Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) works very well for dentists looking to increase patients. This article covers recommendations that are specific to the dental industry, along with some general best practices of Google Ads for local business,
Public Service vs Private
Public dental offer a combination of free or subsidised services. Therefore as a private dentist (who pays for advertising) targeting people that want private services, and can afford them is very important.
Some dental operations cost over £4000 pounds in the UK. To put things in perspective, the average salary in the UK is £30,000 per year- so a major dental operation is more than 10% of the average annual salary. More dentists now partner with finance companies to offer payment plans which helps more prospective clients afford private dental services.
A few big operations will cover your AdWords expenses easily, but effective setup and targeting can help reduce advertising costs and increase ROI.
Types of Dental Services
| braces | bridges | crowns |
| hygiene | dentures | extraction |
| filings | implants | polishing |
| root canal | veneers | whitening |
Dental Care is also an up sell option to dental procedures.
Keywords
Each of the dental services combine with other words can be be used as keywords. Keywords that include private are more qualified traffic. The word private dental services is more qualified than just dental services.
Keywords that include emergency work well, as do keywords that contain your town or post code.
Location
The closer someone searching in Google to your clinic, the higher the conversion rate. It is possible to set unique bids by post code, radius as well as town/city.
Negative Keywords
Block searchers that are specifically looking for public services with negative keywords such as: NHS, free.
Advert Copy
Include the word private in the ad copy, and try include the specific starting from prices. If you offer finance, try including finance in the ad copy. This helps qualify prospects with the budget to afford your services. Price advert extensions can also list each service starting from price.
Landing Pages
Include prices on the landing pages for each specific service.
Include a price list of each service. This will help to qualify out prospects that do not have the budget.
Put pricing on your website. Qualify telephone calls. Many people will still phone (even if you have prices listed on your website). Offer finance or end the call by saying they will need to contact the public service (e.g. the NHS)
Conversion Tracking
Conversion tracking is a powerful tool in digital marketing, enabling advertisers to measure the effectiveness of their online campaigns by tracking user actions such as purchases, form submissions, or appointments. For dentists using Google Ads, conversion tracking involves setting up specific actions as conversions, such as online appointment bookings, direct calls from ads, or contact form completions. This process includes installing a tracking code on key pages of their website, like the “Thank You” page that appears after booking an appointment. By analysing the collected data, dentists can determine which ads, keywords, and campaigns generate the most valuable actions, allowing them to optimise their strategies accordingly. This optimisation might involve reallocating budgets to high-performing ads, refining keywords, and enhancing ad copy to better attract potential patients. Additionally, conversion tracking provides demographic and behavioural insights into the patients who convert, helping dentists tailor their marketing messages and improve patient engagement. Ultimately, by using conversion tracking, dentists can make informed decisions to attract more patients, increase their marketing return on investment (ROI), and grow their practice effectively through Google Ads.
Remarketing
Remarketing can be used to up sell dental care plans, also known as preventative dental. Remarketing can be an email list of clients, or a website cookie list. A website cookie list lasts up to 540 days, while an email list has no date limit.
Remarketing has various mediums including Display, Gmail Ads, YouTube and even on Facebook.
Use Facebook remarketing and grow your business page on Facebook brand growth.A Facebook “page” is pretty advanced nowadays- and it more like a mini website on Facebook.
Summary
Google Ads can work very well for dentists. Applying these specific dental recommendations along with general local business advertising guidelines, you can get the most out of Google Ads.
ADVERTISING EXPERTS
Get specialist services
