What is Search Engine Advertising?

Let’s start with the basics. What is Search Engine Advertising?

Search Engine Advertising describes the act of placing a 3-line advertisement above or beside search results on major search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. These advertisements are displayed in response to keyword search phrases (e.g., “toothache”, “chiropractor”, “dentist”, “dental clinic”, “chiropractic office”, “lower back pain”, etc.). Keyword searches can also include geographic regions (e.g., city names, street names, regions, or neighborhoods).

The following diagram shows where the advertisements appear on Google.

Advertising on Google, Yahoo!, AOL & MSN

Unlike traditional advertising or direct marketing, with search engine advertising you only pay when someone clicks on your advertisement. The cost for a “click” on your advertisement can be as low as a few pennies or up to a several dollars. The cost entirely depends on how many people are competing for the specific keyword on which you have placed your advertisement. Your cost is also varied depending on the quality and relevance of your advertisement in relation to the website that your visitor clicks through to.

Google controls about 66% of the search advertising space. However, good search marketing should also explore the other networks.

Marketing Clinics ensures that your advertising is placed across the network(s) where you will receive the biggest return on your investment. Major search engines such as Google®, Yahoo!, and MSN offer one of today's most affordable and effective advertising opportunities. And they are the ideal way to geographically target local patients. Just look at the facts: There were 6.8 BILLION searches done in June 2006 (Source: comScore Networks).

Search Advertising vs. The Yellow Pages™

Search advertising is very much like advertising in the Yellow Pages, with one huge difference. With search engine advertising, you only pay after a person clicks on your advertisement.

However, your reasons for placing an advertisement in the Yellow Pages should be the exact same ones that you use search engine advertising. When a person looks at your advertisement in the Yellow Pages, they do so with the clear intent that they are seeking out the services that you are promoting. Unlike a magazine or newspaper, a person who is looking for a Dentist, a Chiropractor, or a similar service has a clear intent in their actions. If a person needs a Dentist, they browse to the Dental Clinics section of the Yellow Pages and finds a dentist to meet their needs.

On the internet, the same logic applies. If a person conducts a web search for “Chiropractor”, chances are they are looking for a chiropractor. Ideally, you are going to organically rank for the search phrase, but that is not always possible. Instead, you can place an advertisement in their search path that brings the searcher directly to your website. This person who searches for “Chiropractor” has the same intent as the person who looks for Chiropractor in the Yellow Pages. Likewise holds true for people searching for "dentists" or any other 'yellow-pages category'.

How much did you spend on your last newspaper advertisement?

In building up your practice, you need to advertise. If you don’t advertise, new patients will not find you. Most small businesses – for which Dentists and Chiropractors are no exception – start off by marketing in their local newspapers. And while new patients can be obtained from this method, it is very difficult to measure the effectiveness.

How much did you spend? Did you get enough new patients whose lifetime value to your practice justifies the expenditure? Most who do advertising in newspapers do not track their return on advertising expenditure. After all, this is very difficult to do with traditional print advertising.

When you advertise on the Internet with search engine advertising, you can know precisely what a person did once they clicked on your advertisement. Did the person call your clinic? Did they complete a form or send you an email? This accountability is one of the reasons why search marketing is one of the fastest growing forms of advertising. Marketers do not get anywhere near the same sort of metrics or precision out of radio, newspaper, or direct marketing as they do with their search engine advertising.

However, one aspect often overlooked by search marketers is that there is inherent value in the ‘impression’. When a person searches, most paid search marketing generates a 1.5% to 5% conversion rate [that is, the rate of how many people searched for the keyword that actually clicked on your ad]. The more precise the match, the higher the conversion rate. Not to be understated is the passive or subconscious effect of having your name associated with the keyword concept.

Probably the best comparison is to the traditional magazine or newspaper advertisement. If a person is looking through a magazine and sees your advertisement, they are not going to ‘click’ on the ad. They will hopefully see your name enough times, that come a day when they need your practice, your name is one that they recognize. Every impression makes an impression... but these impressions don’t even cost you a penny.

Remember, you only pay if someone clicks on your advertisement.

Tracking New Patient 'Conversions'

Within traditional forms of advertising, the ideal patient can rarely be tracked or linked to a specific marketing campaign. Even with cards at the front desk asking where the new patient "How did they hear about you?", it is difficult to state what marketing and advertising activity triggered their response to visit your clinic. However, Marketing Clinics can track conversions that occur throughout your campaign in real time.

• Every email that comes through to your office as a result of a paid search advertisement is tracked and recorded
• Every phone call is linked to the ad that generated the inbound inquiry
• Every web form, and newsletter sign-up is tracked and attributed back to your campaign

The end result is that unlike any other form of marketing that you are likely to do over the course of the year, you will be able to measure the impact. And our goal is that the impact will also be felt in more business for you.

Tracking conversions is also very important to our guarantee to you. If we cannot show you leads, you do not pay us. We will refund your fees. It is that simple.

Added Marketing Services

But managing and launching your search advertising campaign is not all that Marketing Clinics can do to help you bring new patients to you office.

Once a person clicks on your advertisement, they need to be persuaded that your services are what they need. Our landing pages (that is, the first impression page that a visitor sees) that we create on your behalf have been tested and proven to get site visitors calling to discuss treatment options, book a consultation, or make an appointment.

We will also provide you with free advice on improving your internet presence or website. In short, because Marketing Clinics takes care of all the details, you can spend more time attending to patient care.

Sign up today for a Free Marketing Analysis to see if Paid Search Marketing is right for your clinic. Call 1.866.643.5770 for more information.

Watch a video about how it will work for you

Click here to learn more about Search Marketing for Chiropractors

Click here to learn more about Search Marketing for Dentists