A well run Google Ads campaign can be a total game changer for allied health practices, getting more leads and appointments. We know this, because we do it every day for clients. But many practice owners and managers on a budget find it hard to navigate the complexities of Google Ads, due to time, lack of expertise or resources.
Here are 7 practical tips to help you get the most out of your Google Ads. And if you need help we’re here for you!
Tip 1: Geo-targeting Precision
What is geo-targeting?
Geo-targeting allows you to show your ads to people in specific locations. For allied health practices this means targeting potential patients in your local area.
Why is Geo-targeting important for Google Ads success?
Precise geo-targeting means your ads get in front of people who are most likely to visit your practice, making your ad spend more efficient.
How to set up geo-targeting:
- Use radius based targeting to define an area around your practice. For example if you have a physio clinic in Melbourne you might set a 10km radius around your location. From our experience, you don’t want to go much further than this, especially in a major city because people generally do not want to travel more than 15-20 minutes to find you. Unless, of course if you’re in a super high demand clinic or specialty area. But generally speaking a 10km radius is a good start.
- Exclude locations where you don’t want your ads to appear. This helps you not waste budget on irrelevant clicks.
- Remember to test these out – some clinics may find success in a larger geo-targeted radius, for example a more remote practice – say in country Victoria – where there’s lower competition and people are more willing to travel.
Example:
A chiropractor in Sydney can target ads to people within a 15km radius of their clinic and exclude areas where they don’t provide services, like regions outside of Sydney.
Tip 2: Quality Score Optimisation
What is Quality Score?
Quality Score is a metric Google uses to determine the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords and landing pages.
Why is it important?
Higher Quality Score means lower cost per click and better ad positions.
How to optimise Quality Score:
- Ad Relevance: Make sure your ads match the keywords and search intent. For example if you’re advertising physio for sports injuries your ad should mention this service.
- Landing Page Experience: Make sure your landing page is user friendly, relevant to the ad and provides a seamless experience. Include clear information about the services you offer and easy ways for patients to book appointments.
- Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR): Write ad copy that encourages people to click. Use action oriented language like “Book your appointment today”
Example:
An osteopath in Brisbane had a drop in Quality Score. By updating their landing page with more information about their services and making the page load faster they improved their Quality Score and reduced their cost per click.
Tip 3: Ad Scheduling
What is Ad Scheduling?
Ad scheduling allows you to control when your ads show based on the time of day and day of the week.
Why is it important?
It means your ads are shown when your target audience is most likely to be searching, maximising your budget.
How to refine:
- Look at your past ad performance to see when your ads get the most clicks and conversions.
- Increase your bids during those times so your ads are more likely to show.
- Consider dayparting where you only run ads during specific hours of the day.
Example:
A dietitian found most of their appointments were booked in the evenings. By increasing bids during those peak hours and reducing them in the mornings they optimised their ad spend and saw a huge increase in conversions.
Tip 4: Negative Keyword Mastery
What are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords stop your ads from showing for irrelevant searches.
Why are negative keywords important?
Using negative keywords means you don’t waste budget on clicks that won’t convert.
How to master:
- Regularly review the search terms report to see what irrelevant queries are triggering your ads.
- Add those irrelevant terms as negative keywords.
Example:
A podiatrist in Adelaide was getting clicks from people searching for “home foot care kits” which wasn’t relevant to their services. By adding “home foot care kits” as a negative keyword they reduced wasted ad spend and improved ad relevance.
Tip 5: Ad Extensions
What are Ad Extensions in Google Ads?
Ad extensions add extra information to your ads making them more attractive and informative.
Why are Ad Extensions important?
Extensions can increase your ad’s visibility and click-through rate (CTR).
How to use Ad Extensions:
- Sitelink Extensions: Add links to different pages on your website, such as services, about us or contact pages.
- Callout Extensions: Highlight specific aspects of your practice, like “Bulk Billing Available” or “Experienced Therapists.”
- Structured Snippets: Add extra information about your services, like “Conditions Treated: Back Pain, Sports Injuries, Arthritis.”
Example:
A speech therapist in Perth used callout extensions to highlight “Free Initial Consultation” and “Child and Adult Services” and made their ad more attractive and informative.
Tip 6: Conversion Tracking Setup
What is conversion tracking?
Conversion tracking measures what users do after they click your ad, like book an appointment or call your practice.
Why is conversion tracking important?
It allows you to see which ads and keywords are driving valuable actions and optimise your campaigns.
How to set up conversion tracking:
- Use Google Ads conversion tracking to track bookings, form submissions and phone calls.
- Use Google Tag Manager for advanced tracking.
Example:
A psychology practice in Melbourne set up conversion tracking for their online appointment booking form. By looking at the data they found that ads for their “Stress Management Programs” were driving the most bookings so they allocated more budget to those ads.
Tip 7: Smart Bidding Strategies
What are Smart Bidding Strategies?
Smart Bidding uses Google’s machine learning to optimise your bids for conversions or conversion value.
Why is it important?
It automatically adjusts your bids to maximise your campaign’s performance based on real time data.
How to use:
- Use Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) to get as many conversions as possible at your target cost.
- Use Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) to maximise revenue based on your ad spend.
- Make sure you have enough conversion data before using Smart Bidding so the algorithm can optimise effectively.
Example:
A physiotherapy clinic in Sydney started using Target CPA after they had enough conversion data. They set a target cost per acquisition of $30 and saw a big increase in conversions while keeping their budget the same.
Conclusion
Follow these Google Ads tips and you’ll see a big improvement in your campaigns and reach more patients for your practice. Remember these tips are a starting point, Google Ads can be complicated and time consuming. If you need more help don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team of experts. We’ll make sure your marketing is working for your business.
Need help with your Google Ads? Get in touch today for a free consultation and let us take your practice to the next level!