Cracking the Code: Google Ads for Chiropractors to Attract More Patients
- Fretchie Gay Monterde
- Jul 29
- 9 min read
Quick Links:
Setting Up Your Google Ads Account and Campaign Structure
Keyword Research and Ad Copy Mastery
Landing Page Optimization and Conversion Tracking
Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
Key Takeaways & Next Steps
Key Takeaways:
Effective Google Ads campaigns can significantly boost patient acquisition for chiropractors.
Proper keyword research and compelling ad copy are crucial for attracting qualified leads.
A well-structured campaign and accurate conversion tracking are essential for maximizing ROI.
Landing page optimization plays a vital role in turning clicks into booked appointments.
Starting with manual CPC bidding and transitioning to smart bidding based on data is a proven strategy.
Introduction
For chiropractors, attracting new patients is the lifeblood of a thriving practice. While word-of-mouth referrals and local networking are valuable, they often aren’t enough to consistently fill your appointment book. That’s where Google Ads comes in.
When done right, Google Ads for chiropractors can be a powerful tool to connect with potential patients actively searching for chiropractic care in your area. However, navigating the complexities of Google Ads can be daunting. From keyword selection to ad copy creation and conversion tracking, there’s a lot to consider. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to setting up and running effective Google Ads campaigns, ensuring you attract the right patients and maximize your return on investment.
Setting Up Your Google Ads Account and Campaign Structure
The foundation of any successful Google Ads campaign lies in a well-structured account. Before diving into keywords and ad copy, you need to set up your account correctly and organize your campaigns for optimal performance.
Creating Your Google Ads Account:
Start by heading to ads.google.com and creating a new account.
Ensure you link your Google My Business profile (now Google Business Profile) to your Google Ads account. This allows you to leverage location extensions and improve local visibility.
Set up accurate billing information and choose a payment method.
Campaign Structure:
Organize your campaigns based on the services you offer. For example, you might have separate campaigns for “back pain relief,” “neck pain treatment,” and “sports injury chiropractic.”
Within each campaign, create ad groups that target specific keyword themes. This keeps your ads highly relevant to the search terms.
Example Campaign Structure:
Campaign: Back Pain Relief
Ad Group 1: Lower Back Pain Treatment
Ad Group 2: Sciatica Relief
Campaign: Neck Pain Treatment
Ad Group 1: Whiplash Treatment
Ad Group 2: Neck Stiffness Relief
This granular structure ensures that your ads are highly targeted and relevant, leading to better click-through rates and conversion rates.
This approach works great, but only if you have sufficient budget and search volume. Sometimes, a more consolidated approach is better. Especially if you have solid historical conversion data. A Google Ads pro will help you determine the best path forward for your practice.
Location Targeting:
Precisely target your ads to your service area. Use radius targeting to reach potential patients within a specific distance of your clinic.
Consider targeting specific neighborhoods or zip codes where your ideal patients reside.
Utilize google business profile to help with local targeting.
Ad Scheduling:
Analyze your appointment booking patterns to determine the best times to run your ads.
Schedule your ads to run during your clinic’s operating hours or when potential patients are most likely to search for your services.
If you have a call center, or someone to answer the phone, make sure that the ads are running when someone can answer.
Conversion Tracking Setup:
Accurate conversion tracking is essential for measuring the success of your campaigns.
Set up conversion tracking for phone calls and form submissions.
For phone calls, use Google’s call tracking feature or integrate with a call tracking service.
For form submissions, install the Google Ads conversion tracking code on your website’s thank-you page.
Accurate conversion tracking allows you to make data-driven decisions and optimize your campaigns for maximum ROI.
Initial Bidding Strategy:
Start with manual CPC (cost-per-click) bidding. This gives you complete control over your bids and allows you to gather initial data.
Set bids based on the value of a new patient and your budget constraints.
Avoid overspending by setting daily and monthly budget limits.
As mentioned earlier, once you have 15-20 quality leads over a 30-45 day period, switching to smart bidding (maximum conversions) is recommended.
Keyword Research and Ad Copy Mastery
The success of your Google Ads campaigns hinges on your ability to target the right keywords and craft compelling ad copy.
Keyword Research:
Use Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to identify relevant keywords.
Focus on long-tail keywords (e.g., “chiropractor for lower back pain near me”) that indicate high intent.
Include location-based keywords (e.g., “chiropractor [city name]”) to target local patients.
Consider keywords related to specific conditions (e.g., “sciatica treatment,” “migraine relief”).
Use negative keywords to exclude irrelevant searches (e.g., “chiropractor jobs,” “free chiropractic”).
Focus on keywords that show that the user has transactional intent.
Ad Copy Creation:
Craft compelling ad headlines that include your primary keywords.
Use strong calls to action (e.g., “Book an Appointment,” “Schedule a Consultation”).
Highlight your unique selling propositions (e.g., “Experienced Chiropractor,” “Same-Day Appointments”).
Include location extensions to showcase your clinic’s address and phone number.
Use ad extensions (e.g., sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets) to provide additional information and improve ad visibility.
Test different ad variations to determine which performs best.
Make sure that the add copy aligns with the keywords that the user is searching.
Make sure the landing page aligns with the ad copy.
Ad Copy Best Practices:
Address the patient's pain points directly. For example, "Suffering from chronic back pain? Find relief today."
Emphasize the benefits of your services. Focus on how your treatments can improve their quality of life.
Create a sense of urgency or exclusivity. For instance, "Limited-time offer: Free consultation for new patients."
Use numbers and statistics to add credibility. "Over 10 years of experience helping patients find pain relief."
Ensure your ad copy is consistent with your landing page messaging. This creates a cohesive user experience.
Make sure that your ad copy is mobile responsive. Most searches for local services happen on mobile devices.
Utilizing Ad Extensions (now called “assets”):
Sitelink extensions: Direct users to specific pages on your website, such as your services page, about us page, or contact page.
Callout extensions: Highlight unique selling points or special offers in short, concise phrases.
Structured snippet extensions: Showcase specific aspects of your services, such as "Types: Sports Injuries, Back Pain, Neck Pain."
Call extensions: Enable users to call your clinic directly from the ad.
Location extensions: Display your clinic's address and phone number, making it easy for local patients to find you.
Promotion extensions: If you are running a special, these extensions allow you to display the discounts that you are offering.
Landing Page Optimization and Conversion Tracking
Driving traffic to your website is only half the battle. Your landing page must be optimized to convert those clicks into booked appointments.
Landing Page Essentials:
Create dedicated landing pages for each campaign or ad group. This ensures relevance and improves conversion rates.
Use a clear and compelling headline that matches your ad copy and keyword.
Include a strong call to action (CTA) above the fold. Examples include "Book Your Appointment," "Schedule a Free Consultation," or "Call Us Now."
Make it easy for visitors to contact you. Display your phone number prominently and include a contact form.
Highlight your credentials and patient testimonials to build trust and credibility.
Ensure your landing page is mobile-friendly. A significant portion of searches for local services occurs on mobile devices.
Optimize your landing page for speed. Slow loading times can lead to high bounce rates.
Use high-quality images and videos that showcase your clinic and services.
Clearly state your clinic's address and hours of operation.
Make sure that the landing page loads quickly. A slow loading page will drastically reduce conversions.
Conversion Tracking Deep Dive:
Phone Call Tracking:
Use Google's call tracking feature to track calls generated from your ads.
Integrate with a third-party call tracking service for more advanced features, such as call recording and lead scoring. You can also use a tool like CallRail to ensure only your qualified leads get loaded into Google Ads as conversions.
Analyze call data to identify trends and optimize your campaigns.
Form Submission Tracking:
Install the Google Ads conversion tracking code on your website's thank-you page.
Ensure your contact forms are user-friendly and require minimal information.
Test different form layouts and fields to optimize conversion rates.
Appointment Booking Integration:
If you use an online scheduling system, integrate it with your Google Ads conversion tracking.
Track appointments booked directly from your landing page.
This provides a more accurate measure of your campaign's ROI.
It’s not enough to track the number of leads; you must also track their quality.
Implement a system for scoring leads based on their likelihood of becoming patients.
Use this data to refine your targeting and ad copy.
It is important to understand the difference between a lead and a qualified lead.
Transitioning to Smart Bidding:
Once you've gathered sufficient conversion data (15-20 quality leads over 30-45 days), consider transitioning to smart bidding.
Maximum conversions bidding is often the most effective strategy for chiropractors.
Google's algorithms will automatically optimize your bids to maximize the number of conversions within your budget.
Monitor your campaign performance closely after switching to smart bidding.
Remember that brand campaigns perform better on manual CPC bidding.
Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
Even with careful planning, common mistakes can derail your Google Ads campaigns.
Here’s how to avoid them:
Ignoring Negative Keywords:
Continuously monitor your search terms report and add irrelevant keywords to your negative keyword list.
This prevents your ads from showing for unrelated searches, saving you money and improving your click-through rate.
Poor Ad Copy and Landing Page Alignment:
Ensure your ad copy and landing page messaging are consistent.
Use the same keywords and phrases to create a seamless user experience.
Make sure that the offer on the landing page is the same as the offer on the add.
Lack of Conversion Tracking:
Set up accurate conversion tracking for phone calls and form submissions.
Regularly review your conversion data to identify areas for improvement.
Neglecting Mobile Optimization:
Ensure your website and landing pages are mobile-friendly.
Test your ads and landing pages on different mobile devices.
Setting it and forgetting it:
Google Ads is not a set it and forget it platform.
You must be consistently optimizing the account.
This includes, but is not limited to: adding negative keywords, testing add copy, testing landing pages, adjusting bids, and adjusting budgets.
Overlooking Location Targeting:
Precisely target your ads to your service area.
Use radius targeting and consider targeting specific neighborhoods or zip codes.
This ensures you're reaching potential patients who are likely to visit your clinic.
Budget Mismanagement:
Set realistic daily and monthly budgets.
Monitor your spending closely and adjust bids as needed.
Avoid overspending on irrelevant keywords.
Understand that it takes time to get the correct data, and you may need to spend more in the beginning.
Ignoring Ad Scheduling:
Analyze your appointment booking patterns to determine the best times to run your ads.
Schedule your ads to run during your clinic’s operating hours or when potential patients are most likely to search for your services.
Not testing add copy:
Add copy is one of the most important aspects of a google ads campaign.
You should always be testing different add copy to see what works best.
Test different headlines, descriptions, and calls to action.
Not testing landing pages:
Just like add copy, landing pages should always be tested.
Test different headlines, images, calls to action, and form fields.
A/B testing is a great way to test different landing pages.
Key Takeaways & Next Steps
Running successful Google Ads for chiropractors requires a strategic approach and ongoing optimization. By following the guidelines outlined in this article, you can significantly improve your patient acquisition efforts and grow your practice.
Key Takeaways:
A well-structured Google Ads account is essential for maximizing ROI.
Thorough keyword research and compelling ad copy are crucial for attracting qualified leads.
Landing page optimization and accurate conversion tracking are vital for turning clicks into booked appointments.
Starting with manual CPC bidding and transitioning to smart bidding based on data is a proven strategy.
Consistent monitoring and optimization are necessary for maintaining campaign performance.
Negative keywords are critical to a healthy account.
Testing add copy and landing pages is critical to a healthy account.
Location targeting is critical for a local business.
Conversion tracking is critical to understanding what is working, and what is not.
Next Steps:
Implement the strategies outlined in this guide to set up or optimize your Google Ads campaigns.
Continuously monitor your campaign performance and make data-driven adjustments.
Stay up-to-date with the latest Google Ads best practices and algorithm updates.
Consider working with a Google Ads professional.
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