If you’re a dentist looking for the best way to get your message in front of people where they’re paying attention, you’ve probably come across Google ads. Use this guide to understand the basics of Google ads, how they work, and why they’ll work for you.
What is Google Ads?
Google Ads is an advertising platform by Google that allows your dental office to target specific groups of people according to your target patient pool. Many simply call Google Ads “Pay-per-click” (PPC) because the advertiser pays by the click on each ad.
Unlike other advertising, such as a billboard, where you have to hope that a qualified patient sees your ad, pay-per-click for dentists targets the people you want to reach where they’re looking—on their phones, laptops, computers, or tablets. And you only pay when someone actually interacts with your ad by clicking on it.
PPC for dentists can increase your website traffic and the number of phone calls you get from qualified leads. Pay-per-click for dentists is the way to go if you’re looking for a way to make sure that the right people are seeing your marketing message.
Dental Search Ad vs. Dental Display Ad
The two main types of Google advertising are search ads and display ads. Both are still pay-per-click, but they reach patients differently and look different. Search ads are text-only and appear on the search engine results page. For instance, if you type “dental marketing experts” into Google, you might get a text-only advertisement for Pro Impressions Marketing at the top of your results list. Or if your patient types “dental implant dentist,” your ad would show up if you have all your Google Ads’ ducks in a row. You’ll need to set a demographic, location radius, keywords, and negative keywords.
Display ads are image-based and appear on the web pages your target audience looks at. They don’t have to search for a dentist or even dental terms, necessarily. You determine what else your target audience is likely to look for and have your ad show up on those websites. You can also target by location radius, demographic, and other targeting factors.
Which is better?
The jury is still out on that. Search ads are a more direct way of targeting your patients, but display ads are more enticing. At Pro Impressions Marketing, we use them in combination and find that they help each other get more conversions than just having one.
How Does Google Ads Work?
First, you’ll set a Google ads budget. To learn how to set a Google ads budget, check out our blog “How to Set A Dental Google Ads Budget.” Then you’ll identify keywords or search terms that you’d like to target and use your budget to bid on those terms. The highest bidders will win, and Google will show their ad.
While bidding the most is the primary way to have your ad shown, there are other factors. Google likes to see ads that aren’t misleading to patients and that the page the patient is brought to is optimized and user-friendly. You’ll also need to set a location (usually within a few miles of your office), choose your keywords, and set up “match types.” Those are the different variations of your keyword that your ad will be considered for.
After your pay-per-click ads for dentists are set up, you can sit back and relax while your website gets more traffic and your phone starts ringing more frequently.
Will My Dental Office Benefit from Google Ads?
If you’re a dentist who has some competition in your area, Google ads should work for you. With PPC for dentists, you’ll:
- Get more website traffic
- Get more phone calls
- Increase brand awareness
- Win more new patients
Why choose Google instead of other platforms? Well,
- Google has 8.5 billion searches per day, and that number keeps growing
- PPC for dentists with Google has been around for over 20 years
- It’s highly flexible. You can set your own budget as low or high as you want
- You only pay for the ads people click on, so your return on investment is higher than traditional advertising
- Google tracks results and makes suggestions on what to change
Start your Dental PPC with Pro Impressions Marketing
Do you want to start marketing your services to win more new patients? Pro Impressions Marketing is an all-inclusive marketing company that only works within the dental industry. Our favorite clients are dentists, just like you! Get PPC for dentists as part of your marketing package and watch your website visits and qualified new patient calls increase. Call (970) 672-1212 or schedule a consultation online to get started today.
