Services Bring in more patients
Google Ads for podiatrists, aimed at the care you want more of.
Google Ads puts your practice at the top of the results when someone nearby searches for the care you want more of, like bunion surgery, heel pain treatment or an ingrown toenail. I’m Jim McDannald, DPM. I practiced podiatry for seven years, and now I plan and manage Google Ads one-on-one for private practices.
The scan is free, scored out of 100, and comes with a 20-minute walkthrough call.
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01Why it matters
Are Google Ads worth it for a podiatry practice?
They can be, when the ads point at the right care and you can see what they bring in. Ads are the fastest way to show up for a search like “bunion surgery near me” while your local rankings build.
Where practices lose money is in the setup. Fix the three problems on this page and you can judge ads the way you judge anything else in the practice: by what they bring in.
Three problems come up again and again:
Ads that chase every foot problem
One broad campaign brings calls for care you don’t want more of. I build campaigns around the conditions and procedures you choose.
No way to tell which calls came from ads
Without call tracking you are guessing. I set it up so each call and form request is tied to the ad that produced it.
Set it and forget it
Search terms, costs and competitors change. I review your account regularly and adjust it.
02What I do
What does Google Ads management include?
Six pieces of work. I plan them around the care you want to be known for and the towns you want patients from.
Campaigns by condition and procedure
Separate campaigns for the care you want more of, such as bunion surgery, heel pain or ingrown toenails, each with its own budget.
- One campaign for each kind of care
- Budgets set by your priorities
- Ads shown in the towns you choose
Keywords and search terms
The searches patients use, plus a running list of the ones to block so you don’t pay for the wrong clicks.
- Searches that signal a patient ready to book
- Negative keywords that block wasted clicks
- Search terms reviewed as the ads run
Ads and landing pages
Ad copy in plain patient language, pointed at a page on your site built for that condition.
- Ad text that matches the search
- A landing page for each kind of care
- A clear way to call or request a visit
Call tracking
Each call and form request tied to the ad that produced it, so you know what the ads brought in.
- Calls tied to the ad that produced them
- New patient calls separated from other calls
- Missed calls flagged
Local Service Ads
Help deciding whether Google’s pay-per-lead ads make sense alongside your search ads, and setting them up if they do.
- Shown near the top of the results
- You pay when a patient gets in touch, not for each click
- Google checks the doctor’s license first
Reporting
A plain-language report on the calls and appointment requests your ads produced, and what comes next.
- Calls and appointment requests, not just clicks
- What each kind of care brought in
- What I plan to change next
03Search terms
Which searches are worth paying for?
Google charges for each click, so the list of searches you pay for matters as much as the ad itself.
Worth paying for
Searches from people who want care, close to your office.
Blocked with negative keywords
Searches from students, job seekers and people who plan to treat it themselves.
I read the real search terms behind the clicks and keep adding the wrong ones to the blocked list. That is how a budget stops leaking.
04From click to patient
What happens between a click and a booked appointment?
Five steps. I check each one, because a weak step wastes the money spent on the steps before it.
Search
A patient types a problem and a place.
Ad
The ad text matches what they typed.
Landing page
The click lands on a page about that exact care, with a clear way to call.
Phone call
Call tracking shows which ad led to the call.
Booked appointment
New patient calls are counted apart from other calls, so the report shows what the ads produced.
05How it starts
How do I get started with Google Ads?
Free Practice Visibility Scan
A report on where your practice shows up in local search, scored out of 100, with a 20-minute walkthrough call.
Request the scanOnline Practice X-Ray
An in-depth review of your website and online presence, with a custom growth plan. Every practice I take on starts here.
About the X-RayMonthly Google Ads management
I build and run the campaigns with you, one-on-one, and report what they bring in.
See all services
06Results from podiatry practices
What podiatrists say about working with Jim
less wasted ad spend at Wisconsin Foot Center, after the campaigns were rebuilt around patients ready to book.
Read the Wisconsin Foot Center case studymore new patient visits at Wisconsin Foot Center, after work on local SEO, Google Ads and patient reviews.
Read the Wisconsin Foot Center case studyResults differ from practice to practice and from town to town.
“With the agency I used before, I could never understand what they were doing and why. Jim is different. Rather than throwing money to see what worked, he understands how patients are searching for us online.”
Wisconsin Foot Center, Hales Corners, WI
“Different medical fields have different strategies that work to make money or to attract patients. Jim knows the different aspects of the practice and understands what works for podiatrists.”
Seiter Foot & Ankle Specialists, Conway, AR
07Questions
Google Ads questions from podiatrists
- Service
- Google Ads management for podiatry practices
- Done by
- Jim McDannald, DPM
- Covers
- Campaigns, keywords, ads and landing pages, call tracking, reporting
- Best for
- Practices that want more of a specific kind of care
- First step
- Free Practice Visibility Scan
How much should a podiatrist spend on Google Ads?
It depends on your area and the care you want to promote. Surgical and specialty care in a metro area costs more per click than routine care in a small town. Jim sets a starting budget with you after the Online Practice X-Ray and adjusts it based on what the ads bring in.
Should a podiatrist start with Google Ads or SEO?
Most practices benefit from both. Ads can bring calls soon after they launch. Local SEO takes longer to build and keeps working without a cost per click. Many practices run ads for one or two kinds of care while their local rankings improve.
Why are my podiatry Google Ads not working?
The usual causes are one broad campaign for everything, no list of blocked search terms, ads that send people to the homepage, and no call tracking. Any one of them can waste a budget. The Online Practice X-Ray includes a review of your ad account.
Do I own my Google Ads account?
Yes. The account, the data and the history are yours, whether you keep working with Podiatry Growth or not.
What are negative keywords?
Negative keywords are searches you tell Google not to show your ads for, such as podiatry school or podiatrist salary. They keep the budget for patients who are looking for care.
How fast do Google Ads start working?
Ads can start showing once Google approves them, so calls can come soon after launch. Jim McDannald, DPM, then adjusts the campaigns using the search terms and the call data.
Who manages the ads?
Jim McDannald, DPM. Podiatry Growth is a one-person consultancy, so you work with Jim directly, not an account manager.
08Related services
Services that work well with Google Ads
Want to pay per lead instead of per click? See Google Local Service Ads for podiatrists.
Offer shockwave, laser or PRP? See marketing for regenerative medicine podiatrists. Running a direct care or fee-for-service practice? See marketing for direct care podiatry.
From the blog: the podiatrist’s guide to Google Ads and an introduction to Google search ads.
See how patients find you now.
Start with a free Practice Visibility Scan and a 20-minute walkthrough of what it shows.
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