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AHPRA Advertising Guidelines: What Healthcare Practitioners Need to Know About Their Website
Most practice websites have at least one AHPRA advertising compliance issue — and many practitioners have no idea. This guide covers the most common mistakes, what the guidelines actually require, and how to build a website that attracts patients without putting your registration at risk.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information about AHPRA advertising guidelines for educational purposes. It is not legal advice. For specific compliance questions, consult AHPRA directly or seek legal advice from a practitioner law specialist.
What the AHPRA Advertising Guidelines Actually Cover
The National Law requires that advertising of regulated health services must not be false, misleading, or deceptive. It must not offer gifts or discounts in ways that encourage unnecessary use of services. It must not use testimonials. It must not create unrealistic expectations. And it must not use the title "specialist" unless the practitioner holds that specialist registration.
These rules apply to everything your practice publishes online — your website, social media, Google Business Profile, paid ads, and any directory listings. The intent is to protect patients from being misled about health services.
Advertising complaints can be made by anyone — a patient, a competitor, or a member of the public. AHPRA investigates all complaints. Outcomes can range from a request to remove content to formal action against your registration.
⚠ Mistake 1: Patient Testimonials
This is the most common compliance issue we see on healthcare websites. Patient testimonials — even genuine, positive ones — are not permitted in advertising regulated health services. This includes quotes from patients, star ratings attributed to patients, case studies that identify individuals, and reviews embedded directly on your website from platforms like Google or Facebook.
The reasoning is that testimonials can create unrealistic expectations — what worked for one patient may not work for another, and health outcomes are highly individual.
What you can do instead
- ✓ Display your overall star rating without individual patient quotes
- ✓ Direct patients to external platforms (Google, Healthengine) where reviews exist independently of your advertising
- ✓ Use professional credentials and qualifications to build credibility
- ✓ Describe your approach and philosophy without referencing patient outcomes
⚠ Mistake 2: Before and After Photos
Before and after imagery is heavily restricted. It can only be used in certain contexts, with proper informed consent from the patient, and cannot be used in a way that creates unrealistic expectations about outcomes. For many practitioners — particularly in aesthetic medicine, dentistry, and physiotherapy — before/after photos are commonly used but often non-compliant.
The key test is whether the images imply that a particular result is typical or guaranteed. Even with consent, imagery that suggests "this is what you will look like" crosses the line.
The safe approach
If you want to use before/after imagery, obtain specific written consent for advertising use, include clear disclaimers that results vary, and avoid presenting the images as representative of typical outcomes. When in doubt, leave them out.
⚠ Mistake 3: Unsubstantiated Claims
Copy like "the best physio in Sydney," "guaranteed results," "cure your back pain," or "Australia's leading sports injury clinic" are unsubstantiated claims. They are either impossible to verify or make promises about outcomes that cannot be guaranteed.
Superlatives are particularly problematic — "best," "leading," "most experienced," "number one" all require evidence you almost certainly cannot provide in the way advertising law requires.
What to say instead
Describe your qualifications, your years of experience, your areas of focus, and your approach. "Our team includes practitioners with over 15 years of experience in sports rehabilitation" is factual and verifiable. "Sydney's best sports physio" is not.
⚠ Mistake 4: Using "Specialist" Without Specialist Registration
Under the National Law, the title "specialist" is a protected term. Only practitioners who hold specialist registration in a recognised specialty can use it. A GP with a strong interest in dermatology cannot call themselves a "skin specialist." A physio who focuses on sports injuries cannot call themselves a "sports specialist."
The correct language is "with a focus on," "with special interest in," or "experienced in" — none of which imply specialist registration.
Building Trust Within the Guidelines: E-E-A-T
Google applies its E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) with particular scrutiny to health content — categorised as "Your Money or Your Life" pages. A compliant healthcare website that also ranks well needs to demonstrate all four signals clearly.
Experience
Years in practice, number of patients treated, clinical environments worked in. Factual, verifiable, and compelling.
Expertise
Qualifications, postgraduate training, memberships of professional bodies, published research or contributions.
Authoritativeness
References to peer-reviewed sources, links from reputable medical organisations, citations in other health content.
Trustworthiness
Clear privacy policy, secure site, practitioner registration numbers visible, contact information accurate and complete.
The Quick Compliance Checklist
- ✓ No patient testimonials or quotes on your website
- ✓ Before/after photos only with proper consent and disclaimers — or removed entirely
- ✓ No unsubstantiated superlatives (best, leading, number one)
- ✓ Specialist title only used if you hold specialist registration
- ✓ No guarantees of outcomes or cures
- ✓ Discounts and offers not structured to encourage unnecessary treatment
- ✓ All claims capable of being substantiated with evidence
A compliant website does not have to be generic. We build healthcare websites that work within AHPRA guidelines while still being compelling enough to convert a visitor into a booked patient. A free audit will show you where your current site stands.