Why do more dental practices now use Google Local Services Ads in their dental marketing? More importantly, why should you use Local Services Ads in your dental marketing?

The short answer: In a competitive dental market, Local Services Ads are a new and highly effective way to keep your chairs full because of the specific way Local Services Ads work for your practice.

What Are Local Services Ads and How Do They Deliver Results?

For easy visualization, think of Local Services Ads like placing an ad for your dental practice in a traditional print newspaper. You wouldn’t place an ad in a newspaper serving a community in the next state or province. You’d naturally place an ad in a local newspaper serving your community and potential patients who can easily show up for appointments, and Local Services Ads work the same as part of your dental marketing.

Reaching the top of search results for users in different states, provinces, and countries is all well and good for businesses with national or international customers. Yet your practice needs patients who can easily walk or drive to your location and sit down in a chair. So, your practice needs to show up in searches by potential local patients—and that’s why Local Services Ads are popular with dental practices and work so well in dental marketing.

Local Services Ads position your dental practice at the top of Google search results in relation to local searches like “dental practice near me” (or something similar). Moreover, Local Services Ads appear above Google Ads, organic search results, and even map results. This means, you get in front of more potential patients who live in your area. This makes it easier to book new patients who need your dental services now.

Why Local Services Ads Are a Big Deal for Dental Practice Growth

There’s a reason why dental trade publications use words like “new” and “exciting” when describing Local Services Ads. Until recently, Google didn’t allow businesses regulated by HIPAA to participate in Local Services Ads. Now, Local Services Ads are available for dental practices as an effective dental marketing asset, which underscores why Dental Economics recently wrote, “This is a big deal, folks!” and described Local Services Ads as a “coveted listing” for dental marketing.

Trust Assurance Is a Big Part of Local Services Ads

Google’s algorithms certainly work hard to deliver search results that are valuable and trustworthy for users. Yet many users understand what The Washington Postrecently reported. Questionable and even malicious links can appear in search results. So, people understandably have varying levels of trust in search results. That’s why Local Services Ads come with a Google Screened badge, showing users that a business has been vetted, which encourages clicks by instantly telling potential patients they can trust your dental practice.

Trust levels toward Local Services Ads bears out in the data. According to Search Engine Journal, roughly 25% of all clicks go to paid search results when Local Services Ads are present. When Local Services Ads are not present, only 14% of clicks go to paid ads. So Local Services Ads as part of your dental marketing have an implicit trust level with people that isn’t held by people toward other forms of search results.

What Happens When Someone Clicks Your Local Services Ad?

Local Services Ads are designed to make it as easy as possible for potential patients to contact your practice. Clicking on a Local Services Ad takes potential patients to a details page with business information, photos, and a contact number to drive individuals to pick up the phone.

You only pay for leads. Instead of paying for clicks, Local Services Ads work on a pay-per-lead basis. To maximize ROI in your dental marketing, you only pay when someone calls.

Does this make Google Ads (PPC) and SEO obsolete? No. Local Services Ads only show for select keyword searches. So, Local Services Ads are best used in tandem with other marketing elements that make up a complete dental marketing plan.

Early Adoption of Local Services Ads Gives Practices an Advantage

The old TV sales pitch “Don’t delay! Act today!” is certainly a hackneyed one. Yet it remains relevant today for dental practices because early adoption of Local Services Ads puts dental practices at a marketing advantage. Here’s why.

• Local Services Ads require a screening process. Like you, Google values its reputation. Since Google is literally putting its stamp of approval on businesses using Local Services Ads, Google doesn’t take approval lightly.
• The screening process takes time—anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. So, the earlier you start with Local Services Ads as part of your dental marketing, the sooner potential patients can notice your practice over competing practices.
• Early adoption has advantages. Rank in Local Services Ads is partly dependent on reviews and ratings. So, the earlier you get started, the more you get ahead in ranking factors to stand above competing Local Services Ads and attract more new patients.

If you felt a certain weight from the word “time” in the last section, we understand that. The results of our 2023 State of Dental Marketing report (free here to download) show that while the majority of surveyed dental practices (74%) are planning to increase their marketing budgets or keep them the same in 2023, more than half of practices (58%) are now using an online marketing provider (a 38% increase over the previous year) because they’re busy and lack the time to implement and manage things like Local Services Ads on their own.

If this is true for you and your practice, we’re here to help.

We’re ProSites. Trusted by over 7,500 dental and medical professionals across North America, we’ve been helping dental practices measurably grow for 20+ years with specific experience in online dental marketing solutions that include Local Services Ads for dental practices.

We set up and manage your Local Services Ads.

You have more time to focus on patients.>> Reach out to us today and we’ll get you set up