Google ads for medical practices
3 tips on how to build a winning paid search campaign for your medical practice
Whatever the case, if you want to learn how to market yourself and attract more business, then we’ve got some tips for you!
We know it can be challenging to find effective ways to market your medical practice and that’s why we create posts like this one- to give you the upper edge on your competition. This particular post shines a light on how to navigate the world of “paid search”.
Our business, Clinician Solutions, helps practitioners across the GTA thrive by boosting their presence and helping them gain traction online. Throughout the years, we’ve seen a ton of amazing practitioners needlessly lose business because they didn’t have the visibility necessary to connect them to patients who need their help.
Keep scrolling to find our TOP 3 suggestions for using Google Ads to increase your brand’s visibility
1. Target and bid on localized keywords
When it comes to advertising on Google, it’s imperative that you’re using “keywords” that are specific to your service and location. This will guarantee that you are reaching the correct market.
It’s not only important to understand WHAT your target market is looking for, but also WHERE they are located. Focusing on high-search-volume keywords will naturally bring in more visitors as your rankings improve.
To increase the return on your advertising investment, it is just as important to determine HOW MUCH to bid on these localized keywords. The cost-per-click (CPC) of your top keywords varies greatly on how many of your competitors are also bidding for a specific keyword.
Target the locations you are looking for patients
Keywords are location specific. With that being said, it’s helpful to know where your target market lives.
If someone is searching for an allergist in Burlington, you might not want to bid on the keywords “doctor” or “Greater Toronto Area”. Instead, try “allergist” and “Burlington”- the more specific you can be, the better! This will ensure that you are reaching the most relevant customers.
Get creative with keyword strategy
Getting creative and narrowing down keywords will help you win new business. When you determine specific keywords that highlight the unique services you offer, such as “reiki” or “chakra clearing”, you will experience more success capturing your target audience.
Another strategic tactic to use is catering your keywords to different facets of your business that you’d like to grow.
Say for instance, you have dental practice and already have a steady flow of patients coming through the door for general cleaning. That’s great! But let’s say you also want to experience an uptick in business for your other services. Instead of using keywords such as “teeth cleaning” or “dentist”, now you can highlight terms such as “braces”, or “wisdom teeth”. This can be an awesome revenue generator for areas in your business that were previously lacking.
Use tools like google trends to gain insight on about potential clients
Once you know who your target market is, the next step is to find out what they’re looking for and also when they are looking for it.
Google Trends is an amazing, free tool that can help you uncover searches that are trending online. You can use the data to determine which keywords to go after, how to name product categories and how to optimize a blog post with SEO. It can also help you measure what times of the year certain topics are trending.
Test, monitor, and adjust budgets based on keyword performance
It’s a good idea to allow time for your ad campaign to collect some solid data before you make any moves. Once you have some insight on how your keywords are performing, you can begin to optimize your campaign and give financial preference to higher performing words.
Consistently reviewing your analytics will set you on the right path to making better informed advertising decisions.
2. Run Local Search Ads
Now that we understand keywords and how to use them effectively, we are going to talk about the importance of local search ads.
You might be thinking, why do I have to run local search ads? I already have keywords working in my favour… Well, this is just another layer that will bring more visibility to your business.
Having your ad on local search will certainly increase foot traffic to your store. Say John Doe lives in the neighbourhood and chipped his tooth eating ribs- we didn’t say John was very smart, but now he needs to fix his teeth. When he searches online for a dentist, there you are- right at the top of the search list. With the effectiveness of your local search ad, John might just get his teeth fixed in time for prom.
Another piece of information worth sharing is that 80% of local searches end in a purchase! This alone solidifies the fact that setting up local search ads for your business is a no-brainer.
Be sure to properly set up Location Search and enable location extension
When you set up location search and enable location extension, your ad will feature your address, a map to your location, and the distance to your business.
Customers will be able to click on your ad and receive directions to your location. Handy, we know!
They will also find details such as store hours, contact information, customer reviews, and photos. Location extensions may also include a call button so that users can easily tap to call your business.
Run broad location based campaigns
This topic circles back to the idea of location targeting. If you think your business could benefit a wider range of people- then you would simply set your ad campaign to target a wider geographical area.
You can choose entire countries, cities, or narrow it down to a small radius around your location.
Optimize your Google my business
When leveraged correctly, Google My Business (GMB) can lead to increased sales and improved customer loyalty. It’s also free!
Sure, it’s a space for your basic information to show up all in one organized place, but it can be much more than that- it’s also a great space to upsell and connect to your customers.
Just like with keyword planning, you’ll want to be ultra-specific when describing your business. There will be a space for you to fill out your business category, description, location, and contact info. Make sure to include a photo to increase conversion, as people are much more attracted to images than text. Like moths to a flame!
GMB also allows you to get technical and inform people of any service add-ons that your business offers. For instance, does your clinic have a sauna? An outdoor sanctuary & meditation space? Do you have wifi or parking? Onsite testing? IV drips?
You get the picture.
GMB is a space to share all the details that make your business unique. And seeing as only 50% of business owners use this tool, you will be well ahead of the curve by setting yours up.
3. Cover all your bases
Google offers a wide variety of tools to optimize your ad campaigns, you can think of it as a sort of ecosystem.
Once you have finished setting up your ad campaign, connecting it to local ads, and setting up your Google My Business page, you can focus on connecting with your customers and running your business.
This brings us to our last topic- reviews. It’s a good idea to encourage customers to leave positive reviews on your My Business page so that future customers can see how you interact with others. Make sure to respond to every review- YES, even the bad ones! Studies show that people are much more likely to engage with businesses which demonstrate that they’re active in all facets of their business.
Conclusion
We hope you gained some insight on how valuable some of Google’s tools can be and how they are used to boost traffic for your business. We look forward to welcoming you back for our next post: Web Design for Doctors.