Search advertising for medical treatments and services in Canada

Ontario illustrates why professional rules must be local

Regulator guidance

Applies when: The advertiser is a physician regulated by CPSO in Ontario.

Ontario physicians must follow CPSO advertising standards, including restrictions on testimonials and comparisons. Advertising should be accurate and verifiable. These requirements are an Ontario physician example; obtain the relevant province’s and profession’s rules rather than extending this policy to all Canadian providers.

Sources: CPSO Advertising policy

Apply Ontario’s specific conditions to before-and-after images

Regulator guidance

Applies when: The advertiser is an Ontario physician subject to CPSO policy; other provinces and professions require separate review.

CPSO distinguishes compliant before-and-after images from prohibited testimonials. Images must be educational, show a typical outcome for an actual patient treated by the advertised physician, avoid misleading manipulation and use consistent photographic conditions.

Obtain specific express consent after treatment, show the final images, explain withdrawal and publication risks, and offer no incentive for consent. Include the required qualification that results vary. Do not display the images where people are likely to encounter them unsolicited.

Sources: CPSO Advertising policy · CPSO Advertising policy, provisions 4–6

Check the complete consumer-facing message

Regulator guidance

Competition Act provisions address materially false or misleading promotion of products, services and business interests. The assessment considers literal meaning and general impression, including images and omitted conditions. Review professional titles, claimed outcomes and conditional prices with the same care as the headline.

Sources: False or misleading representations

Quebec: review French content and signage separately

Regulator guidance

Applies when: Quebec commercial-language rules apply to the business and execution.

Businesses operating in Quebec must provide French commercial publications, including a complete French website and French social-media content, subject to applicable exceptions. Public signage and commercial advertising have a distinct French-predominance regime. Review the rules effective from 1 June 2025 for trademarks and business names on signage; a bilingual website alone does not resolve an exterior sign.

Sources: French-language rights in commerce; Business names and trademarks on signage

Control short copy and dynamic assets

Editorial recommendation

Approve keywords, responsive assets, sitelinks and destinations together. Disable combinations that would lose a required qualification. A landing page is not an automatic substitute for information required in the ad itself.

Medical Treatments & Services: prepare the review

Editorial recommendation

Define the actual treatment and who is authorised to provide it. Separate evidence of a possible benefit from a promise of an individual result. Explain material limits, costs and eligibility without creating pressure for unnecessary care.

Keep a traceable campaign decision

Editorial recommendation

Keep one review record linking the offer, local market status, claim evidence, exact creative, media settings and any regulatory or professional clearance. Record who checked each condition. Reopen the review when the offer, claim, source rule or execution changes.