Google Ads for dentists: where the budget leaks away

In dental practices, Google Ads budget rarely leaks through one big mistake. It leaks through a handful of settings working against each other: a daily budget lower than the target CPA, a brand campaign on manual CPC with bids that are too low, an ad schedule that doesn't match your opening hours, page views counted as conversions, and search terms or competitor names nobody deliberately chose. We see this in the accounts of dentists and oral surgery practices we review. Below you'll find how to spot each one and what to change.

1. A daily budget lower than your target CPA

With target CPA bidding you tell Google what a new enquiry may cost on average. CPA stands for cost per acquisition: the cost per conversion. We regularly see campaigns where the daily budget is lower than that target. On a given day, the campaign can't even pay for one enquiry at the price you set yourself.

The system then has too little room to learn, and the campaign stays stuck on 'limited by budget'. So choose: raise the budget well above the target CPA, or lower the target to a level that fits your budget. Ideally, base that target on what a new patient is worth to your practice, not on a number someone once filled in.

The reverse happens too: a campaign that stays comfortably within its cost target but only gets a small share of the available impressions. Then budget is the brake, and extra budget is a safe step exactly there, provided your diary can take the extra patients.

2. Your brand campaign on manual CPC with bids that are too low

People searching for your practice name are the easiest to book. Yet we see brand campaigns on manual CPC (you set a maximum price per click yourself) with bids so low that the campaign is 'limited by bid strategy'. Budget is left unused, while you don't appear at the top for a search on your own street or practice name.

Raise the bids on your key brand keywords, or test an automated bidding strategy over a defined period. Don't compare the cost per enquiry of your brand campaign with your general campaigns. Brand searchers already know you and will always be cheaper; that says nothing about how well your other campaigns run.

3. An ad schedule that doesn't match your opening hours

The ad schedule sets which days and hours your ads can show. In one account we reviewed, every campaign had a different schedule for no clear reason. One campaign never ran at weekends, while the website made a point of the practice being open in the evenings and at weekends. Another only ran for a few hours each afternoon.

Put your schedule next to your opening hours and phone availability. If people can book online, the evening hours matter too. If a time slot underperforms, lower your bid there with a bid adjustment instead of switching it off completely. That keeps you visible without overpaying.

4. Page views and stray clicks counted as conversions

Google Ads optimises towards whatever you set as a primary conversion. In an oral surgery account we reviewed, a page view counted as a primary goal. The system then looks for people who view a page, not people who book, and your reports show more results than there really are.

So check your conversion actions:

• Only make real enquiries primary: a submitted appointment or intake form, an online registration and phone calls.
• Only count a phone call as a conversion above a minimum call length, not every brief contact.
• Check the same action isn't counted twice, for example through Google Tag Manager and an import from Google Analytics 4.
• Track different forms separately, so you can tell an intake request from a general question.
• Check that Consent Mode is set up properly; it passes visitors' cookie consent status on to Google.

5. Search terms and competitor names nobody chose

Your keywords aren't the same as the searches your ad appears for. Google also shows your ad for variations, and that's often where the leak is. In one search terms report we found weekend emergency denture repairs, while the campaign barely ran at weekends: cost without a single enquiry. We also find other practices' and clinics' names in accounts, without anyone having decided to advertise on them.

Review the search terms report at least monthly and exclude what brings nothing in. If you do want to advertise on competitor names, make it a deliberate choice with its own campaign and budget. Watch out for price searchers too: someone searching for the price of an implant often clicks but books less readily. Give that search term its own ad and send it to a page with your fees and an explanation of the treatment estimate.

6. Your own campaigns bidding against each other

Accounts often grow piece by piece: a campaign for 'dentist near me', later a general dentist campaign in the same area. Without mutual exclusions, the two can bid against each other in the same auction. That can push up your cost per click and makes it hard to see which campaign is actually delivering.

Put the search terms reports of both campaigns side by side. If they overlap, split the keywords deliberately and exclude them from each other. While you're there, check whether strong keywords are paused. We've found cheap, well-converting keywords switched off for no visible reason. Ask first whether there was a reason, such as a full diary, and otherwise switch them back on.

7. High-value treatments in the same pot as check-ups

An implant, an oral surgery procedure or an anti-snoring device is very different from a check-up or an emergency appointment. Yet they often sit as ad groups inside one general campaign, with the same budget, the same target CPA and sometimes near-identical ad copy. In the accounts we saw, precisely those specialist groups converted noticeably worse than the rest.

Give higher-value treatments their own campaign, their own cost target and their own landing page. Write separate copy for each ad group and run at least two ads, so Google can test. Show who performs the treatment as well: a specialist with a name and experience makes the choice easier for a patient.

How to check your own account

• Set the date range to the last 30 or 90 days instead of 'All time'. Lifetime figures hide what's happening now.
• Put each campaign's daily budget next to its target CPA.
• Check which conversion actions are set as primary.
• Compare your ad schedule with your opening hours.
• Judge Google's recommendations campaign by campaign. They can be right, but they aren't instructions.

Want someone to look at it with you? In the free Clinic Scan, Clinic Agency carries out a full analysis of your practice across nine areas, including Google Ads. Thomas gives you a short call beforehand, then you get the analysis and a tailored proposal in a 30-minute meeting. You're free to carry out the plan yourself.

Frequently asked questions

How much daily budget does a dentist need for Google Ads?

It depends on your area and treatments, but your daily budget should always sit well above your target CPA. Otherwise the campaign can't even pay for one enquiry a day at your own cost target.

Should a dentist advertise on their own practice name?

Usually yes, in a separate brand campaign. Brand searchers are cheap and book readily, so make sure your bids are high enough to appear at the top.

Why does Google Ads show more conversions than I get new patients?

Often actions are being counted that aren't enquiries, such as page views or short calls, or the same action is counted twice. Check which conversion actions are primary and how they're measured.