5 Ways for PT Owners to Improve Google Ads Results

Google Ads can be one of the fastest ways to generate new patient opportunities for your PT clinic, but only when you have the right strategy behind it.

In this episode, Neil Trickett, PT and CEO of Practice Promotions, breaks down 5 ways PT owners can improve their Google Ads results and turn more clicks into actual patients.

We cover:

• How much PT clinics should actually spend on Google Ads
• The key numbers every clinic owner should track
• Why promoting specific specialties can outperform generic campaigns
• What to look for when choosing a Google Ads agency
• Why asking patients “How did you hear about us?” isn't reliable tracking
• How AI Call Intelligence can connect ad spend to booked appointments
• How to turn Google Ads data into smarter marketing decisions

If you're investing in Google Ads, or thinking about starting—this episode will help you avoid costly mistakes, improve your campaigns, and generate more new patient opportunities.

Want to get better results from your Google Ads? Contact the Practice Promotions team at https://practicepromotions.net/!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:14

If Google Ads feels confusing, overwhelming, or you've tried it before without much success, this episode is for you. The truth is, success with Google Ads isn't about having the biggest budget, it's about having the right strategy. You see, we've helped hundreds of PT clinics generate new patient opportunities through Google Ads. And the clinics that get the best results aren't necessarily spending the most money, they're following a few key principles. And today I'm going to share five ways to improve your Google Ads results so you can generate more patient leads, more evaluations, and ultimately more revenue for your practice. First off, it's about spending the right amount of money. And let's start with one of the biggest mistakes I see, and that's either clinics are spending too little or they're spending way too much. And on one side, I see owners trying to run Google Ads with a budget of say $250 per month, which is way too low. And the problem is that that budget simply doesn't generate enough clicks, leads, or data back to Google to make good decisions. And on the other side, some clinic owners think they need to spend tens of thousands of dollars per month to compete. And you don't. For most PT clinics, a budget of roughly around $500 to $1,000 per clinic location is a great starting point. And it just depends too on where you're setting. So if you're in an urban area or a rural area, that'll determine your budget also. But that's usually enough to generate meaningful lead volume without overspending. Google Ads is not about spending the most money, it's about spending the right amount and making sure every dollar is working for you. Now, secondly, you gotta know your numbers. This is where many clinic owners get stuck. They know what they're spending, but they don't know what they're getting back. So here's what you should really know. One should be your cost per lead, your cost per new patient, how many calls you're receiving, and how many evaluations are actually getting scheduled on your books. And as a general benchmark, we'd like to see patient leads coming in for under $100 per lead. And ideally, 40 to 50% of those leads should become new patients. If you don't know those numbers, it's very difficult to improve your results. And that's one reason we've built a 24-7 reporting dashboard at Practice Promotions and use a lot of technology to track these things. Our clients can log in anytime and see exactly how their campaigns are performing. You know, that way there's no guessing, there's no waiting for reports, and it's just real-time visibility into the metrics that matter the most when it comes to Google Ads. Alright, so third is highlighting your specialties. And you see, another mistake I see is clinics advertising only physical therapy. And that's often too broad. Some of those most successful Google ad campaigns focus on specific services or even specialties that they have. For example, we've helped clinics generate tremendous results promoting massage therapy services through Google Ads. We've also worked with Rebound Physical Therapy in Kansas that had speech therapy. And before their Google Ads, they were receiving roughly 35 patient calls per month from their website. But after adding Google Ads, they increased to more than 150 patient calls per month.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

The top 10% of PT owners aren't just surviving, they're thriving. But what's their secret? Well, Neil Triggett's new Market to Grow book reveals how the top 10% of PT practices leverage marketing systems to simultaneously grow their new patients, attract top talent, and boost profit in their practice. You can learn from their secrets. Visit practicepromotions.net slash book to claim your free copy of Market to Grow. Yes, you heard that right. We are shipping a free copy of Market to Grow to all podcast listeners who want it. Just visit practicepromotions.net slash book to claim your free book. And now back to the show.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

The key is identifying services that patients are actively searching for and creating campaigns around those specialties. Now, whether it's massage therapy, speech therapy, sports rehab, vestibular therapy, or another specialty, focused campaigns often outperform just the generic ones. The fourth step here is to hire the right agency. And so one mistake I see with clinic owners is that they're trying to manage Google Ads themselves. And I understand why. Google makes it look simple, but it really isn't. The reality is that it's very easy to spend a lot of money without getting the results you're looking for, and Google wants you to spend your money with them. Google Ads can be incredibly effective, but there's also a learning curve. It's complex, and that learning curve can get quite expensive. Again, the campaigns make it look easy and you can get things going with smart ad campaigns, but they really don't perform at the level of a professional agency's campaigns. And that's why hiring the right agency matters. You see, not all Google Ads agencies are created equal. In fact, Practice Promotions is one of the premier uh Google Ads partners, which means that we're in the top 3% of Google Ads agencies in North America. And just because an agency understands Google Ads doesn't mean they understand physical therapy or rehabilitation. And so PT clinics, you know, they have unique patient journeys. It's different search terms, it's different conversation strategies and different challenges. And you want a team that understands how PT patients are searching for you and what motivates them to schedule, and then how to turn those clicks into actual evaluations coming into the clinic. Because at the end of the day, clicks don't matter. They don't grow your practice, patients do. And experience matters, and working with an agency that understands physical therapy can make a huge difference in your overall Google Ads results. Alright, so fifth here is using proper tracking. So what you measure gets you results. And this may be the most important point of all. Many clinic owners try to track Google Ads performance by asking patients, how did you hear about us? The problem is that doesn't work very well. Why? Because patients often don't know. Someone may click on a Google ad today, then visit your website tomorrow, read reviews, come back three days later, search your clinic name directly, then call your office. And when asked how they found you, they'll typically say Google. They usually have no idea they originally came from a paid ad. And that's why proper tracking is critical. And at Practice Promotions, we've actually developed something called AI call intelligence, which really manages all of this. And our system actually listens to those incoming calls and transcribes them and identifies whether the caller is actually a new patient or an existing patient, and whether that appointment was booked, and if they've got on there as an evaluation. And so then we're able to look at which calls originated from Google Ads, touched your website, and then actually became a patient in your clinic. And that means you can literally connect ad spend to booked appointments. And you can see exactly which leads became patients. That way there's no guessing, no assumptions, just real data. And that's how you make smarter marketing decisions and use your money much more wisely. Alright, let's recap the five ways to improve your Google Ads results. One, spend that right amount, two, know your numbers, three, highlight your specialties, four, hire that right agency, and five, use proper tracking to make sure you get the best possible results. You see, the most successful Google Ad campaigns aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones with the right strategy, the right tracking, and a clear understanding of what drives new patient growth. So if you're running Google Ads and you're not quite sure whether you're getting the best possible results, go ahead and reach out to our team at Practice Promotions. We'll review your campaigns, help you understand your numbers, and identify opportunities to generate more patients from your Google Ads investments. Alright, this is Neil Trickett here from the Practice Marketing Podcast. Don't forget to like and subscribe to our podcast and check out practicepromotions.net for tons of marketing tips and advice, as well as our free PT marketing kit you can send get mailed directly to your practice. Again, this is Neil from the Practice Marketing Podcast, wishing you much success in your practice.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

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