Running a dental practice is tough—balancing patient care, managing a team, and growing your business can feel overwhelming. When it comes to marketing, you want to make sure every dollar spent is bringing in new patients. That’s where cost per conversion comes in. In 2024, the average cost/conversion observed in our agency in Google Ads for dental services is $37.43, and understanding how to keep that number low is key to your growth.
Let’s dive into how you can improve your Google Ads campaigns and maintain a healthy cost per conversion for your dental practice.
What is Cost Per Conversion and Why Does It Matter?
Cost per conversion measures how much you’re spending to get a potential patient to take a specific action, like calling your office or booking an appointment. It’s different from cost-per-click, which is what you pay every time someone clicks on your ad. Your goal should be to convert those clicks into actual patients, and that’s why cost-per-click alone isn’t enough to measure success.
To keep your marketing profitable, it’s essential to manage this cost and ensure every conversion is valuable.
Best Practices to Optimize Cost Per Conversion
1. Focus on Keyword Targeting
One of the first steps to improving your cost per conversion is honing in on the right keywords. This means choosing keywords that potential patients are searching for.
- Local Keywords: Incorporate terms like “dentist near me” or “emergency dental care in [your city]” to target users actively looking for dental services in your area.
- Specific Services: Instead of broad terms like "dentist," focus on more specific services such as "dental implants" or "teeth whitening." These terms indicate higher intent to book.
2. Exclude Negative Keywords
Negative keywords are terms you specifically exclude from your campaigns to avoid irrelevant clicks. For instance, if your practice doesn't accept a specific dental insurance, you might exclude terms like “[dental insurance name] dentist”.
By excluding negative keywords, you ensure that your ads only show up for the right people—those who are more likely to convert into patients.
- Example Negative Keywords: Free, reviews, salary, jobs, or non-dental services.
3. Refine Your Audience Targeting
You don’t want to advertise to just anyone—you want to reach people who are likely to convert. Google Ads allows you to target specific demographics, behaviors, and geographic locations.
- Location Targeting: Focus your ads on areas close to your practice to increase the likelihood of booking appointments.
- Demographic Targeting: Tailor your ads based on age, income, or interests to reach your ideal patients.
4. Monitor and Adjust Regularly
Google Ads isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it tool. Regular monitoring and adjustments will help you stay ahead of changes in patient behavior and competition.
- Bid Adjustments: Increase bids on high-performing keywords and reduce them for underperforming ones.
- A/B Testing: Continuously test different ad copies and landing pages to see what resonates most with your audience.
What Affects Cost Per Conversion?
Several factors impact the average cost/conversion in Google Ads, including competition, your ad quality, and even the time of year.
- Competition: If more dentists in your area are running ads, this increases the cost per click (CPC), which can also raise your cost per conversion.
- Ad Quality: Google favors ads that are relevant and engaging, so focusing on ad copy, relevant keywords, and user-friendly landing pages can help keep your costs down.
- Seasonality: Certain times of the year (such as holidays or back-to-school season) may see a surge in searches for dental services, influencing your CPC.
Case Study: Dental Whale Practice Group
Let’s look at Dental Whale Practice Group, a client that added over 1,000 new patients in just 90 days. By focusing on targeted keywords, refining their audience, and running A/B tests, they were able to keep their cost per conversion low while dramatically increasing patient leads.
Read more about this success story here: Dental Whale Case Study.
The 5-C Method Guarantee
We’re so confident in our 5-C Method that we offer a guarantee. If after 90 days of going live with your site, funnels, and automation you haven’t averaged 30 leads per month, we’ll give you a free month of marketing services. Because if you’re not getting the results you deserve, the least we can do is get you back to profitability before you leave us.
“We want to work with you, and we’re not satisfied unless we help you score a big win!”
Ready to Lower Your Cost Per Conversion?
If you want to optimize your Google Ads campaigns and reduce your average cost/conversion in Google Ads, our team is here to help. With our proven strategies and the 5-C Method, we’ll make sure you’re getting more patients and growing your practice.
Schedule a call today with our expert team at 1-855-980-0091 or visit us at DentalMarketing.com.
