Everyone knows how important having good eyesight is. However, few people know about LASIK and, how it works, and how it can help you have a better vision and enjoy life. A successful marketing campaign can both help people understand the technology and also help LASIK practices get more patients.

This crucial aspect sets the foundation for LASIK practices seeking to attract new patients through online marketing strategies like (PPC) advertising. Will PPC effectively generate a substantial number of good leads for your practice? Certainly, but only, and only if your campaigns are perfectly optimized to align with the genuine needs of individuals searching for LASIK on platforms like Google. This may include the following:

1. Convenient scheduling options: Highlight the ease of scheduling appointments through various channels, such as online booking or phone calls, emphasizing flexibility and accessibility for patients.
   
2. Availability of appointments: Emphasize that your LASIK practice offers available appointments, aiming to welcome patients within a few weeks. This demonstrates your commitment to timely and efficient service.
3. Acceptance of new patients: Make it clear that your practice is open and welcoming to new patients, showcasing your commitment to providing quality care to a broader audience.
4. Insurance provider acceptance: If your practice accepts specific insurance providers, highlight this information to attract patients who are looking for ophthalmology services covered by their insurance plan.

How Can PPC Help LASIK Practices?

Most potential patients are searching locally and ready to book an appointment, so we can tailor our PPC campaigns as needed.

To fully grasp the advantages of this approach, let’s take a moment to understand the context. Like many other industries, LASIK practices faced challenges during the global pandemic. Now, the world gradually returns to a sense of normalcy. As people struggle to overcome their hesitations, patient numbers are expected to increase. Consequently, LASIK specialists are strongly incentivized to boost their patient volume quickly.

By aligning PPC campaigns with the needs and preferences of prospective patients, LASIK practices can effectively capture their attention and encourage prompt action. Emphasizing convenience, ease of booking, and local relevance in PPC ads can drive higher engagement and conversions. This approach allows practices to capitalize on the increasing demand and rapidly grow their patient base.

With PPC, you can:

1. Gain top search result placement: By utilizing PPC, you can place your content and compelling call-to-actions (CTAs) to the top of SERPs for the most competitive keywords. This prime visibility increases the likelihood of capturing the attention of potential patients and driving them to take action.
2. Connect with your target audiences: PPC allows you to connect with specific target audiences who will click your ads, schedule appointments, and visit your practice. By carefully targeting your PPC campaigns based on demographics, location, and other relevant variables, you can reach individuals who are actively seeking medical services.
3. Targeted search engine visibility: PPC enables you to purchase search engine visibility that is precisely targeted toward intent, location, and other important factors. This level of targeting ensures that your ads are shown to individuals who are specifically interested in LASIK services in your area, maximizing the relevance and effectiveness of your advertising efforts.
4. Obtain faster results for important keywords: Compared to SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC can yield faster results, particularly for high-intent and highly competitive keywords. By investing in PPC advertising, you can quickly gain visibility and generate leads for keywords that are crucial to your practice’s success.

PPC Best Practices For LASIK Specialists

#1 – Create A Better Keyword Strategy

Bidding on broad keywords like “eye surgery” can be very costly and highly competitive for most LASIK practices. In many cases, it may not be the most effective strategy to pursue. Instead, it is advisable to focus on keywords that are more attractive and drive leads in a specific location and cater to the target audience’s needs. For instance, targeting keywords like “eye interventions in Denver” or “good local LASIK surgery” allows for a more precise and targeted approach.

To achieve this, narrowing the objective and getting specific in terms of focusing (location, sex, age, etc.) and keyword selection is essential. Here is how to accomplish this:

1. Utilize call tracking tools and software: By implementing call tracking software, you can analyze which ads drives the most calls and appointments. This data can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns and guide future keyword selection.
   
2. Analyzing calls for patient language: Recording calls can help you identify the words that patients commonly use when they are writing to you. This information can inform your keyword selection and help you align your messaging with patient preferences.
   
3. Consider long keyword phrases: Longer, more specific keyword phrases that are similar to natural language searches; they are less competitive and expensive. Incorporating these types of keywords can increase the relevance of your ads and attract qualified leads.
4. Implement negative keywords: Including negative keywords in your PPC campaigns ensures that your ads won’t appear for irrelevant searches. This helps optimize your budget and ensures that your ads get in front of the right audience.

 

#2 – Your Focus Should Be On A Strategic Campaign

Your Google Ads profile, specifically the campaign structure, plays a crucial role in optimizing your performance, improving your quality score, managing budgets effectively, writing compelling ad copy, and generating insightful reports. Here are some best practices to consider when planning your campaign:

1. Consolidate locations into a single account: Instead of creating separate accounts for each different location, it is recommended to group all your locations into a single account. This allows for better sharing of conversion data across multiple campaigns, providing a more comprehensive view of your overall advertising performance.
2. Separate campaigns for both branded and non-branded terms: Create separate campaigns to target branded search queries (those including your practice’s name) and non-branded terms (generic dental keywords). This separation allows for better control over bidding, messaging, and performance tracking for each type of search term.
3. Segment your keywords by the funnel stage: Organize your keywords based on the funnel stage or the level of user awareness. This segmentation helps creates the most relevant information to searchers based on their intent. For example, you can have separate ad groups or campaigns for general awareness keywords, consideration keywords, and conversion-focused keywords.
4. Align campaign structure with your main goals: Tailor your campaign structure to support your specific goals. If you have multiple locations, each with different goals, budgets, and services, consider creating segmented campaigns for each location. This allows you to allocate budgets accordingly and focus on specific business objectives, such as brand awareness, securing new clients, promoting discounts, or highlighting specialized services.

#3 – Use Ad Extensions To Maximize Character Limits

Creating effective PPC ads requires honing your copywriting skills and effectively conveying your value proposition within the character limit. Fortunately, Google offers ad extensions that can help enhance your ads by providing additional relevant and valuable information. Here are some ad extension options to consider:

1. Phone number: Including your phone number as an ad extension allows potential patients to contact your practice directly easily
2. Address (linked to Google Maps): Adding your practice’s address as an ad extension, linked to Google Maps, enables users to navigate to your location quickly
3. Links to specific pages: Utilize ad extensions to include links to specific pages on your website, such as services, appointment booking, or patient testimonials
4. Google reviews rating: Incorporating your Google reviews rating as an ad extension showcases the positive feedback and reputation of your practice
5. Special offers callouts: Promote special offers, discounts, or unique services using callout extensions

#4 – Create Awesome Landing Pages

A crucial aspect of effective PPC advertising is creating dedicated landing pages that are specifically designed to align with each ad. While the ad’s primary goal is to entice users to click, your job continues. The ultimate objective is to drive conversions, whether it’s through phone calls, contact form submissions, or online appointment scheduling. To facilitate a smooth transition and optimize conversions, consider the following:

1. Create dedicated landing pages: Each ad should have a dedicated landing page that directly relates to the ad’s content and offer
2. Maintain consistency and credibility: Ensure that the landing page reinforces the message, tone, and branding used in the ad
3. Provide clear and relevant information: Your landing page should deliver the information users need to take the desired action
4. Streamline the conversion process: Make it as easy as possible for users to complete the desired conversion. Optimize your landing page by placing clear call-to-action buttons, contact forms, or phone numbers in prominent positions

#5 – Test, Track, Test, Track,…

Testing is a crucial component of developing an effective PPC dental ad strategy. By identifying key performance indicators (KPIs), tracking results, and making data-driven adjustments, you can optimize your PPC campaigns for better outcomes. Here are some essential metrics to track and analyze:

1. Number of clicks
2. Conversions
3. Cost per click (CPC)
4. Form submissions
5. Driving directions
6. Phone calls
7. Keyword rankings

Analyzing these metrics and connecting the dots allows you to evaluate your PPC efforts’ effectiveness, identify improvement areas, and make informed decisions to optimize your campaigns. By continually testing, tracking, and analyzing performance, you can refine your PPC strategy to achieve better results and maximize the return on investment for your dental practice.