Google Ads and PPC for Pediatric Dentists
How We Run Google Ads for Pediatric Dentists
A pediatric dental account has a different searcher, a different first question and a different calendar than a general practice. Parents want to know you take their plan, that you are good with nervous kids, and that they can get an appointment that does not mean missing school. Jason builds every pediatric account around those three things, with campaigns tuned to whether you accept Medicaid, which age groups you see, and how much capacity your schedule really has for new families.
Insurance and Medicaid Questions
Coverage is the first filter for most parents. If you accept Medicaid or CHIP, searches like "pediatric dentist that takes Medicaid" can be a strong source of new patients, and we build a dedicated ad group with copy that says so plainly. If you do not, those terms go on the negative list and the ads lead with the PPO plans you are in network with, so you stop paying for calls you have to turn away.
Practices that are limiting new Medicaid patients can run a split approach: Medicaid terms paused or capped by budget, PPO and fee for service terms open. We adjust this as your schedule fills or opens, which a set and forget campaign never does. The landing page lists accepted plans clearly so parents do not have to call to ask, and the calls that do come in are already qualified.
Searches Parents Actually Type
Pediatric searches are specific and emotional: "dentist for 2 year old," "kids dentist good with anxiety," "pediatric dentist special needs," "baby tooth cavity what to do." We group these by situation, so the parent of a toddler sees copy about first visits and the parent of a child with sensory needs sees copy about your experience and quiet rooms. Generic "dentist near me" traffic is used carefully, since much of it is adults.
We exclude orthodontist, braces cost, adult implants, dentures and teeth whitening searches unless you offer those services, plus dental hygiene school and job terms. Emergency searches like "child chipped tooth" can be valuable if you hold same day slots, so we ask how your schedule handles urgent visits before deciding whether to bid on them at all.
School Year and Seasonal Timing
Pediatric schedules swing with the school calendar. Summer break and the weeks before school starts are when parents try to get checkups done, and holiday breaks bring a second smaller rush. We raise budgets ahead of those windows and lean on ad scheduling for evenings and weekends, when parents actually have time to search and fill out a booking form after the kids are in bed.
During the school year, when after school slots are full and mornings are open, copy can promote availability that fits, such as early appointments or a quick visit during a teacher workday. If your schedule is booked weeks out, we pull spend back rather than generate calls you cannot place, and we restart before the next busy window instead of after it.
Tracking New Patient Appointments
Most calls to a pediatric practice come from existing families confirming, rescheduling or asking about a bill. Counting all of them as conversions teaches Google to find more of the wrong people. We track calls with duration thresholds, tag first time callers, track new patient forms and online booking separately, and set new patient appointments as the primary conversion so bidding optimizes toward growth.
Healthcare ads follow Google's medical policies, and pediatric practices also need care with personalized targeting, since sensitive health interests cannot be used to target ads. We rely on search intent and location instead of audience lists built on health data. Monthly reports show cost per new patient appointment by campaign, so you can see what Medicaid, PPO and situational searches each cost to fill your schedule.
