Most agencies will show you impressions, clicks, and CTR. None of that matters. The only metric that counts is booked appointments per dollar spent. Here's how we build Google PPC campaigns that actually convert for cash-pay practices.
Why most medical PPC campaigns fail
The typical agency approach is broken from the start. They bid on broad keywords like "dermatologist near me," send traffic to your homepage, and call it a day. The result: $3,000/month in ad spend with no idea which clicks became patients.
Three problems kill most campaigns:
- Wrong keywords — bidding on insurance-intent terms when you're cash-pay
- Wrong landing pages — sending paid traffic to your homepage instead of a conversion-optimized page
- No tracking — no call tracking, no form attribution, no closed-loop reporting
If you can't trace a dollar of ad spend to a booked appointment, you're not running PPC. You're guessing.
The RunPractice PPC framework
Every campaign we build follows the same structure. It's not complicated — it's just disciplined.
1. Intent-matched keywords
We only bid on keywords that signal buying intent. For a cosmetic dermatology practice, that means:
- "Botox near me" — high intent, ready to book
- "Laser skin resurfacing cost" — price-aware, considering options
- "Best cosmetic dermatologist [city]" — comparison shopping, close to decision
We exclude insurance-related terms, informational queries, and anything that doesn't lead to a consultation request.
2. Dedicated landing pages
Every ad group gets its own landing page. Not your homepage. Not your services page. A purpose-built page with one goal: get the visitor to book.
Each landing page includes:
- Procedure-specific headline that matches the search query
- Social proof — reviews, before/after count, years of experience
- Single CTA — book a consultation, not "learn more"
- Click-to-call routed through AI phone for 24/7 booking
3. Closed-loop tracking
We track every touchpoint from click to booked appointment. That means:
- Call tracking numbers on every landing page
- Form submission attribution tied to the originating keyword
- CRM integration so you see which keywords produce actual patients
Real numbers from real practices
A plastic surgery practice in Austin running our framework:
- Ad spend: $4,200/month
- Consultations booked: 38/month
- Cost per consultation: $110
- Average procedure value: $8,500
- Close rate: 40%
- Monthly revenue from PPC: $129,200
That's a 30:1 return on ad spend. Not impressions. Not clicks. Revenue.
The specialties where PPC works best
PPC isn't right for every practice. It works best when:
- High patient value — procedures above $1,000 make the math work faster
- Local intent — patients searching for providers in a specific geography
- Cash-pay model — no insurance gatekeeping between the click and the booking
Top-performing specialties: dermatology, plastic surgery, med spa, and cosmetic dentistry.
Want to see what PPC could do for your practice? Book a discovery call and we'll run the numbers for your specialty and market.