The 2025 AHPRA Copywriting Guide for Health Professionals
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) oversees the national registration and regulation of health practitioners under the National Law. It works with 15 National Boards to set standards for advertising, conduct and practice across professions like dentistry, medicine, physiotherapy and cosmetic health.
In September 2025, AHPRA and the Medical Board of Australia introduced updated Guidelines for advertising higher-risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures and Guidelines for registered medical practitioners who advertise cosmetic surgery. These updates clarified what constitutes misleading or unsafe advertising and applied stricter controls on testimonials, imagery, and claims about outcomes¹.
Non-compliance can trigger serious consequences.
Understanding these changes is vital for any clinic, practice or healthcare provider creating digital marketing or web content.
If you’re a dentist, physio, or clinic owner, there’s a good chance AHPRA’s new advertising rules have made you second-guess every sentence on your website. Words that once sounded friendly now count as breaches, and even testimonials or casual claims can land you in trouble.
This guide breaks down what’s changed, what’s now off-limits, and how to rewrite your content the right way. It’s also here to help you understand how smart, compliant copywriting can still drive SEO and patient trust.
What Changed in AHPRA’s 2025 Advertising Guidelines
AHPRA’s 2025 update tightened the language around how health services are promoted. The goal is to stop misleading advertising and protect patients from false expectations. But for clinic owners, it means your old copy may no longer be safe to use.
Here are the main areas now under the spotlight:
✅ Therapeutic claims: You can’t suggest a treatment will fix, cure, or relieve a condition unless backed by strong, published evidence.
✅ Testimonials: Any kind of patient feedback, reviews, or before-and-after quotes are prohibited in advertising materials, including your website.
✅ Emotive or outcome-based wording: Words like pain-free, guaranteed results, or confidence boost are risky without verifiable proof.
✅ Comparative or superlative statements: Avoid saying you’re the best, leading, or most trusted provider in your area.
✅ Images that imply results: Before-and-after photos or imagery suggesting an outcome are not permitted.
How to Make Your Website Compliant (and Still Compelling)
A compliant website doesn’t have to sound dull. The trick is to educate, not promise. Focus on what you provide, how you deliver care, and why patients trust your approach.
Here’s how to adjust your copy:
Use factual, educational language
Instead of “We guarantee fast pain relief,” say “Our physiotherapists focus on evidence-based techniques that support pain management and mobility.”Replace emotional claims with process-based phrasing
Talk about methods, experience, or approach rather than results.
Example: “We use evidence-based treatments tailored to your condition.”Keep tone professional but approachable
You don’t need to sound clinical. Just remove subjective opinions or unverified outcomes.Check every word against AHPRA’s definition of advertising
If it promotes a health service in any way, it counts. That includes blog posts, meta descriptions, and even Google Ads.
How AHPRA Compliance and SEO Can Work Together
A lot of clinics think compliance kills their SEO, but that’s not true. Google values clarity, transparency, and expertise, which are the same principles AHPRA asks for.
Here’s how compliant copy improves SEO:
You’re forced to write clear, factual service pages, which naturally improve keyword density and readability.
You’ll use language your patients search for, like dentist near me or physiotherapy for back pain.
Your trust signals increase, which helps both human readers and search algorithms see you as authoritative.
By combining AHPRA-safe phrasing with strong SEO structure (H1s, meta titles, and internal linking), your site can perform better than before.
Which Advertising Mediums Does AHPRA Review or Audit?
AHPRA’s advertising rules apply to any public communication that promotes a regulated health service. This includes traditional and digital channels, meaning audits can cover:
Clinic and practitioner websites
Google Ads, Meta Ads, and other paid search or social media advertising
Social media posts, stories, and comments
Email newsletters and SMS promotions
Brochures, posters, and signage (both in clinic and public spaces)
Radio, TV, and print media ads
Online directories and booking platforms (like HealthEngine or HotDoc)
AHPRA routinely monitors advertising through public complaints, random audits, and keyword monitoring across online platforms. Anything that promotes a health service can be reviewed for compliance, even if it wasn’t intended as advertising.
Non‑negotiables To Keep Your Advertising Compliant
Use this checklist any time you publish or update copy. It applies to websites, social media, emails, blogs and paid ads.
Do not include:
Testimonials or reviews about clinical care, including quotes, star ratings, success stories and patient anecdotes.
Superlatives or comparative claims, such as best, leading, most trusted, world-class.
Incentives or inducements to drive procedures, such as discounts, bundles, limited time offers, gifts and referral rewards.
Phrases that imply guaranteed outcomes, such as pain-free, instant results, risk-free, and permanent.
Before and after photos that do not meet strict rules, or any image that implies a typical outcome without a clear warning that results vary.
Do include:
Factual, balanced descriptions of services and processes, with realistic expectations.
Clear information about risks, recovery and variability of outcomes when discussing procedures.
Accurate titles and registration details when naming individual practitioners, including registration number and type.
Plain language explanations of costs when you mention pricing, including what is and is not included.
TGA‑compliant wording if your copy refers to prescription‑only medicines or medical devices.
If You Use Images, Follow These Rules
Only use genuine images that are not edited to enhance results. No filters, smoothing or retouching.
Avoid models or celebrities unless you can evidence they had the procedure being discussed.
If you show outcomes, include a prominent note that results relate to that individual and vary between people.
When showing before and after, present the before first or use a combined image, and match lighting, angle, posture and background.
Do not use sexualised, glamour or lifestyle imagery that trivialises procedures.
Social Media and Influencers
Do not use influencers or ambassadors to create hype or deliver testimonials.
Turn off or moderate comments and reviews to avoid testimonial content on your pages.
Never offer free or discounted treatments in exchange for promotion.
Pricing Mentions
If you reference price anywhere, make it clear, easy to understand and complete. Include the total cost and typical additional costs where relevant, such as consultation, anaesthesia and aftercare if applicable.
Record Keeping and Consent
Keep records of approvals for any images you publish, where they are stored, and how consent was obtained. If a person withdraws consent for image use, stop using the image wherever possible.
Example: Turning Non-Compliant Copy Into Compliant Copy
Before:
Our advanced dental whitening system guarantees a brighter, more confident smile.
After:
Our dental team provides professional whitening treatments using evidence-based systems designed to improve the appearance of your teeth.
The second version still reads well, but it removes the promise and focuses on the process. That’s what compliance-friendly copy looks like.
Why It’s Worth Getting Professional Help
Most health businesses don’t mean to breach the rules — they just haven’t had time to keep up. A professional AHPRA-compliant copywriter can save you time, protect your reputation, and improve your website’s visibility all at once.
At That Content Agency, we’ve rewritten dozens of health and dental websites under the new regulations. We know what AHPRA allows, what it doesn’t, and how to make your copy sound credible, compliant, and engaging.
If you’re unsure about your site, now’s the time to fix it before AHPRA’s next round of audits.
Need Help Making Your Copy Compliant?
We specialise in AHPRA-compliant copywriting for:
Dentists and orthodontists
Physiotherapists and chiropractors
Cosmetic, dermal, and medical clinics
Allied health professionals
GP and multi-site medical centres
We’ll review your site, identify breaches, and rewrite everything in plain English that ranks well and meets AHPRA standards.
👉 Contact That Content Agency to book your AHPRA compliance rewrite today.
Sources:
¹ AHPRA & Medical Board of Australia – Guidelines for advertising higher-risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures and cosmetic surgery (September 2025)
² AHPRA – Guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (September 2025)
Disclaimer
This blog is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, medical, or regulatory advice. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy based on the latest AHPRA and Medical Board guidelines, requirements may change over time. Readers should always review the official AHPRA documentation and seek independent legal or compliance advice before making decisions about their advertising or marketing materials. That Content Agency accepts no responsibility for any loss or penalty incurred as a result of reliance on this content.
