· 3 min read · Jason Youngjin Koh
Google or Meta for a clinic
Google answers people who already know what they want. Meta reaches the far larger group who have not decided yet. Most clinics need both, in different proportions.
Google Ads captures demand that already exists: someone searching for an emergency dentist or teeth whitening near them. Meta ads create demand among people who are not searching yet but would consider a treatment once they see it. Urgent and well known treatments lean on Google. Elective and cosmetic treatments, where people decide over weeks, lean on Meta. Most clinics need both.
Which treatments suit Google Ads?
Treatments people search for by name when they have a need: emergency dental, check ups, wisdom teeth, specific procedures near a suburb. Search volume caps how many enquiries Google can deliver, and competition for those searches is often intense, so cost per click in dental can be high. The upside is intent: the person is ready to act.
Which treatments suit Meta ads?
Elective and considered treatments: aligners, whitening, implants, skin treatments, cosmetic consultations. Many people who would consider these are not searching yet. Meta reaches them with video and imagery, then retargets them over the weeks they take to decide. Meta enquiries usually cost less but need more follow up.
How should a clinic split the budget?
| Clinic type | Lean towards |
|---|---|
| General and emergency dental | Google, with Meta for local awareness |
| Cosmetic dental, aligners, implants | Meta for demand, Google for searches by name |
| Skin and beauty clinics | Meta, with Google capturing treatment searches |
| New clinic in a new area | Meta first, because few people know to search for you |
Start from the treatments with the most capacity and the best margin, then put each on the channel that matches how people decide. Judge both on cost per consultation booked and treatment accepted, not cost per click.
Do the same advertising rules apply on both?
Yes. AHPRA and TGA rules apply to every channel. Google and Meta each add their own healthcare policies on top, so an ad approved on one can be rejected on the other. Write to the strictest standard and both will usually pass.
What ties the two channels together?
Tracking and follow up. A patient might see a Meta video, search the clinic's name on Google a week later and book. Without tracking that connects the two, each channel looks worse than it is. Measure consultations and accepted treatments across both, and give each enquiry a fast reply whichever channel it came from.
Whichever channel brings the enquiry, these are the steps it has to pass through. Four steps from ad to chair