Naturopathic clinic marketing in Ontario without testimonials
The direct answer
The College of Naturopaths of Ontario's Standard of Practice: Advertising, last amended on 6 December 2017, prohibits direct, indirect or implied testimonials and references to third party websites or publications that carry them; the College's website guidance extends this to content labelled reviews, patient experiences or patient feedback. It also prohibits comparative or superlative statements about service quality, products or people, with "state of the art" named as unacceptable, and any guarantee of success, where phrases such as "will help" or "does relieve" imply one. Complimentary introductory or educational sessions are allowed, prices must be exact with taxes and conditions disclosed, no specialty class exists, and members are responsible for advertising about their practice whoever creates it. CONO consulted in 2025 on allowing testimonials and had made no decision, so check the current standard.
Five conclusions
The argument, compressed.
- Testimonials are prohibited in every form, including reviews, patient experiences and links to sites that carry them.
- Comparative and superlative statements are prohibited; "state of the art" and "cutting edge" are named examples.
- "Will help" and "does relieve" read as implied guarantees.
- Complimentary introductory or educational sessions are allowed, and prices must be exact with taxes and conditions.
- CONO consulted in 2025 on allowing testimonials. The 2017 standard applies until the College decides otherwise.
Working framework · 4 decisions
The naturopathic clinic wording check
Four checks for a clinic's website, social accounts and booking pages. Confirm the current standard with CONO, since the testimonial rule is under review.
Decision 01 / 04
Reviews
Remove testimonial pages, review widgets, patient story posts and links to review sites from every channel the clinic controls.
What the CONO standard prohibits
CONO's Standard of Practice: Advertising was approved in 2012 and last amended on 6 December 2017, with a companion guideline amended the same day. It prohibits a direct, indirect or implied testimonial, and any reference to third party websites or publications that carry testimonials. The College's guidance on websites and social media extends that to content listed as reviews, patient experiences or patient feedback.
The standard also prohibits comparative or superlative statements about service quality, products or people, and the guideline names "state of the art" and "cutting edge" as unacceptable. It prohibits any guarantee of success, and the guideline flags wording such as "will help" and "does relieve" as implying one. Members are responsible for advertising about their practice whoever created it.
The verb problem
Most naturopathic marketing copy breaks the standard through its verbs. "Will help" promises; "addresses" describes.
What the standard allows
Complimentary introductory or educational sessions are allowed, which gives a clinic a legitimate first step to offer new patients. Prices may be advertised when they are exact, with taxes and conditions disclosed.
No specialty class exists for naturopaths, so specialist language is out, but a stated area of interest or focus is acceptable. A clinic can say it focuses on digestive health, hormones or fertility support, and that focus becomes the centre of its positioning.
A standard under review
In 2025 CONO published a consultation paper on whether to allow testimonials, and stated that no decision had been made. Until the College changes the standard, the 2017 prohibition applies. A clinic planning its website should build it to work without testimonials and treat any future permission as an addition.
That is good discipline regardless of the outcome. Patients choosing a naturopath want to understand the approach, the first visit and the cost. A site that answers those clearly, around one stated focus, earns the trust a review feed was meant to supply.
- One sentence on the clinic's area of focus and who it serves.
- A first visit page: what happens, how long, exact fee with taxes.
- Practitioner bios with registration and training, free of outcome verbs.
- A complimentary introductory session framed as education.
Before you use it
Questions that can change the recommendation.
Can naturopaths in Ontario use testimonials or Google reviews?
CONO's advertising standard prohibits direct, indirect or implied testimonials and references to third party sites that carry them, and its website guidance covers reviews, patient experiences and patient feedback. CONO consulted on this in 2025 and had made no decision, so check the current standard.
Can a naturopathic clinic offer a free first visit?
Complimentary introductory or educational sessions are allowed under the standard.
Can a naturopath say a treatment will help a condition?
Guarantees of success are prohibited, and the College's guideline flags phrases such as "will help" and "does relieve" as implying a guarantee. Describe the treatment and the concerns it addresses instead.
Can a naturopath call themselves a specialist?
No specialty class exists for naturopaths in Ontario. A naturopath may state an area of interest or focus.
Research record
What this guide draws from.
Each source note describes what the reference supports. Platform guidance, research findings and Branding Tatva's practical suggestions have different scopes.
- Standard of Practice: Advertising
College of Naturopaths of Ontario
Approved 15 October 2012, last amended 6 December 2017.
- Advertising Guideline
College of Naturopaths of Ontario
- Advertising, Websites and Social Media
College of Naturopaths of Ontario
