Google Ads For Dentists: 5 Strategies To Get More Patients

You’ve spent years honing your craft, perfecting the art of creating healthy, beautiful smiles. The last thing you need is to lose sleep over how to drive new patients through your door. If you’re floundering regarding your marketing strategy, your most effective place to start is always Google Ads – also called PPC (pay-per-click) ads.

Considering you’ve got an optimized, professional website ready, Google Ads is a powerful tool that can elevate your practice’s online presence and draw in new patients. Google Ads is essentially a paid advertising platform that allows you to place your dental services right in front of the people who are actively looking for them. But how can you make the most of this tool? That’s what we’re here to discuss. Sit back, grab a coffee, and let’s dive in.

What Is Google Ads?

Google Ads is an online advertising platform developed by tech giant Google. You’ve seen them before…they’re those ads that appear at the top of Google’s search results page. They are marked as an “Ad,” but often blend seamlessly with the organic results, making it more likely for potential patients to click on them. Now, the beauty of Google Ads lies in its PPC model. You only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad, ensuring your budget goes to good use. 

Another big plus? Google Ads enables hyper-targeted marketing, meaning you can reach people specifically looking for dental services in your area. We can almost hear you say, “Tell me more!” Without further ado, here are some effective strategies you can use to leverage Google ads as a dentist. 

Strategy 1: Use Location-Based Targeting

You wouldn’t want someone 300 miles away finding your local dental practice, would you? Unless you are a specialist like a periodontist or endodontist, people will unlikely be willing to travel more than 20 miles to see you. Especially for routine care like check-ups, teeth cleaning, and root canals. 

To ensure potential patients see your ads in your vicinity, Google Ads offers location-based targeting. This way, you can aim your ads at people in certain ZIP codes, cities, or even a specified radius around your practice. 

This not only saves your ad budget but also significantly boosts the chances of converting clicks into actual appointments. Local targeting helps you focus your resources effectively, making it easier for you to be the go-to dentist in your community.

Strategy 2: Use High-Quality Keywords

Keywords are the bread and butter of Google Ads. If you’re not choosing the right ones, your ads might as well be invisible. High-quality, relevant keywords can put your dental practice on the digital map. Think like your potential patient – what terms would they use to search for a dentist? Words like “emergency dental care,” “teeth whitening,” or “pediatric dentist near me” are potential gold mines, depending on your service offering. Utilizing such keywords strategically in your ad campaigns keeps you ranking higher in Google searches. More visibility means more clicks and more clicks mean more patients, plain and simple.

Strategy 3: Utilize Ad Extensions

You want to make it as easy as possible for potential patients to contact you, right? Ad extensions are like little signposts that guide people to take action. They can be anything from your clinic’s phone number to links directing users to specific pages on your website, like “Meet the Team” or “Services Offered.” For instance, a ‘call extension’ lets people call your practice directly from the ad. Sounds like a game-changer, doesn’t it? With less effort required to reach out, you’re effectively lowering the barriers between you and your next patient.

Strategy 4: Optimize Landing Pages

Once someone clicks on your ad, where do they go? A well-optimized landing page can be the difference between a new patient and a lost opportunity. Your landing page should have a clear and compelling headline, detailed service descriptions, and, most importantly, a call to action (CTA) that’s too good to resist. For example, offering a first-visit discount can be the extra nudge a prospective patient needs to choose your practice. The bottom line? A well-designed landing page can supercharge your conversion rates and make your Google Ads investment worthwhile.

Strategy 5: Monitor, Tweak, Repeat

A ‘set and forget’ attitude won’t cut it with Google Ads. To truly excel, constant monitoring and tweaking are essential. Pay close attention to metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on ad spend. Are your keywords hitting the mark? Is your landing page pulling its weight? These are questions you’ll need to answer, adapt to, and re-strategize around. By continually refining your approach, you’ll ensure your marketing dollars are being put to the best possible use.

Supercharge Your Growth with Google Ads for Dentists

So there you have it – five tried-and-true strategies for using Google Ads to grow your dental practice. But let’s face it: you went to dental school to be a dentist, not a marketer. Wouldn’t it be nice to leave the complexities of PPC campaigns to someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes dental marketing? That’s where Pain-Free Dental Marketing comes in. Our expertise lies in handling the nitty-gritty of marketing so you can focus on creating stunning smiles. We customize each plan to meet your practice’s unique needs and goals, all while respecting your bottom line. Interested? Learn more about Google Ads from the experts, or call us and let’s start turning those clicks into patients!