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#1 Dentist AdWords Mistake

Dentist AdWords Campaigns Are Complex

There are so many things that a dentist can do to optimize their Google AdWords campaigns.  Unfortunately, there’s probably an equal number of things the same dentist can do to mess up their AdWords campaigns.

Use AdWords To Restrict Locations Your Dentist Ad Is Displayed

There are multiple ways you can manage where your dentist ads show. Should you use AdWords to show your ad in your own town? Absolutely! Should you show your Google ad in the next town over. Probably. Two towns over? Maybe. Across the country? No!

Fortunately, you can use the AdWords interface to restrict where your Google ads are displayed. You are able to target locations at the campaign level as it might make sense to be more liberal with some ads and more conservative with others when it comes to location. Here’s more information about setting up location targeting in AdWords directly from Google.  Target ads to geographic locations

So, How Does This All Relate To The #1 Dentist Adwords Mistake?

Most dentists don’t use ‘location targetting’ effectively and are essentially casting their net in the wrong ponds. While some other dentists often use AdWords to restrict locations too narrowly and end up casting their net in way too small of a pond. Neither scenario can be avoided completely. What can be controlled is… getting the right clicks for your Google ads.

Here’s the big mistake we see most dentists make…. drumroll…

The #1 dentist AdWords mistake is not indicating the town or city where the dental practice is located in the Google ad.  Including location information in an ad is such an easy and smart thing to do.

Including the name of the town/city does a few important things.

  1. Indicating the dental practice location makes your dentist Google ad much more relevant (clickable) when someone from that town is searching for a dentist nearby. 
  2. Showing your dental office location helps Google understand that people looking for dentists in that town are ‘your people’.  Although Google does not specifically disclose that they give preference to location information displayed in ad content,  we think they might or will at some point.   Look at it this way.  If Sally is searching for “local dentist” in Plano TX and she is doing the Google search in Plano TX – do you think Google might be smart enough to understand it is good to give better placement to an ad that specifically says the dental practice is indeed in Plano, TX?  We think so!
  3. Providing your dental practice town/city deters the wrong people/patients who would have clicked and ‘turned tail” once they saw your dental practice was too far of a drive. 

So, be a smart ‘dentist AdWords manager’. Create dentist ads that include the city/town location of your dental practice.

DENTIST ADWORDS PRO TIP – Use location extensions in AdWords to display your dental practice location without losing space in your ad. Location extensions create an extra line in the Google ad reserved just for the location information.  Learn more about AdWords Locations Extensions directly from Google..  Use location extensions

Dentist Ad Wish Google Ad Extension

 

 

 

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Google Dentist Ad Review – Dentist Near Me Bayonne, NJ

In New Jersey, folks search Google in all kinds of interesting ways including “show me dentists”, “I need a dentist now” and other Google searches we can’t show here.   Of course, New Jersey residents also search Google in more common ways.  Today, we will focus on Bayonne, NJ and the Google search term “Dentist Near Me”.

The first Googe ad we see is from True Dental Care which is actually located in Jersey City, NJ.

The interesting thing about this Google ad is the dental practice actually uses the Google search term “dentist near me.”   The term “dentist near me” isn’t really very compelling or clever.  However, the phrase is SO relevant to the user and Google robot that it is helping this dental practice get #1 placement in Google.   The one downside of how this dentist is using AdWords is this ad is actually for a Jersey City dentist but is showing for someone searching for a dentist in Bayonne.  That’s fine because both places are relatively close but we would recommend the dentist also specifically indicate their dental office is in Jersey City.  That way the dental practice can avoid clicks from people who really want to stay in Bayonne.  The dental practice can also set up Google AdWords to only show the Dentist Near Me ads in very specific locations.

We also like the ad from Platinum Dental Group.   The first thing we like about this Google ad comes at the end of the ad.  The dental practice effectively uses location extension to scream out “YES WE ARE IN BAYONNE. YES WE ARE REALLY NEAR YOU!”  Smart dentist use AdWords ad extension to show their location in order to deter patients who are too far and attract patients who are nearby.  You can learn more about how dentists can use location extensions directly from Google..  We also like the Google Ad Headline “Looking For A Dentist”.  This is a very simple headline but is acknowledging “are you in process of searching for a dentist? we’re here to help”.   Otherwise the ad has much of the standard stuff.  It is decent.  But, we recommend the dentist try use more emotional triggers and a stronger call to action.

At ConversionSmiles, we NEVER click on Dentist Google ads!  We want to save dentists money not waste it on unnecessary clicks. We also provide friendly SEO links to dental practices to help new patients find your dental practice with organic search.  (not a bad thing to have a link from a website that mostly talks about dentist stuff!)  Learn more about our professional Adwords Management for Dentists. 

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Dentist AdWords Review – Vermont Google Ads Review

Vermont is a beautiful New England state where you might think there is one dental practice per town and no heavy competition in Google AdWords. That’s certainly not true in a place like Burlington, VT. (Pro Tip – Many people think Burlington is the capital of Vermont. Truth is Montpellier is actually the capital. And now you know!)

The first Google ad we see is from Green Mountain Sedation & General Dentistry. This Google ad is fine but not exactly awesome. The dental practice is probably spending more money than necessary to achieve this first place position.

Use Emotions and Benefits in Google Ads

First, using the term ‘Green Mountain Dental’ is OK. At least, the searcher knows this is a local Vermont dentist so that’s good. However, in general, we don’t like how the Google ad headline is being used in this dentist ad. Look at just the top line in blue which is called the headline. How “clickable” and interesting is the headline “Green Mountain Dental – greenmountaindentistry.com”? Not very, right? The dentist should be using the headline to show they are highly relevant to the Google search, to show they show a benefit or to evoke an emotion. One problem with this Google ad might be a technical one. It is unlikely the dentist actually added their full domain in the headline – instead, it was probably added by default by Google because there was extra space in the ad headline. The rest of the Google ad is fine but unfortunately very typical without strong emotion or a unique value proposition. We do like that the dentist is using ad extensions like “dental services”, finance options”, “request an appointment” and “doctors & staff”. Google ad extensions are a great tool within Google AdWords to help get clicks and create interest from prospective dental patients with stuff that might not otherwise naturally fit in the Google ad.

The other thing we would like to see in the Google ad is a reference to Burlington or maybe even South Burlington or even the street address. Providing more location information helps the dental patient decide you are a perfect or decide your dental practice is too far so they don’t click on the Google ad and you don’t waste your money.

Finally, we don’t think it usually important to have the full name of the dental practice in the Google ad but in this case since (according to their website) , the full name is Green Mountain Sedation & General Dentistry that might be a great way to further promote that the dental practice also specializes in sedation dentistry. Or maybe don’t, if that might scare away some people not interested in sedation dentistry. The only way to know for sure is to run multiple Google ads and test in Google AdWords over time.

Promote Local, Promote Hours in Google AdWords

The next ad is from Essex Family Dental. Couple things we love about this dentist Google ad. First, the ad is promoting the dental practice is open until 7pm and on Saturdays right in the Google ad headline. This does a couple important things. First, it obviously attracts clicks from patients looking for dental service at night and on Saturdays. It also should detract clicks from patients looking for service until 9pm or Sundays. But even more important is something subtle that is going on with this dentist Google ad. Effectively, by promoting the extra hours, the dental practice is saying “WE ARE PATIENT FRIENDLY AND WE CARE ABOUT YOUR SCHEDULE AND YOUR LIFE.”

Essex Family Dental - Ad 2

We also like that the dentist is making it clear that their dental office is in Essex. Adding the word Essex is likely to get more clicks (and impressions) from Essex area prospective dental patients and fewer clicks from people who think Essex is not close enough. Simply adding the one word Essex is a great way the dental practice is maximizing their AdWords budget. We also like that this dental practice is taking advantage of the Ad Extensions in AdWords and attracting more clicks with language about affordable payment plans, dental emergency, etc. This dentist Google Ad could use a little more of an emotional trigger but otherwise it is pretty good.

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Dentist Google Ads Review – “Tooth Extraction” – Atlanta, GA

Down south, people are known for being polite and civil.  Let’s take a look at how Dentists approach Google AdWords in a place like Atlanta, GA.

First, let’s look at a Google ad from Chamblee Dental Care

This Google ad effectively uses the keyword “tooth extraction” first thing in the headline but also uses the headline to promote the fact that “same day emergencies are welcome”.   Of course, getting relief asap must be very attractive to most dental patients.  Using the term, “welcome” is very clever because it tells the searcher ‘we specialize in handling emergencies quickly’.   The only issue we see here is this dental practice’s website indicates they are actually closed on Sundays which is when we found this ad.  If all of the other local dental practices are also closed and someone from the dental office follows up asap – no problem – however, if Dr. Jones across town does offer Sunday dental tooth extractions – this might not be the best timed Google Ad.  Google Adwords allows dentists to easily schedule ads to turn off on weekends and nights.  However, we think the best practice is to run ads more often and actually confirm the appointment for when the dental practice is open.  (Don’t wait to confirm when the dental practice re-opens!)

Something else we like about this Google ad is how the dental practice uses price to attract clicks.  Providing a low price of $90 is a great way to get clicks.  Those clicks will likely to convert into new dental patients as long as that price doesn’t change along the way.

Next up we have a Google ad for Dr. Richard Walls, D.M.D..  This Google ad is a little confusing to us.  Dentists don’t pay more for using more lines in a Google ad so why not take full advantage of all the ad real estate provided by Google?

This Google ad seems to jam in a bunch of keywords rather than try to actually talk to prospective dental patients.

This is probably a good time to remind dentists of the anatomy of a Google ad.   The first blue line is called the headline.  The next line is called a “display url”.  It is called a “display url” because the url doesn’t actually need to exist – it is simply the url you want to display to attract more clicks and make your Google ad more relevant to the searcher.  For instance, Dr. Walls might have wanted to use a display url of www.wallsomes.com/Tooth_Extraction as tooth extraction was the keyword being searched.  The line that starts with “dental implant/ bone graft” is called Description Line 1.  Description Line 1 should be used to show relevance to the keyword and create interest.  Description Line 2 is not being used at all by this Google advertiser and we think that is a big missed opportunity. Description Line 2 should be used for an emotional trigger and/or to promote benefits of doing business with your dental practice.  Finally,  Google ad extensions can be used to show more details about your location, services offered, etc.  There are two big reasons dentists should use all this space Google provides.  First, you can ‘own’ more of the Google results page and show more relevant information.   Second,  Google rewards relevant ads that provide searchers with useful information and often charges less for those relevant ads.  It is very likely the cost of a click for the first huge ad for Chamblee Dental Care on the first page was actually cheaper than the cost of a click for the tiny ad for  Dr. Richard Walls, D.M.D.. which appeared on the 2nd page of Google search results.

You can learn more about how to add extensions to your Google ads from the AdWords video below…

 

 

At ConversionSmiles, we NEVER click on Dentist Google ads!  We want to save dentists money not waste it on unnecessary clicks. We also provide friendly SEO links to dental practices to help new patients find your dental practice with organic search.  (not a bad thing to have a link from a website that mostly talks about dentist stuff!)  Learn more about our professional Adwords Management for Dentists.