Learn how to get more patients using Google Ads for dentists with these strategies and tactics to grow your practice.
In the past, dental practices and other companies relied on traditional methods of promotion like referrals from friends, adverts in the Yellow Pages, direct mail, and billboards to bring in new customers.
However, times have changed, and these techniques are gradually becoming outdated. Presently, it’s not what dentists say about themselves, their practice, their team, or their technology that drives business growth. Rather, it’s what current and potential patients say about them and their digital marketing efforts. With the aid of digital marketing, dentists can expand their audience and enhance their business’s growth.
Having a well-thought-out digital marketing plan is essential for the success of any dental practice, either existing or new. Google Ads (Formally Google AdWords) is the solution you need to achieve this for your dental practice.
Google Search Ads is the perfect tool to help you achieve this goal by outranking competitors and staying visible to potential customers. Google is the number one search engine in the world and customers often use it to locate services like a family dentist in their area. Therefore, using Google Search Ads is a crucial part of any dental digital marketing plan that can help attract new patients.
So, how can you leverage Google Search Ads for Dentists? Let’s dive in.
Having a Google Ads (Formally Google Adwords) account gives you access to several ad channels for your business. The most commonly used are:
- Display Ads
- Search Ads
- Local Services Ads
- YouTube Video Ads
Google Search Ads
Search Ads are the most common type of Google Ads and appear similar to organic search results. They are used to reach customers who are ready to engage your services. You can create different campaigns to target customers from different locations and with different interests. Each ad or campaign requires specific keywords or search terms. Thorough keyword research helps you find the right keywords to use and identify keywords you don’t want your ads to appear for.
Search Ads also work on a pay-per-click model and lead prospective customers to your website’s landing page with a call-to-action (CTA) that prompts them to call, text, or email your business.
Google Ads is a type of internet marketing that allows people to display ads for their products or services to potential clients that search for relevant topics. As the name pay-per-click suggests, it means that dentists and other advertisers are only charged when someone clicks on their ad. PPC is a great opportunity for dentists to get their practice out there and in front of potential clients who may not know about their practice
Google Display Ads
Google Display Ads are the banners that appear on webpages that allow Google to show ads on their website. They are used to help increase the visibility of your dental clinic and to remind potential customers of it. Additionally, they can be used for re-marketing purposes, as they are typically shown to people who have previously interacted with your brand in some way on social media.
Example Google Display Ads
How does this work? This works by tracking the keywords that people use when searching for a certain product or service, and then ‘following’ them to display your ad on every webpage they visit to lead potential customers to your website’s landing page, prompting them to take action.
Google Local Services Ads
Google ads for dental practices offer numerous advantages, particularly through Local Services Ads, which differ significantly from traditional display and search ads. These ads act as virtual business cards, featuring your practice’s name, location, client reviews, and operating hours. They specifically target potential customers seeking your services in your immediate vicinity, resulting in higher conversion rates.
Promote your dental clinic on Google using Local Services Ads to maintain a connection with potential clients. Obtain leads in the form of phone calls and messages, which you can respond to, track appointments, and manage either online or via the app (Android, iOS). The messaging feature is currently available in the United States and Canada.
Google Local Services Ads operate on a cost-per-lead basis, charging you only for leads that actually contact your practice. This cost-effective approach ensures your ad budget yields tangible results. The ad display format allows customers to quickly gather information about your dental clinic and reach out with a single click, eliminating the need to navigate your website to schedule an appointment.
Google Ads for Dentists
Google Search ads are ads that are shown in the top and bottom of the search engine results on platforms like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Your ads are shown to individuals when they search using keywords related to your ad.
When creating your keywords for your ads, it is important to know that, although potential clients search for generic keywords such as “dental care” or “dental services,” they also search for specific services, from “teeth cleaning services near me” or “cavity fillings in [my location].” These are known as long-tailed keywords, which are three and four keywords that make up a phrase that is related to your industry even if not directly mentioning it.
They often have a lower search volume but the individuals that are searching these terms have a better chance of converting to a customer because of the precise targeting.
Some questions to help you get the perfect long tail keywords are:
✅ Who is your target audience?
✅ What are their pain points?
✅ Where is their location?
✅ How popular is the keyword you are trying to target?
✅ What keywords are your competitors targeting?
You can also leverage tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner to conduct keyword research for your ads.
Google Ads Tip to Save Money: when choosing your keywords, it’s also important to create a list of Negative Keywords.
Negative keywords are keywords you don’t want your ads to show up for. A great tip to ensure your ads reach your exact audience is to block your ads for these negative keywords. For example, you may want to avoid keywords like ‘cheap’ because someone looking for this is not planning to get treatment at a PT clinic.
When writing your ad copy for your dental internet marketing ads, it is important to make your ad stand out and get people to click on your ads. To do so, your message within the ad should focus on the benefits that your dental office can provide for the customer. Your ad should create a strong, clear, and concise call-to-action (CTA) for the potential customer. Ultimately, your ad copy should mirror the potential customer’s end goal.
Dentists should also take advantage of using extensions in their ads. Extensions are additional snippets of relevant information that extend your ad and provide greater visibility and prominence on the search results page which can increase your click-through rate and improve your quality score.
For example, as seen in the image above, the text within the red blocks are extensions. The first red block is outlining site link extensions. These are links listed directly below your ad copy that will link individuals to additional pages of your website. These links can increase conversion rates by providing users with several relevant links to additional landing pages that can increase their chances of converting; Contact Us, About Us, Our Services, schedule an appointment, etc.
The highlighted text beneath these is known as structured snippet extensions. They highlight specific services or products that dentists may offer. For example, root canal treatments, teeth whitening, dental implants, or invisible braces.
Having a proper dental clinic marketing strategy in place can increase the number of patients and overall bookings at your dental practice. Instead of spending money on traditional methods, get ahead of your competitors, start a digital media strategy, and get your dental clinic content marketing running today.
Read more about Digital Marketing for Dental Clinics here ⬇️
Digital Marketing Strategies for Dental Clinics
Marketing is one of the departments in your dental clinic that can function either in-house or be outsourced to an independent marketing agency. While marketing can be time-consuming and complex, it is an integral part of maintaining relationships with patients and attracting new ones, and it shouldn’t be left to chance.
You have a couple of options when it comes to moving forward with your dental digital marketing strategy. One option (which is also the more common approach) is having a team member handle certain marketing activities. The other is hiring a dental marketing agency or consultant that specializes in healthcare marketing, which can be a beneficial choice if your practice lacks budget or experience in this realm.
If you would like to explore either of these options before you invest in a digital dental marketing strategy for your dental clinic, I would be more than happy to be your guide. You or a team member Schedule Free “Digital Marketing For Dental Clinics” Discovery Call with me using the form below.
