Google Ads can be an incredibly effective way to drive patient growth for a dental practice.
In the last year, the search volume on Google for “dental clinic” has increased by over 500%.
There are over 2 million average monthly Google searches for “dentist.”
Google has become a central part of the way patients find a dentist and Google Ads is the fastest way for them to find you.
This is not to say that getting Google Ads for dentists is to simply sign up and give Google your credit card information.
There are right ways and wrong ways to run your campaigns.
This guide will introduce you to the essentials of running a successful PPC campaign for dentists through Google Ads, and share valuable insights specific to the healthcare industry that we’ve acquired through our experience.
If you’re looking for an effective way to get quick, effective marketing results, contact Sagapixel’s PPC team today to learn more about how we can help grow your dental practice through Google Ads.
What is “PPC for Dentists?”
PPC is an advertising channel in which your dental practice pays a fee every time someone clicks on your ad, which is why it is called “pay-per-click” advertising. Most PPC advertising is managed through the Google Ads platform.
PPC ads are shown in engine search results, most commonly above the organic searches, but they can appear below them.
In addition, PPC ads can be shown on sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Microsoft, depending on how relevant they might be to users on these platforms.
Google Ads is a great place to start with PPC advertisements. With Google, you can target patients in the moment searching for products or services directly related to what your dentistry practice offers.
For example, your ad could be shown to patients in the moment they’re searching for “dentist office near me,” “teeth whitening in [your location]” or something closely related to these searches. With the right optimization, you can reach potential patients and increase the number of patient inquiries through your website.
How Google Ads For Dentists Works
A common misconception about Google Ads is that being willing to pay the most will guarantee that your dental practice appears at the top of the search results.
However, there are a lot of additional factors that go into where your ad shows, and the bid amount is only one. Google determines the position of your ad through ‘Ad Rank’, and it is ideal to have your ad show within the four possible spots above the search results to give it the most exposure. Ad rank is determined by factors like bid amount, ad quality, competition, and content.
PPC can be an effective way to reach a broad audience of potential patients, but it is essential to maximize Ad Rank, which is possible once you understand the factors that go into a well-performing ad before starting your campaign.
The Bidding Process in Google Ads
The bidding process determines whether your ad is shown and in what position, and it takes into account your bid amount as well as additional aspects of your ad. The bidding process is part of an auction triggered every time someone makes a search that your ad is targeting.
Your bid amount is what you are willing to pay for someone to click on your ad.
While this does not guarantee that the user who makes a search with one of your keywords will click on your ad, showing it to individuals making relevant searches increases the likelihood that someone will.
Clicks on relevant ads, a good landing page experience, and more will help turn clicks into conversions.
How Google Determines Positions of Your Ads
It is important to understand the factors that determine your ad’s position on the search engine. Google determines this position as the “Ad Rank.” The higher your ad rank, the more likely your ad is to be shown to potential customers in the top of the search engine results. The factors listed below contribute to improving your Ad Rank.
Bid
The bid amount is the highest amount you tell Google you are willing to pay for a click. When you set your bid, you’ll want to consider how much a click on your ad is worth to you if it could potentially turn into a conversion.
Quality Score
The quality score is determined by the expected click-through rate (CTR), Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience.
Context
The context of the search is influenced by a few factors, including but not limited to the user’s location, device type, the kind of search they are making, and the time of day that they make the search.
Competition
If your ad and a competitor’s ad have identical bid amounts, quality scores, context, and thresholds, having additional assets like images or call extensions can put you above the competition.
How Much Does PPC for Dentists Cost?
When you begin advertising for dental practices using Google Ads, it’s important to establish a budget that you feel comfortable with. We find that most of our healthcare clients begin at around $2k/mo and increase slowly when they see fit. We work closely with our healthcare clients to help them determine if and when increasing their budget will be beneficial.
To assess the value received in return for your budget, we find that comparing the lifetime value of a patient to the cost per lead provides the best insight. This kind of evaluation helps you understand whether the profit you will make off of a patient who continues coming to your practice is worth the cost it takes to acquire a lead.
In general, we recommend that dentists start with a comfortable budget that they are willing to invest in their advertising efforts. This can range anywhere from one thousand to several thousand dollars per month, depending on the size and location of your dental practice, as well as your overall marketing goals.
When it comes to measuring the success of your Google Ads campaign, we suggest focusing on the cost per acquisition (CPA) rather than the cost per click (CPC). By analyzing your CPA, you can make more informed decisions about how to optimize your campaign and improve your return on ad spend (ROAS).
Common Issues Inherent to Dentists PPC
While promoting dental services through PPC offers numerous advantages, it is important to be aware of some common issues that you may face as a healthcare provider.
Here are some common obstacles you will face when running your ads.
- Legit Script?
- Healthcare services cannot retarget users on Google Ads, so you won’t be able to target potential patients who have previously shown interest in your practice.
- Compliance with regulations and rules surrounding advertising dental providers is crucial to avoid any legal issues, as these can vary by state and country.
- Egregious or repeated policy violations may lead to the suspension of your ads, and it can be challenging to keep track of all of the policies. In this case, working with an Agency can help you avoid the consequences of accidentally violating regulations.
What Are Some Typical Results for a Dental Google Ads Campaign?
Based on the estimated cost per click in various locations as well as the expected conversion rate, we can estimate what you are likely to pay for a conversion if your ad receives 100 clicks. In New York City, for example, we estimate that the cost per conversion for the target keyword “dentist near me” would be anywhere from $39 to $99. In Cherry Hill, NJ, we estimate that it would be between $42 and $99, and in a smaller town such as Douglas, WY, the cost could be anywhere from $45 to $104.
However, the costs per lead are estimates, and the actual cost of a conversion for your dental practice will depend on a number of factors.
6 Types of Google Ads For Dentists
Traditional Paid Search
Paid search, or responsive search, places your ads in the results of search engines, either above or below the organic results. On Google, there are 4 possible positions above the search results, and these are the spots that you want your ad to be in. The ads are shown when someone makes a search that includes one or more of your keywords or close variants of them. Compared to other types of PPC ads, these offer the most flexibility and command, which helps you to tailor more specifically.
Smart Campaigns
Smart campaigns use automated tools provided by Google Ads to determine which versions of your ad perform the best. Historically we have found that successful smart campaigns can considerably reduce the cost per lead.
While smart campaigns can be shown on other google platforms such as maps, Youtube, and Gmail, we have found that they perform the best when they show exclusively in search results.
Performance Max
One of the newer types of PPC campaigns available through Google is Performance Max, which provides the benefit of displaying ads across a range of Google’s extended ad networks, including Youtube, Maps, Search, Gmail, Display, and Discovery. This can be achieved through a single campaign, making it an efficient and streamlined option.
Performance Max is beneficial for a lot of businesses because it can result in a low cost per click while reaching a large, specific audience. This type of targeting can substantially improve the relevance of the ads and increase the likelihood of conversions. If you are interested in utilizing Performance Max for your dental practice, we can discuss optimization strategies in greater detail.
YouTube Ads
If you already have video content for your dental practice or are interested in creating some, Youtube ads can show up as videos as well as pictures and sponsored content and can be directed toward particular viewers. You have the freedom to choose the type of ad that will best achieve your marketing objectives. By using Youtube ads, you can broaden your reach beyond Google and target more viewers while also customizing your ads to suit your needs.
Display Ads and the Google Display Network
The Google Display Network consists of websites, apps, and other online platforms that have partnered with Google to display ads. These ads can come in various forms, such as banners, videos, or interactive ads, and are meant to grab the attention of users and direct them towards a specific action, most importantly, visiting a website and converting to a customer.
Creating a display Google ads campaign using Google Ads allows your ads to show up on any of the relevant sites within the Google Display Network, and you can adjust this depending on your targeting options. This can be useful in reaching a larger audience and targeting specific groups based on their demographics or interests.
Paid Social
Paid social advertising can also be a valuable tool for dental practices to attract new patients and promote their services on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. With paid social, you can create targeted ads that reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests, behaviors, or location.
In addition to the audience that paid social can expose your practice to, Facebook specifically offers healthcare providers like dental practices a unique opportunity to retarget audiences. Advertising platforms like Google Ads restrict businesses in healthcare from retargeting audiences, however, Facebook does not. This means that you can target audiences that were previously interested in your business.
What Are the Best PPC Campaign Types for Dentists?
The campaign that is going to be best for your specific dental practice will depend on a number of factors. Our team of PPC experts can work with you to determine the most effective PPC advertising pproach to meet your goals. We specialize in developing custom advertising campaigns that target specific demographics, behaviors, and interests of potential patients.
If you’re looking for an effective way to attract new patients and grow your dental practice, contact our PPC team today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your advertising goals.
How to Optimize PPC for Dentists
Optimizing PPC campaigns can help you receive more conversions, however, it is complex, and the best practices and recommendations can vary depending on your specific goals and strategies. We have worked with other clients and come up with a variety of ways that we can optimize campaigns so that they can perform better.
If you’re interested in learning more about how our PPC team can help you start and optimize your dental practice’s PPC campaigns so that more clicks become patients, get started here.
Structure Your Campaigns and Ad Groups Around Keywords
It’s important to structure your ad groups in a way that targets each of the services you offer. By creating separate ad groups for each service, you can tailor your ads and landing pages to specific keywords and ensure that they are relevant to the users who are searching for those services.
Not only does this improve the relevance of your ads, but it can also improve the overall performance of your Google Ads campaigns and lower your costs. For example, you could have one ad group targeting teeth whitening services and another targeting dental implants. By structuring your campaigns in this way, you can reach potential patients who are actively searching for the services you offer and provide them with highly relevant and targeted ads. This can help you attract more qualified leads and convert them into loyal patients over time.
Limit Your Ad Schedule to Times When They Perform Best
By displaying your ads only during the times when they are most likely to be successful, you increase the chances of attracting qualified leads and customers, which in turn drives more conversions. For instance, if your dental practice is open only during weekdays from 9-5, running your ads on weekends or outside of those hours during the week may not be effective since potential patients won’t be able to call and speak to anyone. This means a click on your ad is unlikely to turn into a conversion.
However, this is not always the case. If you have an online form that prospective clients can submit, running your ads outside of your business hours may still turn into conversions. In this case, you may want to run your ads on weekends for a few hours, but turn them off at times when people are unlikely to be searching for a dentists. For example, it is probably unlikely that you’ll get any conversions at twelve AM on a Saturday, but you might have people looking to schedule something at twelve PM.
We also recommend setting your schedule into 3-hour blocks (pictured below) to determine when your leads are converting the most. This data can help you adjust your ad schedule to maximize conversions during peak hours and avoid wasting money during the times your ads are not converting. Knowing when and how to set your ad schedule takes some trial and error, but our PPC team can help you determine which times would be the most beneficial for your practice.
Use Negative Keywords to Minimize Irrelevant Clicks
Monitoring your search terms reports and utilizing negative keywords to exclude irrelevant searches is crucial for ensuring that your budget is being spent on relevant searches that are more likely to turn into conversions. You’ll be able to identify and remove irrelevant keywords triggering your ads, such as “free dental services,” “cheap dental clinics,” or “DIY teeth whitening.”
What is irrelevant to one dental practice may be relevant for another, so it is important to think carefully about the services you offer and the intent behind the users search. For example, if your practice offers discounted services and you want to attract clients looking for more affordable dental care, you aren’t going to want to exclude words like “discount” and “affordable”. On the other hand, if you run a higher-end practice or a cosmetic dentist office, for example, it would be in your best interest to get rid of these price-conscious searches.
Use Audiences to See Who is Most Likely to Convert
Google Ads categorizes its audiences into three segments: detailed demographics, affinity segments, and in-market segments. Detailed demographics include information such as education, employment status, and gender, while affinity segments are based on people’s interests. In-market segments are individuals actively searching for a particular product or service.
Utilizing the audience feature can provide valuable insights into who is converting, enabling you to target potential customers who are similar to them. When determining your target audience, it is crucial to consider who needs your services the most, who comprises the majority of your current patient base, and who can afford your services. For instance, if your dental practice serves a particular age group, focusing your ads on that age demographic can help increase the accuracy and effectiveness of your campaigns.
Split Test Landing Pages
A positive landing page experience is essential if you want to convert clicks on your ad into appointments at your practice. Even something as simple as a more compelling headline or the placement of the call to action can make a large difference. In addition to basic knowledge about what makes a landing page more user-friendly, we also use google optimization to run split tests on different landing pages. This allows us to determine in real time what is working and what is not so that we can make optimal changes to the final page.
Use as Many Extensions as Possible
Using extensions gives prospective patients more information about what your practice offers before they click on the ad. Extensions can include images, locations, site links, and callouts, all of which add more relevance and value to your ad.
Maximize Ad Score When Creating Responsive Google Search Ads
In general, ads that have a higher quality score will appear more frequently and at a lower cost per click. This is not always a 100% guarantee, but working to raise your quality score to excellent can help improve the overall performance of your ads and save you money.
When you first write your ad, you may find that receiving an “excellent” score is difficult, but it’s important not to give up even after several attempts. Making adding more variation to the ad copy, including videos and pictures, and incorporating keywords into your headlines can all help bring your score up.
We find that trial on error is the best way to bring your ad score up, and can adjust your ads in ways that have worked in the past.
Target Mobile Primarily
Your ads will be shown almost entirely on mobile devices, so making sure that they are optimized for and targeting mobile users will help it’s overall performance. Ads appear differently on mobile devices than they do on desktops, and with 80 to 90 percent of your traffic occurring on mobile, its important to prioritize their needs.
Adjust Bids by Location Through Geotargeting
Using the “presence option” you can break up the locations you are targeting by city, county, town, or zip code, depending on the kind of data you want to be able to analyze. This will help you determine which locations your new patients are coming from so that you optimize your location targeting. For example, if over time you realize that you aren’t receiving any conversions within a certain town but it is still spending money on clicks, it may make sense to remove that town.
Sagapixel Specializes in Google Ads for Dentists
Each dental practice requires a specialized approach when they invest in PPC advertising, and at Sagapixel, our team makes sure to optimize campaigns to the needs and goals of your specific business. With experience and skill behind us, we can help you grow your practice and attract more patients through campaign optimization, keyword research, ad copywriting, and much more.
Your practice has specific goals, and we work closely with you to make sure those goals are exactly what we’re reaching for with our advertising services. At Sagapixel, you receive high quality, personalized approach to PPC for your dental practice.
If you’re interested in learning more about how our PPC team can create or improve the performance of your dental practice’s Google Ads campaigns, click here to get started today.
