once.
Ask for reviews honestly
Google says reviews must reflect a genuine experience, and that offering incentives, like free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for posting, changing or removing reviews is strictly prohibited. You can remind customers to leave reviews by sharing a Google link or QR code.
The FTC’s guide for marketers adds rules of thumb: do not ask for reviews from people who have not used your service, do not ask only the customers you expect to be positive, and do not ask staff, family or friends to review you unless they disclose the connection. The FTC’s rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, in effect since October 21, 2024, lets courts impose civil penalties for knowing violations, including fake reviews and incentives conditioned on a positive review.
Reply to reviews without sharing private information
Google advises business owners never to share a reviewer’s private information in a reply, and to ask the reviewer to contact you directly when a situation is complex. For a home care agency, that includes not confirming someone is a client or mentioning any health or care details. Keep replies short, polite and general.
If your agency is covered by HIPAA, HHS says that, with limited exceptions, using or disclosing protected health information for marketing requires the individual’s written authorization. See website and outreach basics for when HIPAA applies.
Do not buy reputation
The FTC warns that some reputation management companies get results by writing fake reviews, and that you can be held responsible for what they do on your behalf. Avoid any service that offers reviews, ratings or rankings for a fee.
Your state sets the details. Federal law and platform policies set a floor for how you market. Your state may add its own rules, for example on how licensed agencies advertise, what they must say about their license, and payments for referrals. Check with your state licensing agency and a health care attorney. For licensing, homecarelicenseguide.com, also published by Home Care Agency Blueprint, collects each state’s sources.
What to do next
Frequently asked questions
Can I offer a discount or gift card for a review?
We recommend no. Google prohibits incentives in exchange for reviews on Google Maps. The FTC's rule bars incentives conditioned, even by implication, on a positive review, and FTC staff say any review given for an incentive should disclose it. Other review sites set their own rules. Ask every client the same way and accept honest feedback.
Can a service push my agency up in local search results?
No one can promise that. Google decides where profiles appear. Keep your profile accurate and complete, and be wary of anyone selling a ranking.
Want to talk through your options?
A free 15-minute clarity call with Home Care Agency Blueprint. It helps people start home care agencies, so expect that perspective. You do not need a marketing plan first.
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