The Doctor Visibility Score, explained
A single 0–100 number that captures how easily a new patient can find and choose your practice across Google Search, Google Maps, and AI search.
Most visibility tools give you a long list of issues with no priority. The Doctor Visibility Score reduces that complexity to one number so you immediately know where you stand — and then breaks it down into seven pillars so you know exactly what to fix.
The 7 pillars
The score is computed as a weighted composite across seven pillars. Each pillar is independently measurable and independently improvable.
1. Google Business Profile (30 points)
Completeness of your Google listing: name, address, phone, hours, website, description, and category accuracy. The largest single pillar because GMB is still the highest-volume patient discovery channel.
2. Star Rating (20 points)
The average star rating on your Google profile. Scored on a curve: 4.8+ is full credit, 4.5 is 17 points, 4.0 is 14, 3.5 is 10, and below 3.0 is essentially zero. Patients filter aggressively at this threshold.
3. Review Volume (15 points)
Total number of recent reviews. A practice with 50+ reviews collected within the last 12 months scores full marks. Volume alone doesn't matter — recency does. A profile with 200 stale reviews loses to one with 50 fresh ones.
4. Photos (10 points)
Photo presence and depth. 10+ photos (exterior, reception, consultation room, doctor portrait) is full credit. Practices with zero photos lose this entire pillar and visibly underperform on Google Maps clicks.
5. Search Ranking (15 points)
Your position in the local pack when patients search "[specialty] in [your city]". Position #1 is full credit; positions 4-10 score partially; positions beyond #10 score zero.
6. AI Visibility Signals (5 points)
A composite signal score reflecting whether your practice is likely to be surfaced by AI tools. Driven by Wikipedia presence, citations in healthcare media, schema markup depth, and consistency of identity across the web.
7. Directory & Citation Presence (5 points)
Verified presence on Healthgrades, Zocdoc, Vitals, WebMD, Doximity. Each major directory has equal weight. Missing all of them is a strong negative signal both to patients and to AI systems.
How the score is calculated
Free tier checks use signal-based estimates for the AI pillar. The $19 full report runs real queries against ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity for a true measured AI score.
What your score means
- 0–49 (Critical): Patients are finding your competitors. Multiple foundational gaps need urgent attention.
- 50–69 (Needs attention): Patients can find you, but most are choosing someone visible above you.
- 70–84 (Moderate): Decent foundation. Specific pillars are pulling the rest down. Targeted improvements yield quick wins.
- 85+ (Strong): You are winning patient discovery in your market. Focus on maintaining the lead.
Check your visibility now
See your Doctor Visibility Score across Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.
Free · No signup · 60 seconds · Private
Frequently asked questions
Is the Doctor Visibility Score the same as Google's ranking?
No. Google's local pack rank is one of seven pillars that feed the score. The Doctor Visibility Score is a composite that also reflects rating quality, review volume, photos, profile completeness, AI visibility signals, and directory presence.
Why is 70 considered moderate, not good?
We benchmarked the score against several thousand US doctor profiles. A score of 70 means you've fixed the obvious gaps but you're still being outranked by competitors who have invested in directory depth, photo libraries, and recent review velocity. 85+ is where competitive visibility actually compounds.
Can I get to 100?
Practically, very few doctors will. The score is calibrated so that perfection requires sustained activity — ongoing review acquisition, current photos, fresh GMB posts, and active citation building. A score of 90+ is excellent and achievable; 100 is theoretical.
How quickly can my score change?
Some pillars move within a week (adding photos, fixing hours). Others take longer (review volume builds over months; AI visibility signals depend on citation cycles). Doctors who follow the 90-day plan in the $19 report typically see 15-25 points improvement in 90 days.
From the Blog
Insights on doctor visibility scoring for doctors — add your own posts below.
3 Profile Fixes That Add 15+ Points to Your Visibility Score
Most doctors score below 60/100 not because of poor care — but because of missing photos, no business description, and outdated hours. These three fixes take under 30 minutes and have the highest score impact of any action you can take.