A new patient inquiry moves through five stages: the search, the ad, the landing page, the phone call and the booked appointment. If the phone call is broken, money spent on the search and the ad buys inquiries that nobody turns into patients.
The front desk is part of the campaign
The front desk is part of a dental ad campaign, because how calls are answered decides whether ad clicks become booked patients. Few things in a dental marketing budget return more than answering the phone.
A patient calling about a broken tooth is often calling more than one practice. The one that answers gets the appointment, almost whatever the ads said. A patient calling about implants has done weeks of research. They judge the practice by how the call is handled.
So before the budget grows, three things are worth checking:
What share of calls go unanswered, including lunch hours, after hours and the days someone is off.
What happens to a missed call. A callback within minutes wins the patient. A callback tomorrow usually does not.
Whether the person answering knows the price range of the procedure the caller asks about, or has to take a message.
Call tracking is what makes any of this visible. Without it, the practice is tuning ads for clicks and guessing at patients.
Which procedures are worth advertising
Not everything pays back a campaign. The procedures that do share three things: high value, clear intent, and a patient who decides without a referral.
Dental implants
High value and a long decision. Patients research and compare. Expensive per click, and usually still worth it.
Invisalign and clear aligners
Elective, heavily searched and price sensitive. The patient decides alone.
Cosmetic dentistry and teeth whitening
Elective, like aligners, and the patient decides alone. Each treatment gets its own landing page, matched to the ad.
Emergency dentistry
Immediate intent, decided in minutes. How fast you answer matters more than the ad copy.
New patient and cleaning offers
New patient and cleaning offers earn less per appointment, but they win long term patients, which is where the decade of value starts.
Cosmetic and elective procedures usually justify their cost per click. Routine hygiene visits usually justify ads only as a way to win a long term patient. So set that budget against what a patient is worth over the years, not against the first appointment.
The channels, and what each is for
Google Ads on treatment and emergency searches
This reaches the patient who needs you right now. PPC for dentists, meaning ads you pay for by the click, is expensive per click. But it is one of the few channels you can switch on this week.
Local Services Ads
Google checks the practice before the ads can run. You pay per lead, and the ads usually appear at the top of the page. They depend on a well kept Google Business Profile, which is the same work as local SEO.
Landing pages matched to the ad
An implant ad that sends people to the home page wastes the click. Each campaign gets its own page. It names the procedure, the price range, the insurance position and the provider. And it has a form short enough to finish on a phone.
Call tracking and recording
Each campaign gets its own tracked number, so spend can be moved on evidence. A dental group or franchise gets the same setup at each office, so spend can move between locations on evidence too. Recordings, where allowed, are also the fastest way to learn that the inquiries are fine but the handling is not.
Negative keywords
These are search terms you tell Google not to show your ads for. Dental terms attract students, job seekers, DIY research and insurance questions. When each click costs a lot, a few percent of waste is real money.
Lead generation against dental SEO
They answer different questions. Lead generation answers how the practice fills the schedule this month. Dental SEO answers how it stops paying per patient in two years.
Many practices should run both. Shift the balance toward search as the unpaid results grow. Advertising buys the month. Search buys the year.
What gets reported
Kihan Marketing reports dental ad results as cost per booked appointment, calls by campaign, the procedures the spend brought in, and total inquiries. The aim is cost per booked appointment, not cost per form fill, and total inquiries, not one conversion count on its own.
Ad spend goes straight to the platform, not through us. Don't set the budget by a percentage rule. Work backwards instead. Start with what a new patient is worth to the practice over a year. Then take the share of inquiries that book. Those two numbers tell you what you can afford to pay per patient.
Questions dentists ask about Google Ads
Does Google Ads work for dentists?
Google Ads works for dentists when the campaigns target procedures with high value and clear intent, such as implants, aligners and emergencies, and when the phone gets answered. It is one of the few channels a practice can switch on this week. It fails when ads send people to the home page or when calls go unanswered.
How much should a dental practice spend on Google Ads?
A dental practice should set its Google Ads budget backwards from what a new patient is worth, not from a percentage rule. Take a patient's value over the years and the share of inquiries that book. Those two numbers set what the practice can afford per patient. Ad spend goes to Google directly, and our pricing page covers the rest.
How much does Google Ads cost per lead for a dentist?
The cost per lead on Google Ads for a dentist depends on the procedure, the market and the competition, because clicks are priced in an auction. Implant clicks usually cost more than routine ones. Matched landing pages, negative keywords and answered calls bring the cost per booked appointment down, and that is the number worth watching.
Is PPC worth it for dentists?
PPC for dentists is usually worth it for cosmetic and elective procedures, which tend to justify their cost per click. Ads for routine hygiene visits pay back mainly as a way to win a long term patient. A dental PPC agency should report cost per booked appointment, so the practice can see which procedures the spend brought in.
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What clients say
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Kiran and his team are simply fantastic! I've worked with 16 different third party marketing teams and they are by far the best. They are incredibly smart, responsive and an overall pleasure to work with. Since working with them over the last 2 months my ask of them constantly changes and their ability to quickly adapt and figure out new ways to quickly add value is incredibly impressive. I can't recommend Kiran and his team enough and will continue to work with them for the foreseeable future!
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Kihan Marketing is a fantastic team to work with, friendly, professional, and highly responsive. They are highly responsive and quick to take action, ensuring projects move forward efficiently. Despite working in a fast-paced environment, they remain professional, organized, and attentive to detail. Their dedication really show in the quality of their work, and they consistently deliver results while maintaining clear communication. Highly recommended!
Real estate agency, Sint Maarten
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Kihan Marketing Organization is friendly, professional, and very responsive. Kiran and his team move quickly, communicate clearly, and deliver high-quality work in both website development and social media marketing. They stay organized, pay attention to detail, and make the whole process smooth and efficient. Highly recommended for anyone looking to grow your online presence!
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Real estate agency, Thailand
I highly recommend Kihan Marketing. Kiran is an incredibly talented, skilled, and thoughtful web designer. What impressed us most was that he didn't simply build a website, he took the time to truly understand our business, our vision, and the local Koh Samui real estate market. Throughout the process, Kiran provided valuable advice and creative ideas that helped shape the brand and support the growth of our business. His attention to detail and understanding of what makes a business unique resulted in a website that feels truly personal to our brand. He created the beautiful website for [a real estate agency in Thailand]. It represents the elegance, professionalism, and identity of our business beautifully. Thank you, Kiran and Kihan Marketing, for bringing our vision to life. Highly recommended!
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Working together felt very collaborative and aligned. Communication flowed easily, tasks were well-organized, and we shared the same attention to detail throughout the process. It genuinely felt like working as one team.
Business client
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Kihan Marketing Organization has been great to work with. The team is professional, responsive, and focused on delivering real results. I'm very satisfied with their service and would highly recommend them.
vittoria
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Real estate agent, Sint Maarten
I can't recommend Kihan Marketing highly enough. Kiran and his team truly went above and beyond in helping me with both my social media and my website, and the results speak for themselves.
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Cryotherapy studio near Seattle
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