AI is all the rage these days. From voice assistants to personalized shopping to the new chatbots, you can’t go anywhere without experiencing some kind of AI. This prospect may seem unnerving to some, but the benefits of AI in marketing are immeasurable! As a dentist, you can use the already built-in AI and machine learning tools to get more new patients through your doors. These tools make your marketing easier, faster, and more effective than ever before.

We will discuss the role of AI and machine learning, specifically in Google Ads, and how to use these tools to get more of your ideal patients. But first, let’s do an overview of Google Ads.

Google Ads Overview

If you’ve been reading our dental marketing blog and listening to our dental marketing show, Marketing Chairside, you know we use Google Ads as a tool to win our marketing clients more new patients. It’s an incredibly reliable tool for getting our clients’ schedules filled with the kinds of patients they’d like to treat. It can be just as reliable for you as long as you know how to use it. Head to our blog to get a plethora of information on Google Ads. Here’s a broad look at Google Ads:

  • It’s a form of direct marketing, meaning you send ads directly to people looking for your services.
  • It’s cost-effective because you can set your own budget.
  • It’s much faster than other types of advertising.
  • You can target specific audiences.
  • Google is the largest search engine (i.e., the largest audience pool.)
  • Results are measurable.
  • Google Ads aids in SEO efforts.

You can read more specifics about the above in our blog, Why Pay-Per-Click is Important for Dentists.

There are two main types of ads you can run. These are search ads and display ads. Search ads appear in text on the top of the results page when someone in your target audience searches for your keywords. Display ads are videos, images, or GIFs that show up on websites. They’re the ones that seem to follow you wherever you go online. When used together, search and display ads help each other out and allow you more share of online visibility.

Benefits of AI and Machine Learning in Google Ads for Dentists

Leveraging Google Ads’ AI and machine learning can dramatically enhance your dental practice’s advertising strategy. These powerful tools offer:

  1. Targeted Reach: With advanced AI features, Google Ads analyzes user search patterns, optimizing your campaign’s targeting to attract the most relevant potential patients.
  2. Optimized Ad Copy: Struggling with crafting the perfect message? Google’s AI assists in generating effective ad copy, ensuring your advertisements resonate with your target audiences.
  3. Efficient Budget Use: Google’s machine learning algorithms help allocate your budget where it’s most effective, maximizing your return on investment (ROI) by prioritizing campaigns that drive real results, like increasing phone calls and appointment bookings.

Performance Max Campaigns in Dental Google Ads

Performance Max campaigns represent a revolution in dental Google Ads, utilizing the full spectrum of Google’s AI features to optimize ad delivery across all its platforms. For dental practices, your ads can appear in the most relevant spaces, whether on YouTube, the Google Search Network, or even in Gmail, reaching potential patients wherever they spend their time online.

By harnessing Googles Ads’ machine learning algorithms, Performance Max campaigns dynamically adjust your ads, targeting, and bidding strategies to achieve your specific practice goals, such as increasing phone calls or booking more appointments. With enhanced SEO strategies powered by AI tools, dental practices experience heightened visibility and engagement, leading to improved marketing ROI. AI-driven SEO predicts search patterns and trends, elevating practices in search engine results and attracting potential patients. ML algorithms analyze user behavior for targeted advertising, ensuring more effective campaigns and higher conversion rates, fostering loyalty among patients.

Google’s Automated Bidding Strategy

Google’s automated bidding strategy simplifies managing your dental Google Ads campaigns by utilizing smart bidding techniques:

  • Effortless Bid Management: Say goodbye to manual bidding. Google’s smart bidding strategy uses machine learning to automatically adjust your bids, ensuring you pay the optimal price for clicks.
  • Goal-Oriented Bidding: Whether you aim for maximum clicks or conversions, Google Ads intelligently sets bids to meet your specific campaign objectives, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of your ad spend.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Google utilizes real-time data from your campaigns and external signals like user location and device. This optimizes bids in order to maximize your ROI, thereby helping your dental practice thrive in a competitive market.

Google’s Responsive Search and Display Ads

If you were to create a search or display ad on Google, you would typically write a few different headlines and descriptions and upload some photos or videos that will appear in your ad. When a user searches for a relevant keyword, Google will choose one of your headlines, descriptions, and visuals to display in the ad.

But with responsive search ads, things work a little differently. Instead of creating a few different ad variations, you’ll write up to 15 different headlines, 4 different descriptions, videos, and images. Then, Google’s machine learning algorithms will automatically test different combinations of those assets to determine which ones perform best.

Over time, as users interact with your ads and Google collects more data, the algorithm will likely favor certain combinations of assets (headlines, etc.) that seem to be most effective. This can help improve the performance of your ads and boost your click-through rates. Google will also recommend which assets to trash and ask for new assets if needed.

With responsive search ads, you don’t need to spend as much time creating and testing different ad variations manually. Instead, you can let Google’s algorithms handle the heavy lifting and focus on other aspects of your practice.

Enhancing Patient Engagement with Generative AI

Generative AI in Google Ads is transforming how dental practices engage with potential patients. This innovative technology creates ad content that is highly tailored and relevant to the audience’s search query and behavior, including headlines, descriptions, and images. 

For dentists, this means your ads are more engaging and more effective in capturing the interest of those seeking dental services. Generative AI analyzes vast amounts of data to understand what message resonates best with your target audience, crafting ad copy that speaks directly to their needs and concerns. As a result, dental practices can achieve higher click-through rates and better conversion rates, ensuring that your marketing efforts lead to tangible outcomes.

Real-World Examples of AI and Machine Learning in Action for Dental Practices

Do you need a reason to believe? Here are three real-world examples from our Pro Member dental practices.

Practice 1

  • Clicks: 8,082
  • Cost per qualified conversion: $116

Practice 2

  • Clicks: 273
  • Cost per qualified conversion: $73

Practice 3

  • Clicks: 4,989
  • Cost per qualified conversion: $166

Of course, these numbers vary depending on the size of the budget and how large the market is. But machine learning and automated bid strategies helped us achieve these results and a great ROI for our clients!

Driving Phone Calls Through Targeted Search Campaigns

Targeted search campaigns in Google Ads are key for dental practices to boost phone calls and appointments:

  • Keyword Strategy: Utilizes dental service-related keywords to capture the attention of users actively seeking dental care.
  • Visibility and Conversion: Enhances practice visibility and increases the chance of online searches turning into actual appointments.
  • Real-Time Optimization: Machine learning continually refines campaigns for better targeting and bid adjustment.
  • Smart Bidding: Optimizes ad exposure at the best cost per click, maximizing budget and investment return.
  • Increased Engagement: Effectively reaches the desired audience, leading to more phone calls and potential patient growth.

Advice From Our Resident Google Ads Expert

Even with these great AI and machine learning tools, you’ll still need some background on running Google Ads. Check out our other blogs on this topic and try setting up some campaigns. Here’s some advice from our Director of Search Marketing, Bob Weber.

“Cost Per Click can actually go up with some of the bidding strategies, but result in better conversions because the AI targets the ads more accurately, but you still need to keep an eye on it because the costs can get high.”

Pro Impressions Manages Google Ads for Dentists

No time to learn Google ads? We get it. Our expert team specializes in Google Ads for dentists, using data-driven strategies to get your practice noticed by potential patients. With our proven track record of success, we’re confident we can help take your practice to the next level. Give us a call at (970) 672-1212 or schedule a free strategy call online to see how we can help your practice grow!