Health marketing
How patients
choose a clinic.
Mostly on practical things. In NAB's 2024 survey of 1,050 Australians, the top reasons for choosing a health professional were convenient location (58%), bulk billing (53%) and ease of getting an appointment (47%). Online reviews were named by 11%. Get the practical things right and visible, and your marketing has something to work with.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.What patients
say matters.
NAB asked 1,050 Australians what they weigh when choosing a health professional. The answers are practical, and location matters more in capital cities (62%, against 49% in rural areas).
| Reason for choosing | Share who named it |
|---|---|
| Convenient location | 58% |
| Bulk billing | 53% |
| Ease of getting an appointment | 47% |
| Cost | 39% |
| Opening hours | 38% |
| Qualifications | 29% |
| Recommended by family or friends | 26% |
| Recommended by another health professional | 21% |
| Patient reviews | 12% |
| Online reviews, such as Google | 11% |
Getting in
is the battle.
The ABS found that in 2024-25, 27% of people aged 15 and over delayed or didn't see a GP when they needed one, and 26% waited longer than they felt was acceptable. Of people who saw a GP for urgent care, 46% in major cities were seen within four hours, against 30% in outer regional and remote areas.
That's a marketing point as much as a clinical one. If you have same-week appointments, early starts or Saturday mornings, it may be the most persuasive thing you can say. Put the next available time on the website, in the Google profile and in your ads.
How patients judge
what they can't see.
A study of 2,481 Australians found quality of care, meaning communication, thoroughness and continuity, ranked first when choosing a GP, with cost second. It's an older study, but the point holds: a new patient can't see your clinical quality before booking. They judge it by what they can see.
In a study of 522 Google reviews of Victorian public dental clinics, the most common praise was about treatment, and the most common complaint was about reception staff. The phone call and the front desk are part of what patients are choosing.
Reviews filter.
They rarely decide.
Only 11% named online reviews as a reason to choose. My reading, and it's a reading of the data rather than a finding: reviews act as a filter. Location, fees and appointments put a clinic on the shortlist. A run of bad reviews takes it off.
So reviews are worth managing, within Ahpra's rules. There's more on that in reviews for health clinics.
Score your
clinic.
Rate your clinic on each reason, honestly. The tool weights each gap by how many people named that reason, so the top fix is the one likely costing you the most bookings.
Choice gap scorer
Where would a patient
pick someone else?
Rate your clinic honestly on each reason patients give for choosing (1 is poor, 5 is excellent). Each gap is weighted by how many Australians named that reason, so the top fix is the one the most patients say matters.
Fix first
What I see most often
What I see
most often.
- 1
The next appointment is hidden
The site says 'book online', but you only find out the first free slot is weeks away after several clicks.
- 2
Practitioner pages with no detail
A name and a headshot. Nothing on what each person focuses on, so the patient can't tell who suits them.
- 3
Parking left to guesswork
No mention of parking or the nearest stop, for a choice patients make mostly on how easy the clinic is to reach.
- 4
Hours that disagree
Saturday and public holiday hours on the website don't match the Google profile.
The honest bit. None of this replaces good care. Marketing can get a patient through the door once. Whether they come back, and who they tell, is down to the clinic.
Questions
people ask.
What do patients look for when choosing a clinic?
Practical things first. In NAB's 2024 survey, convenient location, bulk billing and ease of getting an appointment were the top three reasons.
Do patients read reviews before choosing a doctor?
Many look, but few say reviews decide it: 11% named online reviews as a reason for choosing. They matter more as a reason to rule a clinic out.
How many Australians wait too long for a GP?
In 2024-25, 26% waited longer than they felt was acceptable for a GP appointment, according to the ABS.
How can a clinic get more new patients?
Fix what patients weigh most, then make it visible: where you are and how to park, fees and rebates, the next available appointment, and hours. Then advertise.
Related
Keep
going.
Get a free
search audit.
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.