How to Set Up Clinic Search Ads: Five Decisions
“We’ll set up search ads but the panel is complicated; what do we touch and what do we leave alone? How does a psychologist, psychiatrist and therapist clinic set up search ads?” Setup comes down to five decisions: keywords, location, copy, landing page, budget. The rest of the panel is either unnecessary or harmful in this vertical. This article gives the five decisions and the buttons to leave alone. 🔧
This article is setup: five decisions, four buttons not to touch and the first month’s rhythm.
The whole line: the advertising guide; competitors: the competitor article.
Five Decisions
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- Decision 1 — Keywords: district + intent, narrow
- Decision 2 — Location: the district and its neighbours
- Decision 3 — Copy: describing the clinic
- Decision 4 — Landing page: single-purpose
- Decision 5 — Budget: small with a daily cap
The campaign’s spine: 📋
Decision 1 — Keywords: district + intent, narrow
Not generic, but the areas the clinic actually works in: “[district] + psychologist”, “+ adolescent therapy”, “+ couples therapy”. Match type narrow: broad match spends money on informational searches (“what is anxiety”). And negative keywords: “free”, “public”, drug names, “job vacancy”.
Decision 2 — Location: the district and its neighbours
Not the whole city; the clinic’s district and the neighbouring ones people will actually travel from. If online sessions are offered, a separate campaign, a separate keyword (“online therapy”), a wider location.
Decision 3 — Copy: describing the clinic
District and area in the headline, title and door in the description. No promises, superiority or implication about the person: the copy article.
Decision 4 — Landing page: single-purpose
Not the home page; a one-door page prepared for the ad. One page per keyword group is ideal, at least one is essential: the landing page article.
Decision 5 — Budget: small with a daily cap
A set monthly total, a daily cap, the first month a learning period. Budget increases come after measurement: the budget article.
Four Buttons Not to Touch
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- Button 1 — Automatic audience expansion
- Button 2 — Retargeting and audience lists
- Button 3 — Display network and app placements
- Button 4 — AI copy suggestions (unreviewed)
The panel options that stay off in this vertical: 🚫
Button 1 — Automatic audience expansion
“Show to similar audiences”, “targeting expansion”: control leaves the clinic’s hands; the ad goes to information-seekers and irrelevant people. Off.
Button 2 — Retargeting and audience lists
Following site visitors, building an audience from the client list: in this vertical a privacy breach, and restricted on the platform too. Never switched on: the targeting article.
Button 3 — Display network and app placements
The search campaign’s “also show on the display network” option: the ad appears on news sites and in game apps; zero intent, accidental clicks. Off.
Button 4 — AI copy suggestions (unreviewed)
The panel’s automatic headlines are mostly promise-laden: “the best”, “now”, “solution”. A suggestion may be read; it isn’t published without approval — the signature rule applies to ads too.
👉 All four buttons promise “more impressions”; in this vertical more impressions don’t mean more first contacts.
The First Month’s Rhythm
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- Week one — don’t touch
- Week two — the search terms report
- Weeks three and four — count first contacts
- Month end — three figures
- And who sets it up
After the campaign opens: 🗓️
Week one — don’t touch
The platform is learning; data is scarce. One job: is the ad approved, does the landing page open, does the form work. Nothing else is touched.
Week two — the search terms report
Read which real searches the ad appeared in. Irrelevant terms (“free psychologist”, “psychology degree”) are added to negatives. The most valuable ten minutes of the week.
Weeks three and four — count first contacts
Not clicks; forms and calls: how many first contacts came. Is the “ads” row filling in the “how did you find us” record? If the number is small, no panic; the first month is learning: the timing article.
Month end — three figures
Spend, first contacts, first meetings. All three go into the monthly table as one row; the decision is made by looking at these three: continue, narrow, stop.
And who sets it up
The runner can take the five decisions; no panel expertise is needed, patience is. If it’s outsourced, one question: “will you keep the four buttons off?” — if the answer starts with “but for more reach…”, wrong agency. To inherit it built and district-locked: the parcel model.
📌 Field Notes
- Campaigns opened with broad match spend most of the first month’s budget on informational searches.
- In campaigns with the display network left on, most clicks come from game apps and by accident.
- Week two’s search terms report is the most productive ten minutes for building the negative list.
📖 Quick Glossary
- Narrow match: The ad appearing only for close searches.
- Negative keyword: A term that prevents the ad from appearing.
- Three figures: Spend, first contacts, first meetings.
Frequently Asked Questions
➡️ Next Step
This week, write five narrow keywords from the areas the clinic actually works in and ten negative keywords. To inherit your district’s psychologist keywords built and locked, check your parcel; for copy, move to the copy article.
Sık Sorulan Sorular
With five decisions: keywords (district + intent, narrow match, negative list), location (district and neighbours), copy (describing the clinic), landing page (single-purpose) and budget (small, daily cap).
Four buttons: automatic audience expansion, retargeting and audience lists (privacy breach), display network placements (zero intent) and unreviewed AI copy (mostly promise-laden). More impressions don’t mean more first contacts.
Week one don’t touch; week two the search terms report and negatives; weeks three and four count first contacts; month end three figures (spend, first contacts, first meetings) and a decision. One question for an agency: will you keep the four buttons off?