PPC for Dentists: A UK Google Ads Guide
Start with one treatment your UK dental practice has capacity to deliver. Set up a Google Ads Search campaign for the catchment you can serve, send people to a relevant treatment page, and check what reception books before increasing spend.
Pick a treatment and agree what a booking is worth
Ask the practice which clinician and site can take additional patients, how many consultation slots are available, and who can answer calls or respond to forms. Define a qualified enquiry as a request reception can progress for the advertised treatment and location. Keep that count separate from booked consultations and attended appointments.
Set a fixed test budget and a review date. Agree who can pause the campaign if the booking route fails or capacity changes.
Map the search to a campaign, page and booking route
Google Ads Search campaigns use ad groups to organise related ads and keywords. Separate services into campaigns when they need independent budgets or catchments. Start with a focused structure so reception and the person managing ads can trace enquiries back to the offer.
| Search intent | Ad group and destination | What reception records |
|---|---|---|
| “Dental implant consultation Bristol” | Consultation group. Send to the implant page with a clear consultation request. | Eligible enquiry, then whether a consultation was booked. |
| “Dental implant cost Bristol” | Fees group if the practice has useful fee information. Send to the implant page’s fees section or a relevant page with the same request route. | Fee-only question or request to arrange an assessment. |
| “Dental nurse jobs Bristol” | Exclude relevant recruitment terms after reviewing their match scope. | No acquisition enquiry expected. |
Check the catchment, terms and wording before spending
Review Google’s advanced location options. If you only want to reach people likely to be in or regularly in the catchment, evaluate the Presence setting and still monitor where leads come from. Review the search terms report and exclude irrelevant demand with suitable negative match types. The report can omit low-activity queries, so use reception feedback alongside it. A mixed NHS and private practice should review the terms by campaign and service before excluding NHS-related searches.
Have the practice approve the ad and destination together. Use accurate availability, pricing and practice status, and check the GDC guidance. If you add audience targeting, review Google’s restrictions on personalised ads for sensitive categories before using it.
Test the handover to reception
Open the destination on a phone, check the number reaches the correct site and send an agreed dummy request through the booking route. Confirm that a successful form creates one record, that failed attempts do not count as enquiries and that staff can see which service was requested. Keep patient details in the practice system and review only appropriate aggregate measures.
Test calls, forms and scheduling on your dental website
Give reception a simple status list: received, relevant, booked, attended and unable to progress.
Worked example: 12 enquiries and four bookings
Suppose a campaign spends £600 on media, records 12 enquiries, and reception confirms eight are relevant, four book and three attend. That is £50 per enquiry, £75 per relevant enquiry, £150 per booking and £200 per attended consultation in media cost alone. If management and landing page costs total another £300 for the same period, the all-in cost is £225 per booking.
These figures are illustrative. With four bookings, review the enquiry mix and missed calls before inferring what will happen at higher spend.
Key takeaways
- Launch one capacity-backed treatment test
- Match searches to the right treatment page
- Review qualified enquiries and bookings with reception
A FEW USEFUL ANSWERS
Frequently asked questions
Should every treatment get its own campaign?
Separate treatments when budget, catchment or scheduling needs differ. Use ad groups for closely related searches that can share those settings and a relevant destination.
What should we review before increasing budget?
Check search relevance, lead delivery, booked and attended consultations, all-in cost and the slots the practice can still offer.
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