When to start promoting a new medical practice: licence, season and announcement calendar
When to start promoting a new medical practice in Turkey depends on a calendar anchored to the opening date. No outward-facing promotion happens before the licence arrives. An opening date can be added to a Google Business Profile up to a year ahead, and the profile starts to appear 90 days before opening. The first month after opening is open to rule-compliant sponsored promotion on all platforms under the regulation of 12 November 2025; after that, unsponsored information continues.
Two clocks run on this calendar: the 30-day sponsored window and the “Recently opened” label Google shows for 90 days after opening. Season comes in when you pick the opening day; the one-time first month should not land in your specialty’s quiet weeks. For both private practices and polyclinics, check with your provincial health directorate and medical chamber before each step.
The calendar in brief: which step happens on which day?
The calendar treats opening day as zero and has five stops: the licence, the day the profile becomes visible, opening day, day 30 and day 90. The table lists each stop, the door it opens or closes, and its basis. Ask the directorate in writing about any grey area.
| Stop | What opens or closes? | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | The institution formally exists; the opening date is fixed | Provincial health directorate |
| Day −90 | The Google profile starts to show on Maps | Google Business Profile Help |
| Day 0 | Opening; the sponsored window starts | Regulation, article 5(1)(j) |
| Day 30 | The sponsored window closes | Regulation, article 5(1)(j) |
| Day 90 | The “Recently opened” label disappears | Google Business Profile Help |
Build the calendar backwards
Start from the licence date and count each stop from it. A calendar built on an estimated date collapses when the licence is delayed.
Keep the 90 days short in health care
Use Google’s 90-day early visibility only once the licence is in hand.
What do you prepare while waiting for the licence?
The licence period is preparation behind closed doors. Practices and polyclinics both open through the provincial health directorate; documents and timelines vary by type, so get the current list there. You do not dress the shop window yet, but you stock the shelves: text, photos, titles and accounts get ready, and none of it goes live.
- Write doctors’ titles exactly as they appear on diplomas and specialty certificates.
- Build the website draft offline; address, hours and specialty pages ready.
- Photograph the waiting room and examination rooms with no patients present.
- Set up the phone line and booking routine, and decide who answers.
- Reserve social media handles, but do not post.
- Draft the first-month announcement and have it checked against the rules.
Why titles come first
Under the regulation, specialist titles based on certificates outside the main and sub-specialties cannot be used. Getting it right early saves corrections on the site, profile and sign.
The same name on the sign and the screen
Write the institution’s name the same way on the licence, the sign and the Google profile. Three different names make patients wonder if it is the same place.
When does the Google profile appear, and how do you add an opening date?
According to Google’s help page, an opening date can be added up to a year in advance; year and month are enough, the day is optional. The profile starts to appear on Google 90 days before the opening date. Before opening, users cannot suggest edits or add reviews and photos. As the owner, you can add posts announcing the opening, construction photos and a business description.
Fill in category and fields before opening
Have the right category, specialty services and opening hours ready before the profile goes visible. We walk through each field in Google Business Profile for a medical practice.
The general logic of opening dates
We collected the steps for any sector in adding an opening date on Google. The only difference in health care is entering the date after the licence.
Why can the first month after opening be used only once?
Under article 5 of the regulation, health institutions can carry out rule-compliant sponsored promotion and information on all platforms during the first month after their opening date. The clock starts on opening day and does not rewind. Fees, discounts, campaigns and promotions remain banned in that month too.
Do not pile the budget into week one
Split the thirty days into four weeks: week one the announcement, week two location and access, week three introducing the doctors, week four the booking channel.
How does season affect the opening date?
Season affects the choice of opening day, not promotion itself. The sponsored month is used once, so do not land it in a quiet period. Read it from data: check Google Trends for district plus specialty searches over five years, and any previous appointment book. Opening two or three weeks before demand rises usually works best.
Each district has its own calendar
In Çeşme, the population rises in summer with holiday homeowners and quietens in winter. In Mavişehir, Beşiktaş or Kadıköy, evening and Saturday appointments may matter more for people who work during the week. Confirm which applies to your district with your own book.
School and new-year periods
In specialties such as paediatrics, eye care or check-ups, the start of the school year and the new year may be periods of higher demand. Test this with your own data.
What happens between month two and day 90?
After day thirty, sponsored promotion closes, but visibility does not end. The regulation allows listing on search engines and social media as long as it is not paid or aimed at boosting. Google shows a “Recently opened” label for 90 days after opening.
Three numbers a week
Every Monday, write down profile searches, booking requests and first consultations. By day 90 you have a 12-week table, and decisions come from that table. We built the wider plan in a new medical practice’s first 90 days.
Reply to reviews, no incentives
Reply to reviews without mentioning treatment. Turning patient thanks into promotion is banned; one post made just to get the till ringing can bring an inspection report.
What it means for you: how do you set the calendar today?
Write the five stops into your calendar from the licence date. Then adjust the opening day to your specialty’s season, plan the four weeks of the sponsored month and start weekly tracking through day 90. The full promotion framework is in the new medical practice promotion guide.
Finish the infrastructure before opening
Have the mobile page, Google Business Profile, basic SEO and visitor tracking ready for opening day. To set up all four from one place, look at the Website Recipe in the Get Visible Online campaign: TRY 36,000 + VAT, paid upfront at a fixed price, 3-month period; results are reviewed together at the end of the first month.
The recipe is chosen with the calendar
In health care, the Google Ads or Meta Ads Recipe is limited to the first month, so new practices usually start with the site and profile.
Quick Summary
- No outward-facing promotion before the licence arrives.
- The Google profile shows 90 days before opening; in health care, use it after the licence.
- The first month after opening is open to sponsored promotion, once.
- The “Recently opened” label shows for 90 days after opening.
- Choose the opening date by season; do not spend the sponsored month in a quiet period.
- Fees, discounts and patient thanks never enter promotion at any stop.
Short Glossary
Sponsored window: Sponsored window is the time limit used to let a health institution run paid promotion within one month of opening.
Opening date field: Opening date field is the Google Business Profile field used to announce when a new business will open.
Season: Season is the concept used to describe how appointment demand in a specialty rises and falls in certain weeks of the year.
Next Step
If your calendar is ready, infrastructure comes next. Apply to the Get Visible Online campaign, write your opening date on the needs form and get a recipe that fits it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Add a business opening date
Sık Sorulan Sorular
The institution’s name, address, opening hours, specialties and doctors’ titles. You will find compliant examples in medical practice opening announcement.
No outward-facing promotion happens before the licence arrives. After the licence, an opening date can be added to the Google profile, which then shows 90 days before opening. Sponsored promotion is limited to the first month after opening.
Under the Regulation on Promotion and Information Activities in Health Services of 12 November 2025, for the first month after the opening date, provided the rules are followed. Fees and discounts remain banned in that month too.
You fill in the needs form, Adapte suggests the right recipe, and delivery starts with payment. The package is TRY 36,000 + VAT, paid upfront at a fixed price, for 3 months. With 20 percent VAT that is TRY 43,200; check the current rate on your invoice. Mention the coupon code when you apply.
Updated: October 2026