Google Ads for Dentists 2024

5 key things to know when setting up dental PPC ads

Whilst dental ads on Facebook and Instagram can still work very well if done properly, we are seeing a lot of new clients coming to us with requests to set up and manage Google Ads. This is typically where their existing agency has tried Facebook ads but not delivered the success the client hoped for.

More often than not, the lack of success was due to the incumbent agency using the ‘same-old’ generic ads that are so common these days, lacking any finesse and using stock images and phrases rather than carefully crafted video ads with compelling value propositions. So doomed to fail and understandable why the client would seek an alternative.

It’s well-understood that even the best social media ads tend to deliver quite a lot of highly-speculative enquiries which need rigorous filtering and this plus the need to generate the compelling content mentioned above, are the main reasons why some dentists are switching their advertising focus away from social media ads to Google Ads.

So whilst social media ads can reach a lot of people very quickly and are relatively cheap, they do need quite a lot more effort than Google Ads to deliver results. Google Ads are typically quite a lot more expensive to run but they tend to deliver higher-quality enquiries and hence they are still the technique of choice for a lot of dentists.

Basically social ads and Google Ads can be very effective and have their own pros and cons, but if you want more qualified enquiries and can afford it, dental focussed Google Ads may well be your best bet.

Let’s take a look at some key thing you need to consider before commencing your own dental practice Google Ads campaign in 2024.

Don’t do it yourself

Whilst Google has gone a long way to make the Google Ads set-up and admin interface easier to use, it’s still not for the faint-hearted and needs a lot of experience to do well. There are way more set-up and optimisation parameters than with Facebook ads and getting it wrong will cost you an awful lot of wasted ad spend.

You really do need to know how to set up and run an effective campaign(s) – from account structure and bid strategy to keyword selection and more. Given that you can waste a lot more money with a poorly constructed DIY campaign than you would paying an ads professional, it really makes sense to seek out someone who knows what they’re doing. Remember also that it’s not just about the cost of the campaign but the number and quality of leads it delivers as well.

Make sure your campaigns are granular

We see lots of poorly configured Google Ads campaigns where the campaigns are way too broad, resulting in poor quality score, high click-costs and low level enquiries. This is indicative of most DIY campaigns and also ‘dodgy’ agencies which either don’t know what they are doing or can’t be bothered to spend the time needed to do the job properly.

When setting up, it’s essential to follow best practice with regard to the correct account structure, making sure to use the correct campaign -> ad group -> ads -> keywords hierarchy. In most cases you will also need to develop landing pages to ensure that your campaigns are as targeted and relevant as possible.

To give an idea, it typically takes around six hours for one of the experienced ads practitioners here at Dental Media to set up a single ads campaign.

Ongoing ads management

It’s very important to realise that running a Google Ads campaign is not fire-and-forget. The ads auction is very competitive, constantly changing and consequently requires regular intervention to keep it running effectively. We will typically spend at least two hours per week per client campaign, so the input is not trivial.

You need to evaluate Google’s recommendations, keyword selection, negative keywords, campaign strategy and ad copy amongst other factors to stay on top. If you don’t do this, the campaign performance will rapidly fall away but Google will still spend your click budget!

Data interpretation and reporting

The amount of data Google provides is very comprehensive and interpretation takes a lot of skill and experience. You will also need to make sure you have the appropriate data tracking codes set up on your website and that your ads account is integrated with Google Analytics, plus telephone call tracking if you use it.

Once the tracking is in place, you will then need to configure the events and conversions you wish to track – these typically record the enquiries that are made via your website or landing pages but you may also wish to track additional features such as chatbot interactions.

Without this data you will be unable to measure the return-on-investment from your campaigns and hence how worthwhile they are.

Competitor analysis

A key part of running successful Google Ads campaigns is effective competitor analysis. This involves checking the ads your competitors are running, as well as interpreting the data from the various insights which Google provides.

If you don’t check and understand this information, you won’t be able to adjust your campaigns appropriately to respond to your competitors. It’s important to remember that Google Ads is a bit like an auction and so you need to understand the dynamics of that auction if your campaigns are to perform well.

Summary

Google Ads can be very rewarding when set up and managed properly. Conversely they can be extremely disappointing and costly when done badly. With increasing competition and more dentists trying Google Ads than ever before, it’s essential that your campaigns are configured correctly at the start and then managed proactively moving forwards.

Above we discussed five of the key features to consider when using Google Ads but there are many more. If you’d like assistance with your own dental Google Ads campaigns and we do strongly recommend that, then please call the team at Dental Media for a no-obligation discussion and next steps. You can reach us via the website contact form or directly on 01332 672548.