For any dentist who wishes to expand their client base, and in turn their dental practice, there are many ways in which it can be done.  The number of marketing and advertising options is greater than the number of teeth in a healthy mouth, but there is an advertising platform that has proven time and time again to be one of the most effective, and that is Google Ads.

We should actually caveat what we just said, by including the words, ‘if done correctly’, because if a Google Ad campaign is set up without following some basic principles and implementing certain steps, then it is doomed to fail. That failure can range from you not getting any traffic to a website to wasting lots of money getting traffic that is not really interested in what you are offering.

We mention taking a step-by-step approach and the first step you take isn’t to write and or do keyword research, but to sit down and establish exactly what outcome you want from your ads. It may not always be the case that you are trying to attract new clients, but instead, you might wish to add subscribers to an email marketing campaign, or you could want to expand your brand awareness to a wider audience.

Whatever the objective might be, that is what needs to be at the forefront of your thoughts as you progress through the rest of the process. Different objectives will mean that different keywords may need to be used, and obviously, the ad copy is going to differ also when alternate objectives exist.

If we focus on the objective of attracting more clients or patients into your dental practice for dental implants, then you need to ascertain what that audience is going to be. Parameters to consider are demographics such as age group, what their financial circumstances might be, and what locations they might live in.

Beyond these demographics you should also be thinking about what sub-groups new patients to a dental practice could be in. Are they people with poor dental hygiene? Are they those looking for a cheaper, or alternatively, a more exclusive, service? Do you offer cosmetic dental services and are trying to attract those customers?

The reason you want to establish which audiences you are targeting is that this will dictate what keywords you want to subsequently target. Ads that target dental hygiene or not really going to appeal to those looking for cosmetic treatments.

Similarly, ads with keywords that relate to value for money and low-cost dental treatment, are not those which potential patients seeking the equivalent of first-class treatment and service will be clicking on.

Keyword research is crucial to the success of your Google Ads campaign so this the point where you might choose to employ a marketing consultant or an agency to do the keyword research for you. They should also be able to write the all-important ad copy so that you have a much greater chance of people viewing it, clicking through to your website, or whatever online destination you want them to go to.

The other expertise that marketing consultants and agencies should be able to offer you is determining the budget for your campaign and what bids to make for clicks on certain keywords. The better this is done the greater chance you have of your ads being successful and your dental practice gaining more patients, in the most cost-effective way.