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
Google’s built-in AI and machine learning can help dentists like you get more bang for your buck with your ads. It improves targeting, has better ad copy optimization, and it’s more efficient at allocating your budget.
- Improved targeting: Google gives recommendations almost daily on optimizing your campaigns. It looks at what you’re targeting and may suggest keywords or negative keywords that could help you get the best pool of patients.
- Better ad copy optimization: Not sure how to write ads? Google’s AI can help you by suggesting ad copy.
- More efficient budget allocation: There are many different campaign goals a dentist can set to get the most ROI. Google can help you determine which to give more weight to maximize your conversions.
Google’s Automated Bidding Strategy
When you set up a Google Ads campaign (search and/or display), one of the most important decisions you’ll need to make is how much you’re willing to pay for each click on your ads. This is known as your “bid.”
Previously, you would have needed to set your bids manually, which could be time-consuming and require a lot of expertise. But now, Google offers an automated bidding strategy that uses machine learning to help you get the most value for your ad spend.
Here’s how it works: when you set up your campaign, you’ll choose a specific bidding strategy based on your goals. For example, you might choose a “Max Clicks” or “Max Conversions” strategy, which will automatically set bids to get the most clicks or conversions.
Once you’ve chosen your bidding strategy, Google’s algorithm will use data from your campaign (as well as other signals like user location, device, and time of day) to automatically adjust your bids in real time. The goal is to help you achieve your desired results while maximizing your return on investment.
Sounds like a breeze, right? While Google’s machine learning capabilities make managing your ads easier than before, it isn’t foolproof. You’ll still need to monitor it and know what kind of results and benchmarks you’re looking for to determine its effectiveness.
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.
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!
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!
