In this blog post I will highlight some of the common mistakes I see with Dental Pay per Click (PPC) campaigns and go through some simple quick fixes to get a better response and return.

What is a PPC campaign?

Very simply, in a Google search there are 2 sets of results. The natural results and the paid results. The paid results are either at the top in a beige box, down the right hand side or both, and have the heading ‘sponsored links’ – these are the results of people paying for a PPC campaign

To me there are 2 main ways of using these sponsored links, either to increase your brand awareness or to initiate an activity. Now remember, each time someone clicks on your ad you will pay – so if you are anything like me, you don’t have the budget to spend on JUST increasing brand awareness without a definite action to follow… do you?

The problem is that many of the ads I see just increase brand awareness, that is, they do not initiate an activity in any way. A typical example of this is when you click on a sponsored link it just takes you to the home page of a website…and there the actions stops…

A far better way to use PPC ads is to drive people to your website and prime them for an activity within the ad.

So in your advert, mention ‘call us about XYZ’… then send them to a page that answers the specific problems that they were searching for and make sure your phone number is big and prominent. Or, mention in your advert ‘have an email consult about XYZ’… then send them to a page that answers the specific problems that they were searching for and make sure your email address is big and prominent. Or, mention in your ad ‘download your free guide about XYZ’…then send them to a page that answers the specific problems that they were searching for and make sure your free download form is big and prominent.

Always, always, always send the visitor to a relevant page in your website that has a strong call to action. If, after clicking on your Google advert, a visitors needs to spend more time on your site looking for what they want, and then even more time finding out how to contact you then you increase the chance of loosing that visitor and wasting your online ad budget.

Think of your ad a step in the patient journey that starts with a search online…

1. They realise they have a dental problem
2. They do a search online
3. They see your ad and click on it
4. They visit your website
5. They call/email the practice
6. They come in to see you
7. You welcome them and amaze them with your service
8. They sign up for treatment
9. They have treatment
10. You WOW them with your after care

So, how have you made PPC campaigns work for you?