Google search ads: structure, keywords and targeting

Google search ads appear when someone types a search, such as “emergency dentist” or “dental implants near me,” and you pay when they click. That intent is what makes search the usual first paid channel for a practice: the person is already looking. The work is making sure you show up for the right searches, in the right place, at the right hours.

Structure by service

Build the account around the services you want patients for. A simple structure is one campaign or ad group per service, for example general new-patient visits, emergency visits, implants and clear aligners, each with its own keywords, ads and landing page. A single campaign with every dental keyword in it makes it impossible to see which service is paying for itself, and lets cheap, low-value searches eat the budget meant for the service you care about.

Keywords and match types

Start from the words patients actually use. Listen to new-patient calls and look at your Google Business Profile search queries. Google offers three keyword match types; check the current definitions, but broadly:

• Exact match shows your ad for searches with the same meaning as the keyword. The tightest control.
• Phrase match shows it for searches that include the meaning of the keyword, with other words around it.
• Broad match shows it for searches Google judges related. It finds more searches and more irrelevant ones, and depends on good conversion tracking to work well.

Many practices start with exact and phrase match on a short list of keywords per service, then widen once tracking shows what books patients.

Negative keywords

Negative keywords stop your ads from showing for searches you don’t want. Dental searches attract plenty of them. Common negatives to consider:

• Jobs and training: “dental assistant jobs,” “hygienist salary,” “dental school.”
• Do-it-yourself and information-only searches: “home remedy,” “pictures,” “how to.”
• “Free” and clinic searches, if you aren’t offering free care.
• Insurance plans or services you don’t accept or offer.

Keep the list in one shared place and add to it every time you review search terms, as described in the managing spend chapter.

Location targeting

Target the area your patients actually come from, which is usually a radius or a set of ZIP codes around the practice. Then check the location setting carefully: Google can show ads to people in your area or to people who have shown interest in it. For most practices, people physically in or regularly in the area are the target. Check the current options when you set up each campaign.

Ad schedule

Run ads when someone can answer the phone, or make sure the ad and landing page offer online booking at other hours. Ads that produce calls at seven in the evening, when the office is closed, buy voicemails. Review results by hour and day after a few weeks and adjust.