Martin
Founder, strategy and audits
Writes every audit and takes every first call. On your account from day one, running growth for SMEs since 2010.
SEM for Doctors
Google Ads for Doctors in the UK
Empty appointment slots cost a practice money, and so do abandoned calls. Google Ads can put your doctors in front of people searching for a same-week appointment or a new family doctor. We build the campaigns, guard the budget and count booked visits.
For doctors and medical practices that want paid search to fill open appointment slots and bring new patients, with every call and booking counted.
Why paid search suits a medical practice
Context from how your customers search, compare and book.
Doctor searches are urgent and local. Someone typing doctor open now, same day appointment or family doctor accepting new patients is ready to act. An advert that shows today's free slot, a call button and the plans you accept can win the booking before the searcher scrolls to the next result.
The practice has a limited number of slots, so the campaign must follow capacity. If the diary is full for three weeks, spend on same-day searches is wasted. We link budget to availability, raising it when a doctor has gaps and reducing it when the schedule is full, and we review this weekly with your practice manager.
Many searches are not patients. People look for medical jobs, medical certificates for sale, online prescriptions, symptom information and services your practice does not provide. Others want an emergency department. Exclusions, location settings and a clear emergency note keep the budget on people who can really book with you.
Platform rules and ethics apply. Adverts must not promise cures or compare doctors unfairly, and they avoid sensitive personal assumptions. Remarketing is kept off pages that reveal a person's health concern. Your doctors approve all text, and the practice remains responsible for local advertising rules for medical services.
Who this paid search is for
groups Customer segments
- person Primary care practices that have lost a doctor or opened new sessions
- person Specialist clinics wanting direct bookings alongside referrals
- person Groups launching a new site or extended hours
- person Practices offering travel health, skin checks or workplace medicals
psychology What drives their decision
- check_circle Adverts that show availability and plans accepted
- check_circle Calls answered quickly during opening hours
- check_circle Clear statements on emergencies and urgent care
- check_circle Counting that reaches the booked appointment
How we deliver SEM
A clear, repeatable process built around how doctors customers search and decide.
1
Goals and capacity
We agree which doctors and sessions have space, what a new patient is worth and what counts as a result. We set counting for calls, booking clicks and forms, and agree weekly budget limits that follow the diary.
2
Campaign structure
We build separate campaigns for new patient searches, same-day appointments, children and women's health, and special services such as skin checks or travel health. Each has its own budget, advert wording and landing page, so one can pause without the rest.
3
Keywords and exclusions
We choose phrases such as family doctor near me, doctor open Saturday and doctor accepting new patients, and exclude jobs, courses, online prescription and emergency terms. Real search terms are reviewed every week, and the list grows with them.
4
Adverts and extensions
Adverts show the suburb, hours, plans accepted and a booking or call button. Wording is plain, claims are avoided and a doctor approves each advert before it runs. We add a note for emergencies where the format allows.
5
Call handling and review
We set call hours, track missed calls and agree a short script for the front desk. Each month we report spend, calls, bookings and the changes we made, and we move budget to sessions that need patients.
query_stats
What Doctors SEM includes
Reach people who are ready to book on Google, without paying for clicks that never turn into customers in the UK
- check_circle Campaigns by patient need
- check_circle Keyword and exclusion management
- check_circle Call tracking and missed-call reports
- check_circle Advert wording approved by a doctor
- check_circle Monthly report in plain language
What you can expect
- verified People ready to book a doctor see your practice and its availability
- verified Spend follows open slots instead of running when the diary is full
- verified Waste from jobs, online prescriptions and emergencies is cut steadily
- verified Calls and booking clicks are counted and tied to the campaign behind them
- verified Adverts state hours, plans and emergency information accurately
- verified Reports show booked appointments, not only clicks
Deliverables you receive
inventory_2 Separate campaigns for new patients, same-day slots, child health and special services
inventory_2 Keyword and exclusion lists built for patient searches in your area
inventory_2 Advert copy that shows hours, plans accepted and the next step
inventory_2 Call tracking with missed-call reports for the front desk
inventory_2 Landing pages that match each advert and show a booking route
inventory_2 Monthly review of search terms, spend and booked appointments
Technical approach
The mechanics behind SEM for doctors, explained plainly.
Capacity-based budgets
A full diary makes paid search pointless. We set limits by session and reduce spend when a doctor is booked out, then raise it when cancellations or new sessions open up.
Call handling
A missed call often means the next surgery gets the patient. We use call tracking, recommend set answer hours and review unanswered calls, so the front desk can add cover at peak times.
Counting a booking
We tag booking clicks, forms and calls over a set length, and where your booking system allows, we match them to attended appointments. Counts never include the reason for a visit.
Marketing from $500 USD a month
Month to month, no commitment. One fee covers the pages, the search and ad work and the tracking. Ad spend is separate and stays in your own accounts.
Starting at
$500 USD per month
Free to cancel with 1 month's notice. Tell us what you sell and where. We come back with what the first month would fix.
Get a Free AuditWhat $500 a month covers
Pages
IncludedPages built around the searches your buyers actually type.
Search and ads
IncludedSearch and ads aimed at people ready to enquire.
Tracking
IncludedCalls, forms and bookings tagged to the search, ad or page behind them.
What to expect from Google Ads
We start with modest budgets, read the real searches and then widen what works.
Days 1 to 14
We confirm capacity, build counting, write adverts for approval and set exclusions. Spend begins small and in the sessions with the clearest gaps, while we check that calls are being answered.
Weeks 3 to 8
We clean up search terms, test adverts and pages and shift budget toward sessions that bring booked patients. You see calls and bookings by campaign, and we discuss where the phone handoff loses people.
Months 3 to 6 and beyond
We scale what works, adjust for flu season, school terms and holidays, and add services such as travel health. We never promise lead numbers or a fixed cost per patient, because both depend on local competition.
Other Doctors marketing services
search SEO for Doctors in the UK arrow_forward ads_click Meta Ads for Doctors in the UK arrow_forward web Web Design for Doctors in the UK arrow_forward monitoring Analytics for Doctors in the UK arrow_forward handshake CRM Integration for Doctors in the UK arrow_forward psychology AI Optimisation for Doctors in the UK arrow_forward
Our team
The same people on the audit and on the work
Martin writes every audit and takes the first call. The same team stays on the account. 160+ businesses since 2010.
Yoana
Social and app development
Shapes social strategy and builds practical app experiences that turn attention into action.
Mike
SEO
Owns technical, local and content SEO so the right buyers find you when demand is highest.
Robert
Paid media
Plans and manages paid search and social campaigns around qualified leads.
Elmer
Analytics
Connects tracking, attribution and reporting so decisions are based on revenue-quality data.
Dino
Design
Creates clear brand and conversion-focused design across landing pages, campaigns and product experiences.
Certified and experienced
Certified where it matters. Accountable for the outcome.
Verified platform knowledge, 25+ years of hands-on experience, and an operating track record since 2010.
Google AdsCertified
✓Google AnalyticsCertified
✓Google Tag ManagerCertified
✓Operating since 2010Proven experience
✓Frequently Asked Questions
How much should doctors spend on Google Ads? expand_more
It depends on your area, your open sessions and how many new patients you can take. We suggest a modest starting budget and adjust it against booked appointments and capacity.
Can Google Ads fill same-day appointments? expand_more
Often yes for doctors, because people searching for a same-day appointment are ready to act. We use ad schedules and a slot-focused page, but results depend on local demand and your opening hours.
Do you advertise to people searching with symptoms? expand_more
Usually not for doctors. Symptom searches attract people looking for information, not a booking. We concentrate on service and appointment searches, and we exclude terms that suggest an emergency.
What about the plans and fees question? expand_more
Adverts and pages should say which plans you accept and what a visit costs if you choose to share it. Doctors confirm the wording and remain responsible for accuracy.
Do you follow medical advertising rules? expand_more
We avoid outcome claims and comparisons, and write about services and access. One of your doctors approves each advert, and the practice stays responsible for local rules on advertising medical services.
Who answers the calls? expand_more
Your front desk does. We help with call hours, tracking and a simple script, and doctors and managers decide how to handle clinical questions.
What do we see each month? expand_more
A short report on spend, calls, bookings and the changes we made, plus advice on where budget should move. We keep wording plain, so doctors and managers can follow it quickly.
Ready to get more from Doctors SEM?
Get a free audit and we will show you where you are losing enquiries today.
Get a Free Audit arrow_forward