Every medical, dental, and orthodontic practice wants to rank higher on Google Maps.
And we understand why.
When someone searches for a dentist, orthodontist, dermatologist, or other healthcare provider nearby, appearing prominently in Google’s local search results can make a tremendous difference in whether that person discovers your practice.
So when a new marketing service promises to improve Google Maps rankings by increasing driving directions requests, it certainly gets our attention.
In fact, several of our clients have recently asked Virginia Creative Group about these services.
Rather than dismissing the idea, we decided to investigate.
Could this be something we should offer our clients? Could increasing Google Maps driving directions requests help improve local rankings? And, most importantly, was it a legitimate strategy we could confidently recommend?
After looking into how these services are marketed, Google’s guidelines, and the potential risks, we made a decision: Virginia Creative Group will not purchase or artificially generate Google Maps driving directions requests to manipulate local search rankings.
Here’s why.
What Is Google Maps Driving Directions Manipulation?
Google Maps driving directions manipulation is a marketing tactic designed to artificially increase the number of people who appear to request directions to a business.
The theory is fairly simple.
If Google sees more people requesting directions to your practice, perhaps it will interpret that activity as a sign that your practice is popular and deserves greater visibility in local search results.
Some companies sell services intended to increase these interactions, sometimes referred to as Google Maps engagement manipulation, driving directions boosting, or local SEO click-through-rate manipulation.
The services may involve automated activity, simulated interactions, or other methods intended to make a business appear to receive more engagement than it naturally attracts.
Not every company uses the same technology, and the precise methods aren’t always publicly disclosed.
But the underlying question remains:
Are these actual prospective patients looking for directions to your practice, or are they manufactured interactions intended to influence Google’s algorithm?
That’s a very important distinction.
Do Google Maps Driving Directions Requests Help Rankings?
This is where things get interesting.
Google doesn’t publicly disclose every signal used in its local search ranking algorithm.
However, Google does explain the three primary factors influencing local search rankings:
1. Relevance
How closely does your Google Business Profile match what someone is searching for?
For example, if someone searches for “orthodontist in Virginia Beach,” Google wants to identify orthodontic practices that are relevant to that search.
2. Distance
How far is the practice from the person searching?
Location matters. A practice located close to the searcher may have an advantage over one much farther away, depending on the query and other factors.
3. Prominence
How well-known and established is the practice?
Google explains that prominence is influenced by information about a business from across the web, including links and reviews.
More reviews and positive ratings can help local rankings.
But here’s what’s important.
Google does not identify purchased or artificially generated Google Maps driving directions requests as a recommended local ranking strategy.
There is also no reliable public evidence establishing that buying these requests consistently improves rankings.
Google’s own guidance states that businesses cannot request or pay Google for better organic local rankings.
You can read Google’s explanation here:
Google: Tips to Improve Your Local Ranking
How Do Artificial Driving Directions Services Work?
Some services claim they can generate increased activity on a Google Business Profile through networks of users, automated technology, or simulated interactions.
The goal is to create activity that resembles genuine interest in a business.
For example, imagine your dental practice normally receives 75 requests for Google Maps driving directions each month.
A service promises to generate hundreds of additional requests.
Suddenly, your Google Business Profile reports significantly more Google Maps driving directions activity.
That sounds impressive. But consider what those numbers actually represent.
Did hundreds of additional prospective patients discover your practice?
Did they schedule appointments?
Did they visit your office?
Or did a third-party service simply manufacture additional interactions?
More activity on a report doesn’t necessarily mean more patients in your chairs.
And that’s a problem.
Could Artificial Google Maps Engagement Put Your Business Profile at Risk?
Potentially, yes.
Google has policies against fake engagement and certain forms of activity designed to manipulate its platforms.
Its Google Maps policies specifically address attempts to mimic genuine engagement, manipulate sensor data, or otherwise interfere with normal platform operations.
Google also has the ability to restrict content, accounts, and Business Profiles when violations occur.
That doesn’t mean every purchased Google Maps driving directions service automatically results in a suspended listing.
Nor does it mean Google has publicly declared that every possible method of generating direction requests violates a specific policy.
However, services that rely on deceptive or artificially simulated activity raise legitimate compliance concerns.
And for Virginia Creative Group, those concerns are significant.
You can review Google’s policies here:
Google Maps Prohibited and Restricted Content
Google Business Profile Policies and Guidelines
What Happens if Your Google Business Profile Is Suspended?
For a medical, dental, or orthodontic practice, losing access to or visibility through a Google Business Profile can create serious problems.
Your practice depends on people being able to find accurate information about your business.
Patients use Google to locate your office, call your team, read reviews, check hours, and visit your website.
A suspended or disabled profile can disrupt that visibility and create additional work to resolve the issue.
Not every suspension has the same consequences, and Google provides appeal processes.
But why introduce unnecessary risk to such an important part of your practice’s online presence?
We would rather build your visibility the right way than gamble with something you’ve spent years establishing.
Why Virginia Creative Group Decided Against This Strategy
At Virginia Creative Group, we are always investigating new marketing opportunities.
Google changes. Search behavior changes. Technology changes.
And when something new appears that might help our clients, we want to understand it.
That’s exactly why we researched Google Maps driving directions services.
We weren’t looking for reasons to dismiss them.
We were looking for evidence that they could provide legitimate, sustainable value to the medical, dental, and orthodontic practices we represent.
But we couldn’t establish that artificially increasing Google Maps driving directions requests was a reliable, Google-supported strategy for improving local rankings.
We also couldn’t justify the potential risks associated with manufactured engagement.
And perhaps most importantly, we couldn’t connect the activity itself to what our clients actually need.
More patients. More appointments. More qualified inquiries. More practice growth.
We don’t want to tell a client their Google Maps activity increased by 400% if that activity was purchased and didn’t represent genuine interest in their practice.
That’s not the kind of marketing we believe in.
What We Recommend Instead: Sustainable Google Maps Optimization
Fortunately, there are legitimate ways to improve a practice’s local search visibility.
And many of them are the same strategies Google recommends.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile should be accurate, complete, and regularly maintained.
That includes selecting appropriate business categories, maintaining correct contact information, updating hours, adding relevant photographs, and ensuring your profile accurately represents the services you provide.
For healthcare practices, details matter.
An orthodontic practice should be clearly identified as an orthodontic practice.
A multi-location medical group should maintain accurate information for each eligible location.
And patients should be able to quickly understand where you are, what you do, and how to contact you.
Build a Strong Review Strategy
Google confirms that reviews and positive ratings can help local rankings.
But collecting reviews should be an ongoing part of your patient experience, not something you only think about when your review count falls behind a competitor.
Train your team to ask patients for honest feedback.
Make it easy for patients to leave reviews.
Respond professionally and consistently.
And never purchase reviews or offer incentives in exchange for them.
Genuine reviews help prospective patients understand what it’s like to receive care at your practice.
That’s valuable well beyond SEO.
Invest in Local SEO and Website Content
Your Google Business Profile doesn’t exist independently of your website.
A strong website helps search engines and prospective patients understand your services, providers, locations, and expertise.
For medical, dental, and orthodontic practices, that means developing thoughtful, helpful content around the services and conditions patients actually search for.
A dentist in Richmond needs content that clearly explains the practice’s services and location.
An orthodontist in Raleigh needs relevant information about orthodontic treatment and the communities served.
A spine surgeon in Newport News needs authoritative content explaining the conditions treated and available treatment options.
Local SEO is about helping search engines understand your practice while helping real patients find the care they need.
Strengthen Your Practice’s Online Presence
Google’s explanation of prominence includes information about a business from across the web.
That makes your broader online presence important.
Your practice should have accurate business information across relevant directories, a professional website, appropriate local connections, and a reputation that reflects the quality of care you provide.
Community involvement, local partnerships, and legitimate links from relevant organizations can all contribute to a stronger digital presence.
These efforts take work.
But unlike artificial engagement, they can create value that extends beyond a single metric.
Focus on Actual Patient Behavior
At VCG, we want to know whether marketing is helping a practice grow.
Are more people finding your website?
Are prospective patients calling?
Are appointment requests increasing?
Are patients discovering important services?
Are your local search rankings improving for relevant searches?
Are those improvements translating into meaningful opportunities?
Those are the questions worth asking.
A Google Maps driving directions request from someone genuinely trying to visit your office is valuable.
A manufactured direction request that never represents a prospective patient is something entirely different.
Five Questions to Ask Before Purchasing a Google Maps Ranking Service
If a marketing company approaches your practice with a service promising to increase Google Maps rankings through Google Maps driving directions, clicks, or engagement, ask a few questions before agreeing.
- How are the interactions generated?
Are they coming from genuine prospective patients, paid participants, automated systems, or simulated activity?
- Is this method specifically supported by Google’s published guidelines?
Ask the provider to explain the policy basis for its approach.
- What evidence demonstrates that the service improves organic Google Maps rankings?
Before-and-after screenshots can be interesting, but they don’t necessarily establish what caused a ranking change.
- What happens if Google identifies the activity as artificial or deceptive?
Ask what risks exist and who is responsible for addressing any resulting problems.
- How will you measure actual patient acquisition?
If the service produces more clicks but no additional calls, appointments, or genuine patient interest, what exactly are you purchasing?
These are reasonable questions for any healthcare practice investing in marketing.
Can You Improve Google Maps Rankings Without Manipulating Engagement?
Absolutely.
In fact, that’s what a thoughtful local SEO strategy is designed to accomplish.
There are no guarantees of a particular Google Maps position, and rankings can vary based on the searcher’s location, the search term, and competition.
But there are meaningful steps practices can take to improve their visibility.
The goal should be to make your practice more relevant, more discoverable, and more helpful to the people searching for care.
That means investing in your website, maintaining your Google Business Profile, building an authentic review strategy, creating helpful content, and strengthening your presence in the communities you serve.
And it means understanding that rankings are only part of the picture.
Being found matters. Being chosen matters even more.
Our Philosophy: Protect What You’ve Built
For an independent medical, dental, or orthodontic practice, your Google Business Profile is an incredibly valuable business asset.
It’s where many prospective patients first encounter your practice.
It’s where they see your reviews, learn about your services, find your location, and decide whether to take the next step.
You’ve worked hard to build your reputation.
You’ve invested in your website.
You’ve cared for patients who have shared their experiences.
You’ve built relationships throughout your community.
We take all of that seriously.
And while we’re always interested in new strategies that could help our clients succeed, we’re not interested in shortcuts that introduce questionable activity into something so important.
That’s why Virginia Creative Group does not offer artificial Google Maps driving-direction manipulation as an SEO service.
Not because we’re unwilling to try something new.
But because we believe a marketing strategy should create genuine value without introducing unnecessary risks.
Looking for Better Google Maps Rankings for Your Practice?
At Virginia Creative Group, local SEO is part of a much larger marketing strategy.
We help medical, dental, and orthodontic practices strengthen their online presence through Google Business Profile optimization, website development, local SEO, content marketing, reputation management, digital advertising, social media, and relationship marketing.
Our goal isn’t simply to make a number on a report look better.
It’s to help the right patients find your practice, understand what makes you different, and feel confident choosing you.
Because sustainable growth comes from building a stronger practice presence, not manufacturing the appearance of one.
Want to improve your practice’s Google Maps visibility? Connect with Virginia Creative Group and let’s talk about a strategy built around real patients and real results.