Why are my dental Google Ads not bringing in new patients?
By the Margin Media team · Updated
Dental Google Ads fail to bring in new patients for one of three reasons: the ads reach the wrong searches, the page they land on doesn't lead to a call, or the calls they produce aren't answered and booked. The third is the one owners check last, and it is the easiest to test yourself.
Where does a dental ad click go wrong?
It goes wrong at one of three handoffs. Search to click: the ad shows for people looking for a dental school, a job or another office by name. Click to call: the page is slow, general, or hides the phone number. Call to appointment: the front desk is with a patient, the call rings out, and the person taps the next ad.
How do you find which one it is?
Check them from the phone backward, since that end costs nothing to test. An hour with your ad report and your phone log side by side is enough.
- Match the calls in your ad report against your phone log, and see how many were answered.
- Look at the hour of each ad call. Lunch, after five and weekends tell their own story.
- Read the search terms report for searches you would never want to pay for.
- Open the landing page on a phone and time how long it takes to find the number.
- Check that each ad promises one treatment and lands on a page about that treatment.
Is it the agency, the ads or the phone?
It is often the gap between them. An agency reports clicks and calls, because that is where its work ends. The front desk counts appointments, and never sees the calls it missed. Neither is lying, and nobody owns the middle. Ask for one number that crosses the gap: booked new-patient appointments from ads, and what each one cost.
How does Margin run ads for dental offices?
Margin builds and runs the ads on Facebook and Instagram, in an ad account you own, with a booking page for each campaign. The ad budget is your money, paid straight to the platform. Then Mia, an AI receptionist, answers the calls your front desk can't reach and books the appointment.
Because one team does both halves, the monthly report can show what the ads brought in, what got booked, and what each booked appointment cost in ads. Bookings land on the portal calendar and your office is told. Ads go live within 30 days of kickoff.
What Margin sets up for this.
- Ads on Facebook and Instagram, in an account you own
- Mia, the AI receptionist, on every call
- Booking onto your calendar
- A monthly report and strategy call
What a business needs is decided on its audit. It is a one-time setup fee and a monthly fee, with exact numbers on the audit.
How Margin works for dental officesSee the portal with a sample businessThe Implant Accelerator, for implant practices
Related questions
How do I know if my dental ads are working?
Count booked new-patient appointments that came from the ads, and divide the ad spend by that number. Clicks and calls only tell a dental practice that people were interested. An ad is working when one booked appointment costs less than a new patient is worth to you.
Should I pause my dental ads if the phone isn't being answered?
Fix the phone first, or at the same time. Ads running into an unanswered line cost a dental practice the click and the patient. Cover lunch, after hours and busy lines, then judge the ads on what they book.
Who should own a dental practice's ad account?
The practice should. When a dental practice owns its ad account and pays the platform directly, the history and the data stay with it if the agency changes. Ask any agency before signing whose name the account is in and who can see the spend.